GOOD, EVIL and EASY -
When most of us think of comic books we generally think of those that have been recently flooding Hollywood with fantastic stories of super-heroes and mythical characters with powers beyond reason. Being a self-proclaimed comic book fanboy myself, I would have to admit the same. Comic books and real world war do not necessarily lend themselves to a feel good reading combination. There was a time when the military characters in war comics were becoming just as popular as the bright colored characters in super-hero comics. It was short lived, however. Joseph Witek discusses in fair detail about war comics, one in particular, in his essay The Dream Of Total War. In his essay, Mr. Witek discusses the evolution of the war comic and its' place in society and among other comic books as well. Witek goes into detail about one specific title - Total War: MARS Patrol, calling it a "bizarre military fantasy".
Witek is apt in choosing this title as it gives an excellent example of just how far publishers were willing to go at making an attempt to get their war titles into the main stream. Total War was released during the Cold War era and plenty of themes which touch on this issue are present in Total War, but it takes a more science fiction approach rather than a real world approach. Good and evil is clearly present, but comic books as a whole have always drawn that line between good and evil, for the most part. Of course, like any media, whether it be books, film, TV or comic books, they are a reflection of an era and the issues within that era. There was a time when even comic books weren't so cut and dry in the distinction of good and evil.
In my opinion, however, one character remained as a solid definition of good and remains timeless. As I mentioned earlier, not many of us think of war comics when we think of comic books, but one such character instantly came to my mind. He has fought in WWII, appears to have near superhuman abilities but is still mortal, he has even been rumored to have been killed more than once, and he keeps on coming back. The war comic book character I am referring to is none other than Sgt. Frank Rock. He is the "Top Kick" of Easy Company during WWII and served in the European theater. Sgt. Rock and his band of rough and tough comrades, encounter danger at every turn in each issue of Sgt Rock series. Most of the stories usually involve Easy Company coming under attack or provoking an attack and then just when it looks like all hope is lost, Sgt Rock steps in and single handedly takes on the enemy. One such issue, Easy Company has just been through a fierce fire fight, even Sgt Rock has taken a blow or two. It looks like victory has been claimed, but a Nazi commander has escaped. Rock orders Easy Company to stand down and rest up as the good Sgt. pursues the lone Nazi. Sgt Rock encounters the Nazi officer and hand to hand combat begins. Rock bests the baddy however, slamming his head into the snow covered ground and suffocating the Nazi.
The Sgt Rock series, as with most military comic books of the time, didn't fair so well. Although it was under the DC Comics label and was more successful than other war comics because of it, it still didn't have the commercial success as Superman or Batman. There were even cross over issues where Superman was disguised as a newbie to Easy Company and ends up saving the entire company in battle, Sgt Rock included. DC didn't give up on the Sarge though. He has sprung up now and again throughout time in the DC Universe. Even serving as a General and appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Lex Luthor. (Yes, Lex Luthor was voted in as president at one point and forced out of office... no surprise.)
Why does the good Sgt keeping coming back? He represents honor, courage, bravery, and commitment. When Sgt Rock was being published regularly, the Vietnam war was in swing. Sgt Rock was attempting to show the good that can still come from the military and not just what the media decides to show us. Which is also one reason I think WWII was the war of choice for Sgt Rock to fight in. It was a war that everyone rallied around and here was this all American Pittsburgh Steel worker, completing mission after mission and becoming the strong leader and hero we hoped we could still be. He has no super powers, he is human, yet he is still a hero among the SUPER heroes of DC Comics.
Sgt. Rock has even been brought back to WWII for a special graphic novel where Rock is placed during an actual historic WWII battle. Painstaking research was done to get the story just right and so that Sgt Rock could easily be placed in that story without it deviating from history. I believe Sgt Rock will be coming back again soon to remind us that good is still out there, regardless of whether you are pro-military or not, Sgt Rock is a character we can rally behind when our real world struggles may seem too much to bare. If you're searching for a clear distinction between good and evil, Sgt. Rock makes it crystal clear.
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