The Sgt. Rock Archives, Vol. 3 (DC Archive Editions)

An intense portrait of combat and conflict, this volume reprints the classic World War II adventures of Sgt. Rock and his colorful band of fighting soldiers. Originally published in the early 1960s, these memorable tales showcase the heroic and extraordinary missions of the tough, grizzled leader and the combat-happy Joes of Easy Company. Introduction by Mark Chiarello.

The third DC Archives volume of Sgt. Rock captures the tough-as-nails soldier in World War II tales from Our Army at War #111-125. The stories generally fall into two categories: First, meeting the combat-happy joes of Easy Co., all branded with a nickname, or "battle tag"--Ice Cream Soldier, Wild Man, Sunny, Bulldozer, etc.--or second, breaking in green, disinterested, or otherwise ill-fitting soldiers into the squad. Common messages include: opposing tanks always go for the bazooka first; peppering a tank with bullets through the view slots will eventually set off the ammo; and nothing's easy in Easy Co. But we also meet Rock's "battle family" and see him when he leads a Nazi force against Easy. The stories are all by Rock creator Bob Kanigher, and the majority of the art is by Joe Kubert, with contributions from Russ Heath and Irv Novick. --David Horiuchi