Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank, Vol. 1
Posted in DC Comics on 29. Jul, 2010
$48.99
Product Description
The ghost of General J.E.B. Stuart, a long-deceased Confederate general, returns as a ghost to protect his namesake – Sgt. Jeb Stuart, during WWII. This value-priced collection of war stories features over 500 pages of classic comics for only $16.99 and showcases the art of legendary artists Joe Kubert and Russ Heath, known for their work on Sgt. Rock.
Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank, Vol. 1
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i used to read this when i was a kid.it always seemed to much to beleave.know that i am older the stories make no sense.yet so far the m-3 has destoryed more tigers then the germans had.i like some of the ideas.yet reading it bores me i really don’t think its worth the price.
Rating: 2 / 5
the book is ok but it is in black and white, looks like someone copyed it by pressing the comic book,and pushing the button.If it was in color it would be well worth the money.Like it is it’s just a matter of if you have the spare cash.I am a little disapointed in it.
Rating: 3 / 5
I grew up on the Haunted Tank and Sgt. Rock comics in the late 70′s and early 80′s and I enjoyed reading the stories ,but looking through this collection of comics now I just realized how historically inaccurate they are..the writers could have at least did a bit of research on the types of tanks the Germans had.In the first story the so called “Tiger” is actually a “Panther” tank, and it seems that every tank the crew of the “Haunted Tank” came across was a “Tiger” tank..if the Germans had that many Tigers in Europe, they would have breezed through the Allies in no time..but wait..no..maybe not..the Allies had one lone M-3 Stuart tank that was practically invincible..The 37mm tank round would have bounced off of any Tiger tank, even at point blank range…too bad there was no “History Channel” back when these stories were being written.And of course there’s the typical “Lets make the German soldiers a bunch of fanatical buffoons” stereotype…but these stories where made to entertain children, and not history buffs like me.Although it burns me up to see such historical farce, I still enjoyed going down memory lane and reading these stories,I’m looking forward to Volume Two and hopefully there will be a “Sgt. Rock” Showcase series
Rating: 3 / 5
Russ Heath lives! Heath is the greatest graphic combat artist of all time. His renderings of tanks, rifles and soldiers are almost photo realistic, but with an artist’s touch. Especially satisfying are his facial renditions of combat troops; gaunt, disheveled and “staring 1,000 yards ahead”.
There are some enjoyable “quirks”, such as the mis-labeling of German Panther tanks as Tiger Is and the strange ability of the orignial Stuart Haunted Tank to knock out mighty Panthers and Tigers with its pathetic 37mm pop gun. The frequent aircraft vs. tank fights are another cheesily digestible goody. For the most part, Haunted Tank is eye candy with words and plot thrown in.
DC issued the Haunted Tank collections from the old G.I. Combat series in black and white because that’s the only way to make these volumes affordable. I am grateful they have exposed new readers to Russ Heath’s greatness. Another nice touch: DC reprinted in full size each cover to each issue. For some reason, TPB collections often lack the cover art or compile the covers at the end of the collection, rather than at the beginning of each issue. Heath illustrated Garth Ennis’ Enemy Ace: War In Heaven as well as short runs on The Punisher, Iron Fist and the movie adaptation of The Rocketeer.
Hopefully, DC will crank out more Haunted Tank Showcase editions so we can enjoy Sam Glanzman’s artwork, which is a combination of Joe Kubert and Russ Heath.
Heath is in his 80s now and I don’t know if he’s still capable of drawing. But if he is, I’d love to see more WWII work from him, especially paired with Garth Ennis.
Rating: 5 / 5
I purchased comics from about 1972 to 1977, and I was an avid Marvel fan, and my interest was in superheroes. More than thirty years later, I’m writing about a DC war comic — The Haunted Tank. Of all the comics I bought during this period, The Haunted Tank ranks right up there with the best.
By 1972, Marvel had lost Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko. Even the second wave of great artists — John Romita and Barry Smith — were gone or would be shortly. Regarding war comics, I believe Sgt Fury had already been cancelled, and there was a short-lived series called Combat Kelly or something like that. If I wanted a war comic, DC was the only option, and DC had a rather broad selection — The Haunted Tank, Sgt. Rock, and The Unknown Soldier. By this time, however, I learned that DC’s artist extraordinaire — Joe Kubert — was no longer drawing comics but was only doing covers. Once again, I felt like I’d missed the boat.
This was where the Haunted Tank offered something extraordinary — Sam Glanzman’s artwork. I vaguely recalled his work from a Hercules series from the early 1960s, but I hadn’t seen it anywhere else. His artwork was nothing like the artwork you’d see in the superhero comics, and initially I wasn’t impressed. In superhero comics, everyone tends to be bulging with muscles. That was not happening here. In superhero comics, the costumed figure generally dominated the artwork, and what was happening in the background generally contributed nothing. With Sam Glanzman’s artwork, the background added tremendously to the story. The background added a depth to the story rarely seen in comics. I quickly learned that Sam Glanzman did for the Haunted Tank what Jack Kirby did for the Fantastic Four, what Steve Ditko did for Spider-Man, and what Joe Kubert did for Sgt. Rock. Sam Glanzman brought the Haunted Tank alive in a way that is difficult to describe. With Sam Glanzman and the Haunted Tank, I thought I was getting a comic at its absolute best. I hadn’t missed a thing.
When Showcase The Haunted Tank Vol. 1 and Showcase The Haunted Tank Vol. 2 came out, I was excited to see what the Haunted Tank was like before Sam Glanzman. Robert Kanigher, the author, is still there, so there is continuity. I like stories that begin and end in a single issue. Robert Kanigher does that exceptionally well. The artwork in Volume 1 is primarily Russ Heath and Joe Kubert, and the artwork in Volume 2 is primarily Russ Heath. They did a great job, and I enjoy these volumes tremendously, but I still feel like Sam Glanzman was the artist who put the Haunted Tank on a different level. Sam Glanzman’s work appears in the last two or three stories of Volume 2.
The Haunted Tank requires you to suspend your disbelief. In real life, the little Stuart the crew uses had no business mixing it up with Panthers and Tigers. In the comic, the little Stuart is constantly besting any number of Panthers and Tigers. This drawback is largely cured around issue 150 when the crew assembles a larger tank with a bigger gun from the wrecks found in a tank graveyard.
To be great, a comic has to have something that rings true and which surfaces in each issue. There has to be a running theme that you look for and find without fault. With the Haunted Tank, it’s the crews’ fighting spirit. The ghost gives the tank commander a few pointers and a few warnings, but the tank commander and his crew have to use their own perseverence and ingenuity to survive. Robert Kanigher does a great job giving the reader the impression the crew is facing great odds. Both the crew and the reader are painfully aware of the crews’ vulnerability. The crew is both lucky and good.
I recommend Volumes 1 and 2. I anxiously anticipate Volume 3.
Rating: 5 / 5