One of Joe Kubert's evocative covers for Sgt. Rock is featured on issue #196

Sgt. Frank Rock is a DC Comics character who has been the most prominent war comics character in the company's history. ^{[citation needed]} The character was an infantry non-commissioned officer in the United States Army in World War II. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Cover of issue #168 of G.I. Combat is a long-running comic book series published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications or NCC, which was the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics. ... Robert Kanigher (June 18, 1915 - May 6, 2002) was a prolific comic book writer whose career spanned five decades. ... Joe Kubert (born September 18, 1926, Poland) is an American comic book artist who went on to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. ... Robert Haney (1926 - November 25, 2004) was a comic book writer. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Easy Company is a famous company in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division that served in World War II on the frontlines in the European Theater. ... Suicide Squad is a name for a number of fictional organizations created for and owned by DC Comics. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (468x714, 127 KB) Sgt. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (468x714, 127 KB) Sgt. ... Joe Kubert (born September 18, 1926, Poland) is an American comic book artist who went on to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... War comics are a genre of comics that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following the Second World War. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Overview

Sgt. Rock first appeared in G.I. Combat #68 (Jan. 1959). His rank is not given in this story; instead, he is merely called "The Rock." The Rock returned as a sergeant in Our Army at War #81 (April 1959) with his unit, Easy Company (the precise US Army infantry regiment to which Easy belonged was never identified during the history of the character). In this first proper appearance with the Easy Company (as opposed to the nameless infantryman with a nickname, as he was portrayed previously), the story was actually written by Bob Haney, but the character's creator, Robert Kanigher was the editor. He would go on to create the bulk of the stories with Joe Kubert as the artist. Cover of issue #168 of G.I. Combat is a long-running comic book series published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications or NCC, which was the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics. ... Our Army at War is a war comic book published by DC starting in 1952. ... Easy Company is the name of a fictional comic book World War II US Army infantry unit led by Sgt. ... Robert Kanigher (June 18, 1915 - May 6, 2002) was a prolific comic book writer whose career spanned five decades. ... Joe Kubert (born September 18, 1926, Poland) is an American comic book artist who went on to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. ...

Sgt. Rock steadily gained popularity, until, in 1977, the name of the comic was changed to Sgt. Rock. The comic ran until Sgt. Rock #422 (July 1988). In addition to the semi-regular comic, several "digests" were sold, under the DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest banner, reprinting stories from Our Army at War or Sgt. Rock. Some were subtitled as OAAW or Sgt. Rock, some as Sgt. Rock's Prize Battle Tales. (The Prize Battle Tales title was also used on earlier 80 page annual specials). The digest format was 4-13/16" x 6-5/8", softcover, with 98 full colour pages and no advertisements.

A 21-issue run of reprints followed from 1988-1991, and two Sgt. Rock Specials with new content saw publication in 1992 and 1994. A Christmas themed story appeared in DCU Holiday Bash II in 1997, again featuing new content.

According to John Wells, in Fanzing 36 (July 2001), an online fan magazine,

Sgt. Rock's complex family tree comes by way of creator Robert Kanigher, who added new (and often conflicting) branches throughout the character's original 29 year run. Rock's father was variously described as having died in a mine cave-in (OAAW # 231), in World War I (# 275 and 419) or in a Pittsburgh steel mill (# 347). Robin Snyder (in a letter mistakenly attributed in # 353 to Mike Tiefenbacher) suggested that one of the deaths occurred to Rock's stepfather and his existence was confirmed in # 400. As things currently stand, it was father John Rock who died in combat and stepfather John Anderson who perished in a cave-in. The third death, as theorized above, probably occurred to a father figure that Frank Rock worked with at the steel mill.

Military service

During World War II, Sgt. Rock fought in the infantry branch of the U.S. Army in the European Theatre and eventually rose to authority within his unit, Easy Company. The unit was made up of a disparate collection of individuals who managed to participate in every major action in the European war. Rock's dogtag number was 409966, which had been, it was claimed, Robert Kanigher's own military serial number. Image File history File links Sgtrockrank. ... Image File history File links Rankus9. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... German Führer Adolf Hitler Preceding events Main article: Events preceding World War II in Europe Main article: Causes of World War II Germany was in debt after World War I, due to the Great Depression and the forced payments to the victors of World War I. Germans wanted a... Easy Company is the name of a fictional comic book World War II US Army infantry unit led by Sgt. ...

