Some of the best and most memorable images in the history of comic books have graced the covers of Our Army At War, GI Combat and Sgt. Rock.
Heck, just to mention “war comics” conjures up scenes of dynamic
heroism, meticulous draftsmanship and heartbreaking sorrow. Penned by
legends, these unforgettable visions have become iconic to Pop Culture
fans for more than sixty years. Now, add the fact that the name “Joe
Kubert,” isn’t attached to such a cover featuring Sgt. Rock (though
we’re hoping to change that), and you open a minefield for anyone
stupid enough to cross.
So what in the hell was DC thinking? Having some cad with a fashion
illustration background and known for drawing “babes”, take on the
gruff and gritty genre of war comics? I don’t know myself, but it’s too
late for anyone to back down now, so let me give it a shot and cowboy
up – or else a lot of folks are gonna be pissed at me.
The six-issue’s for Sgt. Rock – The Lost Battalion will not
be numbered in the traditional comic book form of numbers (i.e. #1-6),
though it is for the solicitations to keep things simple, but rather by
Days. Since the story takes place over six days, each issue will
focus on a 24-hour period. Each day will also be a theme based on the
events of that actual day back in 1944, via the elements of life --
Fire, Rain, Earth, Fog, Wind and Air. The cover artwork will also
reflect the themes, but without being misleading or giving too much
away.
So here we go, the mission begins!
(Pictures are above - use the arrow to rotate through them)The CoversDay One – Fire
Since this will be the first time in years that the leader of Easy
Company has graced a mainstream comic cover, editor Mike Marts and
myself felt we needed to go “classic” for the first issue. Unable to
have our favorite top kick dragging on a cigarette, we figured to go
with Rock’s traditional sharp-eyed scowl. Since this was my first cover
there are some discrepancies, the most glaring is the grenade – the
spoon is post WW2, but my good buddy Mark Sparacio fixed that in the
painted version – I’ll post the completed version of that cover when I
get it. Since Rock will return to the comic stage via the Normandy
beach landings, he would be dressed in uniform and kit akin to the US
1st Division of June 1944. The second half of the issue takes place
four months later and almost everything he would have worn, save his
steel pot helmet had just about been replace by newer and more
efficient gear. These little details, which I’m sure are annoying to
some, will all be addressed when we focus on the painted versions of
the covers in future columns, but for the black and white versions of
the covers, they work. You may also notice Rock’s chevrons on his
helmet. The helmet stripes are signature Rock – but I opted to have
them drawn on his helmet with a soldier’s “cray stick” (a sort of
crayon) – this is to foreshadow a scene in an upcoming issue. I also
made Rock a First Sergeant – which he never was – though classically
referred to as “Top Kick,” Rock was never more than (at least during
WW2) a Master Sergeant. But I love the little 1SG diamond in the center
of his chevron and wanted to draw that in. But alas, for the final
versions, it will be deleted. You may notice that Rock’s not well,
“hulking”– as he had been depicted in the later years of the Sgt. Rock
series. He’s more like some of the airborne sergeants I had, and more
akin to the way he was drawn in the early “Our Army at War” books –
solidly built and tough as nails, Superman he’s not, but a real man, an
American badass you know will whip the piss out of any other around
him. A hero whom men will follow into hell and know he’ll bring them
out the other side with the devil’s pitchfork as a trophy.
Day Two – Rain.
This cover, like all in the series is devoted to the ordinary dogface
of WW2. Worn-out men in their twenties and thirties, plucked from a
peaceful existence and sent to the other side of the world to kill.
Men, prematurely aged beyond their years by the horrors of war -- but
whose spirits, though battered are never bested and have become that of
iron. They know they have a job to do, but hate it. Here, Rock, serving
in 1st Battalion 141st Infantry Regiment of the 36th “Texas” Division.
Having seen so much brutality, this man knows the single rain droplet
pelting his helmet is the harbinger of a coming storm. Not only anxious
of being able to survive yet “another one”, he also has the burden of
those men who are counting on him to keep them alive. The significance
of one tiny raindrop is as powerful as having the entire world on one’s
shoulders – especially when you’re surrounded on all sides by 7,000
crack troops and armor of the Wehrmacht.
Day Three – EarthIls ne passeront pas– “They Shall Not Pass!” The Rock of the
Vosges Mountains holds his ground against the coming Hun! I wanted to
get in your face with this one. Fiery red and orange leaves will be
falling all about from artillery concussions and Hun bullets. We’ll
have some of these leaves shot up with singeing holes and tracers will
be streaking all over the blasted page! The Hun cometh, but Rock and
Easy Company cannot let them through; they must hold the line – at all
costs!
