Customer Reviews

Showcase Presents: Haunted Tank, Vol. 2

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is a printing error that seems to have affected the entire first print run. Pages 107 & 152 are the same. Page 152 should be something different. DC had a similar problem with the first run of Superman Family Vol. 2.

I thoroughly enjoyed volumes 1 and 2.

Volume 3 is the one I'm anxiously anticipating. Volume 3 should feature Sam Glanzman artwork. Sam Glanzman took over the art in the last few issues of volume 2, so readers can get a sample of his work there. Sam Glanzman's art was what put the Haunted Tank over the top for me and made the series truly distinctive. Sam Glanzman is to the Haunted Tank what Steve Ditko is to Spider-Man, Jack Kirby is to the Fantastic Four, and Joe Kubert is to Sgt. Rock.

Volumes 1 and 2 feature artwork primarily by Joe Kubert, who is always excellent, and Russ Heath, who is very good. Volumes 1 and 2 have great artwork.

What I like about the Haunted Tank is the fighting spirit of its crew. Actually, that's what the ghost likes about the haunted tank as well -- its crew and its fighting spirit. Because they are in a small tank, they can't rely on their strength or firepower. They survive on cunning, courage, and a never-say-die persistence. They meet with endless disappointments and discouragement but carry on.

The ghost usually opens the story with some cryptic warning that makes no sense until the very end of the story when it no longer matters, but the warning nicely ties up the story and gives you some sense things are preordained. To the extent the warnings are usually worthless, the ghost becomes more of a companion for the tank commander. The job of the tank commander can be lonely. He has his head out in the open where it can be shot off, whereas the rest of the crew can chat among themselves underneath and behind the protection of the armor. The tank commander can be lonely in another way -- the rest of the crew is basically blind and relies on the tank commander for leadership and direction. Everyone's life rides on the decision-making of the tank commander. With this kind of pressure, the tank commander ends up becoming buddies with the ghost, but only he can see the ghost, and the rest of the crew start to doubt their tank commander's mental health but hesitate to rock the boat because he somehow manages to bring them back safely.

Robert Kanigher is the author. He starts and finishes his stories in a single issue, which is something I like. There's a lot of unrealistic playfulness in the stories that is suitable for younger readers (and older readers who remember what it was like to be young), but there're also the running theme of respect for the character, courage, and perseverance it took to fight a war. The tank commander and his crew aren't indestructible and are keenly aware they are often only moments away from a frightful end.

Kanigher's imagination has no limits. These were among my favorite comics during my childhood and it's a thrill to be able to read them again. The Haunted Tank fights its battles in Europe, particularly France, the African desert, and in Russia. These issues cover late 1966 to early 1972. Like many other DC war comics, these are action-packed (and I would argue that these have more action than any other war comic), fantastic, and surrealistic. Kanigher has no limits as Jeb Stuart, accompanied by his namesake, a ghost general from the Civil War, and his tank travel to the past to fight WWI with Sgt. Rock's father, marries an Arab woman, and witnesses a fight between Attila the Hun and the Civil War ghost. This is not to mention that his small Stuart Light Tank constantly battles with buzzards, bigger Nazi Panzers, and even a submarine. It undergoes fire, is disassembled, and rebuilt. It even survives an attack by lying on a wooden raft in a river. In every issue, the general warns Jeb of impending danger without giving any specifics, since no human can know the future; while inside the tank, Jeb's mates wonder about his sanity every time he speaks to the ghost. Of course, later on, Slim gets to listen to and see the ghost in "The Ghost of the Haunted Tank" (Feb.-Mar 1968) and the whole crew has a close encounter with it in "Beyond Hell" (Oct.-Nov. 1972). Although Jeb does not exhibit physical action as much as Sgt. Rock does, he shows as much supernatural endurance, courage, and heroism as Rock does. Often we see Jeb fighting against Nazi airplanes and getting in extenuating circumstances. His ability to survive a barrage of bullets, and fire coming from tanks, or perceive hidden enemy tanks, places him among the pantheon of DC super soldiers. "I prayed as the lead slug bounced all around me..." (in Stay Alive Until Dark, Aug.-Sep. 1967) is characteristic of Jeb's supernatural encounters with the enemy. We do see some romance with a French resistance fighter, Mlle. Marie, and an Arab princess. The race issue and a Jewish soldier make their presence in "Let me Live... Let me Die!" (Apr.-May, 1970) and "Leave the Fighting to Us!" (Aug.-Sep. 1971. Every story here is unique, well-written, and well-illustrated. Kanigher's language is challenging for kids and adolescents. His use of metaphors and similes, along with the illustration of various DC illustrators make these texts a great adventure to read.

The "Showcase Presents" series reprints original comic books in a black & white format, at low cost. Big chunks of a comics run can be published cheaply this way, & fans can read classic material otherwise difficult to obtain.

An unapologetical goofy premise for a war comic, the Haunted Tank remains readable & fun.

The Hipster gives it a Thumbs Up!

DC Comics's The Haunted Tank is a G.I. Combat masterpiece with great stories written by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert with his top-notch illustrations along with Russ Heath, Irv Novick, and many others. This collection of 37 black and white comics will keep the reader amused for hours on end as Sgt. Jeb Stuart and his crew go to battle in their Stuart Light Tank fighting the enemy in North Africa. Jeb's tank is thought to be haunted by the ghost of General J.E.B. Stuart (only Jeb can see the Civil War ghost) who Jeb is a decendent, and the name Stuart for the type of tank Jeb commands.

This book is a must for those who enjoy military tales.

The cover art that was on the book I bought and received was different than the G.I. Combat cover, as it had The Haunted Tank cover where Jeb and his crew are pinned down outside their tank by approaching Panzers.

Having loved Volume 1, I was thrilled to see a Haunted Tank, Volume 2 released. I bought it immediately and devoured it. More, please! More! More!

Wouldn't Robert Kanigher be pleased to see that one of his most original and enduring creations has been collected in another Showcase volume. This feature is so entertaining, so vivid, so emotional and memorable, it will not die.
Hooray.

The stories make little sense. Almost every German tank is a Tiger. The undergunned title character, as it were, easily blows most of them up. The Ghost is never involved in stories other than to dispense cryptic, fortune-cookie expressions at the first of each story. And one less star for vol. 2 because there's a lot less art by Joe Kubert. But this is tanks shoot at other tanks. If you're 12 years old it doesn't get any cooler. Without any of the cynical, left-wing, modern baggage that has ruined DC's 5-issue limited-run 2009 "updating" of the HT story. And did I mention this was TANKS SHOOTING AT OTHER TANKS?