Frontline Combat #1

(July-August 1951)

Marines Retreat! (Table of Contents: 1)

comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Harvey Kurtzman (signed as Kurtzman)

Pencils

John Severin (signed as Severin)

Inks

Harvey Kurtzman (signed as Kurtzman)

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Ben Oda

Genre

war

Characters

U.S. Marines [Tony Feranda (death); Kelley; Joe; Private Harold Parks; rest unnamed] (some die); Chinese Army (villains, many die)

Synopsis

American forces are surrounded at the Changjin Reservoir, so they attempt to make their way back to the coast. Private Parks is dreaming of his kinfolk back at home, so much so that he puts himself in a precarious and probably fatal position.

Reprints

• in The Complete Frontline Combat (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 1995 series) #1 (August 1995)
• in EC Archives: Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 2008 series) #1 (2008)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #1 - Corpse on the Imjin and Other Stories (August 2012) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics (Dark Horse, 2019 series) (2019)

Keywords

Changjin Reservoir; Korea; Port of Hungnam

Indexer Notes

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin, but it is unlikely that Severin had begun coloring at EC when this issue was colored (Cassell 2012, 33–34 and 171).
_________
Reference:

Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan. 2012. Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. Raleigh: TwoMorrows Publishing.

Enemy Assault! (Table of Contents: 2)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Jack Davis (signed)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed)

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Ben Oda

Genre

war

Characters

unnamed American soldier; American soldiers (many die); unnamed Communist soldier (villain, death); Communist soldiers (villains, many die)

Synopsis

An American soldier finds himself in a standoff with a Chinese Communist soldier, and he sees that he is not just a robotic soldier advancing over a battlefield, but a living, breathing human being. As they talk, they realize they have much in common, including a wife and kids. But this IS war, and, as troops from both sides advance, a decision has to be made by both men.

Reprints

• in The Complete Frontline Combat (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in Iskalde Grøss (Semic, 1982 series) #8 [1988] (uke 48 1988)
• in Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 1995 series) #1 (August 1995)
• in EC Archives: Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 2008 series) #1 (2008)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #22 - Death Stand and Other Stories (August 2018) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

According to John Benson, in Frontline Combat EC Archive, Volume 1, Kurtzman only wrote the first story for this issue and this story was turned over to another writer under Bill Gaines' direction. Thus Kurtzman's script credit for this story has been changed to a ? by Craig Delich.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Marines Retreat!,” above).

The Fatal Step (Table of Contents: 3)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Harvey Kurtzman

Pencils

Harvey Kurtzman (masthead)

Inks

Harvey Kurtzman (masthead)

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

typeset

Genre

war

Characters

Corporal Jud Harkabus (scout, death); German soldier (villain)

Synopsis

Corporal Harkabus was on a scouting mission for the American armored division when he came across a German soldier, whom he immediately wounded. Treating the wound, Harkabus went merrily on his way, while the young German tried to warn him of something. But since Harkabus did not understand German, he did not know that the soldier was warning him that he was walking directly into a mine field!

Reprints

• in The Complete Frontline Combat (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 1995 series) #1 (August 1995)
• in EC Archives: Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 2008 series) #1 (2008)

Indexer Notes

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Marines Retreat!,” above).

Depth-Charged (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Harvey Kurtzman

Letters

typeset

Genre

war

Characters

Captain Vincent "Rockhead" Harmon;

Synopsis

Captain Harmon stood on the bridge of his naval destroyer, eyeing the movements of all hands on deck. Often known as "Rockhead" because of his tendency to disregard official orders, he is notified that DE 407 has been torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, so he issues orders to go after that sub. Reaching the location of the sinking, he was notified that sonar had picked up a sub just below the surface, oddly sending out messages in dots and dashes. Not waiting to verify the identity of the ship, he ended up sinking an American submarine!

Reprints

• in The Complete Frontline Combat (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in EC Archives: Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 2008 series) #1 (2008)

Keywords

DE 407; Sulu Archipelago

O.P.! (Table of Contents: 5)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Russ Heath (signed)

Inks

Russ Heath (signed)

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Ben Oda

Genre

war

Characters

unnamed U.S. Army Lieutenant; American operation post soldiers (all die); German soldiers (villains, all die)

Synopsis

An Army howitzer officer makes contact with a forward operation post, inquiring as to whether the enemy is advancing and if they need support. The outcome is rather unexpected.

Reprints

• in The Complete Frontline Combat (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 1995 series) #1 (August 1995)
• in EC Archives: Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 2008 series) #1 (2008)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #1 - Corpse on the Imjin and Other Stories (August 2012) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics (Dark Horse, 2019 series) (2019)

Keywords

1918; Muese-Argonne; World War I

Indexer Notes

According to John Benson, in Frontline Combat EC Archive, Volume 1, Kurtzman only wrote the first story for this issue and this story was turned over to another writer under Bill Gaines' direction. Thus Kurtzman's script credit for this story has been changed to a ? by Craig Delich.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Marines Retreat!,” above).

Unterseeboot 113 (Table of Contents: 6)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Wally Wood

Inks

Wally Wood

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Ben Oda

Genre

war

Characters

Captain Kurt Kluge (villain, U-Boat commander, death); U-Boat crew members [Kurt; Schultz; rest unnamed] (villains)

Synopsis

A Nazi naval commander raises his U-Boat to the surface to take on supplies, but is shocked when the ship suddenly begins firing on him, noting that it is a British tanker, not German.

Reprints

• in The Complete Frontline Combat (Russ Cochran, 1982 series) #1 (1982)
• in Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 1995 series) #1 (August 1995)
• in EC Archives: Frontline Combat (Gemstone, 2008 series) #1 (2008)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #26 - Atom Bomb and Other Stories (2019) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

Story occurs in 1942.

According to John Benson, in Frontline Combat EC Archive, Volume 1, Kurtzman only wrote the first story for this issue and this story was turned over to another writer under Bill Gaines' direction. Thus Kurtzman's script credit for this story has been changed to a ? by Craig Delich.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin (see Indexer Notes for “Marines Retreat!,” above).