If you take a look at Rock’s Thompson sub-machinegun, you’ll notice
it’s an M1928A1. This is the “gangster version” that came with a 50
round ammo drum. The only real change to it and the ones wielded by Al
Capone’s killers during the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in 1929 is the
horizontal handgrip. These were issued in the early days of the war,
and thus by October 1944, Rock would most likely have opted for the
newer, lighter, and more basic MA1 “Tommy.” Rock has traditionally been
depicted with both and sometimes even an amalgamation of the two, so we
had room to play here.
You may also notice the shell casings are a bit off in size – that’ll
be fixed too. By the way, no, that’s not George Bush as Rock. Some
folks have accused me of using the prez as a model, but it’s actually
my good buddy Mike Falcone. Mike’s a twenty-year veteran of the USAF
and really goes out of his way for the book, he’ll do just about
anything for it. Heck why don’t I just show you the “cover process”.
Day Four – FogStage One: We start off with a simple sketch in my indispensable
moleskin journal – it’s a total homage to the great Joe Kubert and Russ
Heath (my all time favorite comic book artists). The tank depicted here
is a 70-ton King Tiger, but after speaking with veterans who swear it
was a Tiger Mk. VI they encountered during the battle of the “Lost
Battalion”, I opted to use that one instead – besides, every German
tank to every GI was “a Tiger” during the war – it’s fear factor was
just off the charts. These are real rushed (taking about a minute to
do) I send in a couple to Mike Marts for approval and he picks the one
he likes.
Stage Two: Photo reference. I visited the actual waterhole when
I went to France. Foxholes still line it’s perimeter. I was so moved by
being at a place where such fighting went on, that I had to take a
drink – it was the best water I ever tasted. I took dozens of pictures
of the area and am using them for the comic book. Afterward, the time
came to get to the final illustration. Here’s my good buddy, Mike
Falcone sliding across the floor for me and reaching for the bazooka. I
have lots of weapons, but no bazooka – yet, but still Mike shows the
effects of some good Scotch and Stellas by showing all the desperation
of a man about to be crushed into ragweed. You might notice the M1A1
Thompson he wields, that will make the final cover as well.
Next , I needed reference for my Tiger Tank. So I head on out to WW2
reenactment and while partaking in the battle as a “war correspondent”
in actual period gear – and get up close and personal with the actual
tank used in “Saving Private Ryan.” This thing is huge and though built
on a Soviet T-55 chassis it’s still incredibly imposing. Thank goodness
they only made 1355 of these beasts (as opposed to the 50,000 US
Sherman tanks) because staring down the business end of that 88mm
cannon will scare the bejesus out of anyone!
But some of the angles were a bit off for the cover specification, so I
need some extra help and got that from an old reliable – my 1:32nd
scale die cast Tiger Mk.VI from Fields of Valor. It really helped with
all the minor details. When the image is finalized for the cover, it
will be ablaze with unit colors, numbers and motifs of the 22nd Panzer
regiment (21st Pnz Division).
Stage Three: Draw the damn thing! The terrifying “fog of war”
plays out here as a desperate Rock reaches for his only chance – a
bazooka -- to ward off the 56 ton Tiger Tank barreling and blazing
towards him through trees, foliage and mist. This is based on the real
actions that happened at “the water hole.” By the fourth day of the
siege, a bloodied Easy Company is being hunted by snipers, splintered
and torn to pieces by artillery and now, armed with just one bazooka
and armed only with small arms, have to take on this Teutonic monster
of the 21st Panzer Division.
My bazooka is an M9 and it came from my 1:6th scale 101st Airborne
paratrooper from Blue Box. Rock’s M.G. belt and leaves were a bitch to
draw and the whole damn thing took me a couple of days. I cannot wait
to see it in its final form!
So that’s where we are with our covers, soldiers. Though I’ve finished
all the covers, I don’t want to get too long in the tooth with this
column. In future articles you’ll see the last two and we’ll give you a
very detailed look as to how they are painted, with stages, levels and
interviews.
Finally look who’s “Fighting For Us!”: Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge
Katrina Hodge competed for Miss England last month, though she was a
runner up, she’s a super star in the eyes of her fellow soldiers. In
2005, the then eighteen-year old received a commendation for bravery
for saving the lives of members of her regiment in Iraq. She said: "I
was in complete shock at first. The force of the accident caused our
vehicle to roll over three times and threw us off guard. "As I came
round, the Iraqi suspect was standing over us with the rifles. I knew
if I didn't act fast then our lives would be in danger. I punched him
and the force startled him enough for me to retrieve the rifles from
him." On being selected to compete for Miss England, Hodge, now 21
stated that "Being a part-time model and a serving soldier is certainly
a world apart. I want to use this competition to highlight the work
that the Army are doing and what they have done for this country."
Hear – Hear, Katrina!!!
Next week Hellion For Hire TOD returns with Sgt. Rock – The Lost Battalion
interior page art depicting the night of nights, the day of days, and
bloody battle of Normandy! I’ll also make a point to check on the
article every day to maintain a sort of message board for those who
have any questions or comments!
Nous Restons Ici!
