I hope this hasn’t been asked in 10 pages, but was there ever an ending written for Sgt. Rock? I remember reading it as a kid, and I’ve heard that the author indicated that Rock doesn’t survive WWII, but I’ve never heard nor seen anything about the ending.
Thanks, in advance.
SUPERHERO NON-COMBATANTS
Was Jericho from the TEEN TITANS a noncombative? I can’t remember.
In The AUTHORITY, I don’t believe that any incarnation of The Doctor has been a ‘real’ combatant – at least not for long. The empathy needed for the job prevents them from willfully inflicting pain on people themselves.
Drums, from PLANETARY, is a decided non-combatant.
Alan Moore’s TOP TEN imagines a city full of superheroes policed by a law enforcement agency of powerful supercops. Careful reading reveals that – much like a real police squad – there are several largely noncombative officers on duty – most notably the squad chief, Jet Lad and Desk Sargaents Lopez, “The Monsoon” and Caesar Kemlo “The Hyperdog”; Detectives Harry Wornow, “The Word” and Sally-Jo “The Micromaid” – the pathologist. There may be others.
Granted, Caesar did go help round up the Libra Killer and took shots at Commissioner Ultima, but his day-to-day activities put him squarely in the ‘noncombative’ stage.
I’d say Brainiac 5 is noncombative. His force field isn’t an offensive weapon – it’s a passive, defensive technology designed to protect him FROM attack.
Man-Thing isn’t a combatant. He’s an empathic shambling heap of semi-sentient flora that burns people who show him fear at his touch – but that’s not the same as being combatant.
Hamlet:
Well, hope this isn’t disappointing to you…but former Sergeant, now General Frank Rock is alive and well, though the world doesn’t know it (I think). He’s in charge of the new Suicide Squad, whose book was recently cancelled, and with good reason. I sure don’t know if Rock’s status changed at the end of that series (I couldn’t read past the third issue), or whether or not the Squad still exists.
Askia:
He has used it in an offensive manner in the comics (he used it to write “Up yours, Mano” on a wall).
Chaim Mattis Keller
Frank Rock was not supposed to survive WWII. There was a story plotted but never drawn, “The End of Easy.”
However, in Invasion, a tall, slightly insane one-star general showed up in Firestorm/Starman, talking about things like “Ice Cream Soldier.”
Rock has shown up, drifting more and more into coherence, until he currently appears to be dead, but is actually running Suicide Squad as mentioned above.
I’m not thrilled.
Actually, Metropolis is based on one of the larger Canadian cities (Toronto, probably, though perhaps Montreal), or was originally, I believe. The story (as I remember it) was that one of the creators had visited this city and it made an impression as the “Perfect City”.
Course, Metropolis isn’t Toronto, since its American, but still…
Not survive WWII? Then how could he have been chasing Hitler in a Brave & Bold with Batman back in the early '70s?
I loved that story.
All this Super Sgts talk brings up a question of me own:
What the hell ever happened with Frank Castle?
One of the very last comics I bought (and the part of the reason I stopped was stuff like this) covers a story arc where the Punisher ends up finally losing out to the odds. Frank’s number comes up, and some bad guy or another kills him.
Very shortly thereafter, someone else (I think I’ve actively blocked these memories) reanimates his corpse, or somesuch drivel, and uses him as an undead legbreaker, and, well…
I stopped going to the comic book dealer altogether.
Anyone follow that story who can clue me in as to what went down, and how the whole thing was wrapped up/abandoned/retconned out of existence?
Jericho was a combatant, trained by his mother in self-defense, and was a very competent hand to hand fighter.
Plus, he was so tough you could hit him in the face with a manhole cover, and he wouldn’t utter a sound.
[sub]What?[/sub]
Skeezix: LOL. I needed a tasteless laugh. Thanks!
… And before anybody else corrects me, I remembered that Harry “The Word’s” last name is Lovelace, not Wornow. Like anybody cares!
cmkeller: I’m going to defer to your expertise since I suddenly realized I haven’t read any Legion stories since I used to read the reprints in the Adventure Comics Digests in the 80s’ – and my memories of Brainiac 5 are at LEAST that out-of-date.
HERE’S STUMPER FOR YOU ALL:
– Which superheroes do NOT conform to the dreaded Black Superhero Algorithm?
Off the top of my head, I can only think of Vixen.
I’m thinking I can pretty safely infer what the dreaded Black Superhero Algorithm is*, but for clarity’s sake…
Well, lay some details on us?
*[sub]Must have or utilize one of the following: afro, jive street patois, inner city headquarters/background, an uptight sophisticated white partner for “humorous contrast,” costume with garish colors/design…
Something like that, yeah?[/sub]
just so everybody can see this
Marvel’s Giant Man?
I think he easily conforms.
The black racer?
Although, he isn’t human…
Or, the first marvel black hero,
The black Panther
Also
Bishop
Brother Voodoo
Captain Marvel/Photon
Murmur
Night Thrasher*(lamest name ever?)***
Cyborg
Green Lantern(John Stewart)**
All I can tell you is what I read as a sidebar in…mmm. I think it was a Mayfair Games RPG, a History of the DC Universe section. I’m going to say second edition, basic set, sidebar written by the author of the WWII stories. Who I can’t think of and am far too sick to go to the storage closet to get, as it is a mile away. Checking Google.
Here we go, three mentions. Kanigher was the name.
Unfortunately, looks like Google doesn’t have all the threads intact there.
Looks like it was Wildman seen in Invasion, though.
In other trivia, the artist for Rock did the character designs for GI Joe. Interestingly, working with him was a young Bruce Timm, who saw the lovingly detailed work get mutilated for the screen. He claims (Comicology, issue unknown, mostly dark cover, Robin on front), that point was where he started to work on his cleaner style.
Black Racer was human, once. He counts.
Black Manta, too.
Except for the black in the name, of course. mmm. Cecilia Reyes? Sunspot? That patriotic heroine from Power Company? The Suit from Power Company… Caleb? Quantum, of Quantum and Woody? Spawn? I think Shadowhawk was black. Mr. Terrific II?
That’s all I can do off the top of my head.
Isn’t black racer one of the new gods, a exterristrial race?