War comics | |
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This topic covers comics that fall under the military fiction genre. | |
Publishers |
Quality Comics DC Comics Marvel Comics Charlton Comics |
Publications |
Blackhawk Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Sgt. Rock G.I. Combat Commando Comics |
Creators |
Harvey Kurtzman Robert Kanigher Joe Kubert John Severin Russ Heath |
Series | "The Losers" "The Lonely War of Willie Schultz" "Ernie Pike" "Enemy Ace" "The War that Time Forgot" |
Subgenres | |
This type of comic can be broken down into: Military science fiction comics World War I comics World War II comics Vietnam War comics |
War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II.
Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began including stories of wartime adventures in the multi-genre omnibus titles then popular as a format. Even prior to the U.S. involvement in World War II, comic books such as Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941) depicted superheroes fighting Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
Golden Age publisher Quality Comics debuted its title Blackhawk in 1944; the title was published more or less continuously until the mid-1980s.
In the post-World War II era, comic books devoted solely to war stories began appearing, and gained popularity the United States and Canada through the 1950s and even during the Vietnam War. The titles tended to concentrate on US military depictions, generally in World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War. Most publishers produced anthologies; industry giant DC Comics' war comics included such long-running titles as All-American Men of War, Our Army at War, Our Fighting Forces, and Star Spangled War Stories. Another prolific publisher of war comics was Charlton Comics, which produced a wide variety of titles beginning in the 1950s, such as Battlefield Action, Fightin' Army, and Fightin' Marines. Quality also began publishing G.I. Combat during this era. Marvel Comics also produced war titles, notably Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.