Showcase Presents: Men of War

by Robert Greenberger

There had not been a successful launch of a war-themed title from the major publishers probably since Captain Savage and Leathernecks in 1968. Interest in the genre had waned as America turned against the Vietnam War and after the last troops left Saigon in 1975, global conflicts had temporarily wound down. In 1977, though, Jenette Kahn was still in her first year as publisher of DC Comics and was looking to try a variety of themes to attract readers. She had helped launch Jonah Hex into his own title, making room for Scalphunter and gave Unknown Soldier to Joe Orlando to revamp with strong results. In this environment, the arrival of Men of War in the early summer of 1977 seemed a little odd. A figure, his back to the reader, raised the question: “Who is the man the army knows only as Code Name: Gravedigger?”

Newcomer David Michelinie, already ensconced as the Unknown’s new handler, created the feature with Editor Paul Levitz. He was an African-American who overcame polio to enlist during World War II only to find himself in a segregated army. Tired of being on the grave digging detail, serving after the battle, he went AWOL, infiltrated the Pentagon and proved he had the skills and mettle to do more than wield a shovel. His effort was rewarded with being named a one-man special unit codenamed Gravedigger. He went on to headline all 26 issues of the new war title.

While the issue of race came up now and then in Sgt. Rock and to a lesser extent in Johnny Cloud, this feature arrived at a time when talking about segregation and discrimination was acceptable, especially coming on the heels of the smash success of the television miniseries Roots.

Men of War #1

Now, the complete run is being collected in Showcase Presents: Men of War, which boasts some of DC’s best known soldiers by a host of writers and artists doing good to excellent work. Gravedigger was initially illustrated by Ed Davis, an artist we still know little about despite his body of work during the 1970s. He also drew the first issue’s second feature, a new installment of Enemy Ace, written by his co-creator Robert Kanigher.

Levitz wisely used Joe Kubert on the covert art, not only for his excellent design skills but for visually linking it to the line’s other war titles. Inside, though, were a bit of a hodge podge as creators came and left as Davis stayed with the Hammer from Hell while Arvell Jones and Romeo Tanghal took on the main feature for two issues before veteran Dick Ayers took over from Jones for the duration. Soon after, Michelinie was replaced by Roger McKenzie for a time before Jack C. Harris settled in for the last year or so of the run.

Issue four saw the arrival of a new series, “Dateline: Frontline” from rising writing Cary Burkett with art by Golden Age great Jerry Grandenetti. The series was showing war from a journalist’s perspective, letting him move from troop to troop, war zone to war zone.

Enemy Ace returned with Kanigher and Larry Hama just in time for the DC Explosion and when the book added eight pages, there was now room for all three features, with Howard Chaykin Enemy Ace’s newest artist. When the Implosion soon followed, the backup slot became a rotating space for Enemy Ace, Dateline, and others, including one of the rare times Editor Murray Boltinoff received script credit. His “Wolf Pack” was illustrated by Larry Hama and Jack Abel and then came Rosa Master Spy from Paul Kupperberg and Grandenetti, a feature that made a mere four sporadic appearances, never quite catching on with readers.

Men of War #26

By 1980, the series was out of gas and the talent all had other, more important projects waiting for them. Levitz was being kicked upstairs so the time was right to wind things down. A book-length Gravedigger tale closed out the series, guest starring Sgt., Rock and the combat-happy Joes of Easy Company. In a rare instance, Rock was sidelined and the lone wolf solder took command of the team with explosive results.

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Showcase Presents: Men of War

Classic comic covers from the Grand Comics Database.