• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Military Comics by Actual Service Members
1 1

62 posts in this topic

Some very unusual and unique books.

 

Have one I picked up a while back. Didn't know much about it, so looked up Fort Custer in Wikipedia: Fort Custer Training Center was built in Michigan in 1917. It was originally called Camp Custer and trained troops for WWI. In 1940, it became Fort Custer and trained more than 300,000 troops for WWII. It was also served as a prisoner of war camp for 5,000 German soldiers. So, I assume Ned created this book during WWII training.

 

RookieFortCuster.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Boot: Wouldn’t the Jack Kibry war-themed titles like "Foxhole", which recollected generic war memories of his own experience, although not based on actual facts, quailify?

 

We have a very interesting, I would say quite unique, example of this in Italy, with our cartoonist Benito Jacovitti, which published his first story in 1940 (at the age of 16) whose character, Pippo, ends up saved by German navy, then got enrolled, went close to be forcedly listed in the SS (if I recall correctly), and then, in 1945-1949, slightly after the war – now artistically mature – produced an unforgettable trilogy of the same character which deals with dictatorship, war, and peace.

 

An example of the second episode collected in a comic book (originally presented in magazine):

16476_97325_3.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Boot: Wouldn’t the Jack Kibry war-themed titles like "Foxhole", which recollected generic war memories of his own experience, although not based on actual facts, quailify?

 

Definitely! Could also say that Kurtzman's work qualifies, since he served in the Army.

 

Love the style of the Pippo comic you posted!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I met Jack Kirby in person, and since then I felt him even closer than before (he’s been a huge influence on my education). Sooner or later I’d really love to buy that Foxhole issue with the bandaged soldier, which reflects a real-life experience he had after landing on Normandy's beach after the D-Day.

 

Pippo has been the first, and possibly most genuine, character by Jacovitti. He started drawing it at the age of 16, as catholic publisher A.V.E. proposed him to work on "Il Vittorioso", one of the few comics' titles based entirely on italian productions.

Unfortunately his work is largely unknown in English, but I’d love to attempt some translations, as I dream about a possible antologic "fanzine" publishing cross-referenced comics from the wartime years (Lou Fine's work has been one of my most delightful discoveries). :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are the covers of the collected edition of the trilogy, published 1945-1949 (collected in 1948-49). These are 1970s-80s reprints, but the covers are the original ones (except the added typography). I post those because they’re better quality images.

 

LISCADIPESCE-32.jpg

LISCADIPESCE-40.jpg

LISCADIPESCE-41.jpg

 

It’s worth of note that Jacovitti as a youngster was close to fascism (in the early Pippo story, the "kid gang" of Pippo and his friends got rescued from English spies by a Nazi submarine!) but was also among the first to see the dangers and illusions of fascist government, and so Pippo started to comment as early as 1945 about the illusions just swept away by the war.

Edited by vaillant
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Nightmares Of Lieutenant Ichi or Juan Posong Gives Ichi The Midnight Jitters

by Ben Roth

Published by U.S. Office of War Information (OWI) in Brisbane, Australia, for distribution in the Philippines

Anti-Japanese propaganda comic book

133770.jpg.b0eb951fb043411dbf95e714ee296c39.jpg

133771.jpg.06bdebfc50e071a95e298afbf66492c9.jpg

133772.jpg.2920e28c3826d95222d855a83ea113a5.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thought this thread could use a bump on this Memorial Day weekend.

 

Here is a book of cartoons about life in the Pacific islands during WWII. Not an actual comic book. Lots of cartoons featuring bare breasted native women, the few examples of which I have blacked out for delicate sensibilities.

155513.jpg.46cc6fa38aa7ea92b953530c85fa2bde.jpg

155514.jpg.1912f79b2c3da5d324792666a802bf10.jpg

155515.jpg.ef2fcd56d266406741b3265db5b6e01f.jpg

155516.jpg.53b153a2235b140a503a63a93a5f581f.jpg

155517.jpg.c5bc256ac04f6c65a5f99bc7fbbca4d4.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is an illustrated book, with a series of full page cartoons and one page text pieces. Thought it was noteworthy as it is signed by Ralph Stein, and it included a 1994 clipping of his obituary. Stein wrote and illustrated the Popeye daily strip from 1953 to 1959.

 

Happy Memorial Day 2015. Take a moment to remember those that have passed and all they fought for to give us!

155518.jpg.e8ce057aeb7add2481eebe3470af19c3.jpg

155519.jpg.f07dc9fb6aeecdad17da65fe33a7728d.jpg

155520.jpg.75944c602254e61b005b63f841476f09.jpg

155521.jpg.1bdf781ffed4daef373d5e8e3886481c.jpg

155522.jpg.4b7ad54e8b57ba18bf84258bd2a770c7.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 30/4/2012 at 6:44 AM, BOOT said:

 

Definitely! Could also say that Kurtzman's work qualifies, since he served in the Army.

 

Love the style of the Pippo comic you posted!

Now I have the originals, so posting them.
"Pippo e il Dittatore" ("Pippo and the Dictator") appeared in 1945, serialized in the italian catholic journal "Intervallo".
"Pippo e la Guerra" ("Pippo and the War") and "Pippo e la Pace" ("Pippo and the Peace") appeared first on the pages of "Il Vittorioso" in 1948.
All three were then collected in comic album (about the size of a comic book, but landscape format) in 1949.

Vbh5rmrh.jpg
5aI2Ciph.jpg
t5CMJ7sh.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Love this thread! My cousin,  HYMIE Epstein,  was awarded the Purple Heart in World War II     There was a one or two page, about him called real heroes I believe     I had a copy in the 70s and then ended up giving it back to his parents     Would love to find one again 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
1 1