Robert Kanigher mused in letters columns in the 1970s and 1980s that Rock probably belonged to "The Big Red One" (First US Infantry Division) given his appearance on battlefields in North Africa, Italy and Northwest Europe. The backstory for Rock was fleshed out in different comics over the years; generally he is considered to have come from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he worked in a steel mill. Enlisting after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he went to North Africa as a private but promotion came quickly as his superiors were killed, to assistant squad leader, squad leader, and then platoon sergeant. His unit is only ever given as "Easy Company", but no regiment or division is named nor is unit insignia ever shown. Rock also usually wears the chevrons and rockers of a Master Sergeant on his uniform and also applied, oversize, to the front of his helmet. The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army —nicknamed “The Big Red One” after its shoulder patch—is the oldest continuously serving division in the United States Army. ... For other uses, see Pittsburg (disambiguation). ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...

It is likely Rock's official position in Easy Company was of senior platoon sergeant though dialogue and scripts are usually vague on his actual responsibilities and duties. He usually leads patrols and appears to have powers of command over the men of the company. Several officer characters also appeared in the comic, as both platoon and company commanders, all of whom were regarded by Rock as superiors. Easy's commander was usually referred to as "the skipper" by Rock. Rock in turn was referred to by others as the "topkick", or senior non-commissioned officer in the company. Most infantry companies did not have Master Sergeants; significantly, Rock does not have the lozenge of a First Sergeant on his rank insignia.

Appearance

Sergeant Rock is heavily muscled in the classic depictions by Joe Kubert, and was generally shown with close cropped hair, generally red in colour. The classic Rock was usually dressed in olive drab fatigues, with his shirt generally torn during combat to reveal his well muscled physique, with a .45 calibre Thompson submachine gun and .45 calibre Colt M1911A1 automatic pistol as his armament. Oddly, the classic artwork almost always depicts Rock with an M-1 Garand cartridge belt which would be useless to him, as well as two belts of .50 calibre ammunition, which Rock considers lucky charms. (The only member of Easy Company to carry a heavy machinegun, Bulldozer, is usually depicted with a .30 calibre Browning which would not have accepted Rock's "fifties".) Other artists such as John Severin and Russ Heath sometimes attempted a more realistic portrayal of Rock's equipment, but the .50 calibre ammunition remained a personal trademark. Kubert also depicted the ammunition belts suspended over each shoulder individually; a dubious arrangement probably not possible in real life. Rock is always shown with rolled pant cuffs rather than the standard issue canvas leggings (or later 1943 double-buckle boot), and often a number of hand grenades secured to his equipment. Joe Kubert (born September 18, 1926, Poland) is an American comic book artist who went on to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. ... For the Clash song, see Tommy Gun (song). ... The M1911 is a single-action, semiautomatic handgun chambered for the . ... A semi-automatic pistol is a handgun commonly used as a sidearm by police and military all over the world. ... An amulet from the Black Pullet grimoire An amulet (from Latin amuletum, meaning A means of protection) or a talisman (from Arabic tilasm, ultimately from Greek telesma or from the Greek word talein wich means to initiate into the mysteries. ... The Browning Model 1917 Machine Gun is a heavy machine gun used by the United States armed forces in World War I, World War II, Korea, and to a limited amount in Vietnam and by other nations. ... John Powers Severin (born December 21, 1921, Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American comic book artist noted for his distinctive artwork with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, and for Marvel Comics, primarily on its war and Western comics. ... Russ Heath is an artist who has worked in the comics industry. ...

Dedication

Unlike many contemporary war characters, Rock had a deep loathing for the war, but was grimly loyal to his unit to see it through. This loyalty extends to when he was sent home to be a combat instructor, but insisted on returning to his unit in the field while on leave.

Kanigher insisted late in the run of Sgt. Rock that the title character would not survive the war. However, this too was at odds with the backstory established by later editors at DC against Kanigher's wishes. See below for post-war incarnations of Rock.

Other appearances

As one of the large stable of DC Comics war characters, Rock often made appearances in other titles, notably G.I. Combat, where Rock interacted with the crew of the Haunted Tank. Cover of issue #168 of G.I. Combat is a long-running comic book series published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications or NCC, which was the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics. ... The Haunted Tank, featured on the cover of G.I. Combat #114 The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987. ...

The ultimate fate of Sgt. Frank Rock is a complicated story as there were initially two versions of the character, one residing on Earth-One and the other residing on Earth-Two. According to legend, he was killed on the last day of the war by the last enemy bullet fired. However, again according to John Wells: The Earths of the Multiverse and the different variations of the Flash inhabiting each one. ... The Earths of the Multiverse and the different variations of the Flash inhabiting each one. ...

Kanigher had established Frank's post-war survival in OAAW #168, wherein he had Rock visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Bob Haney picked up on that fact in The Brave and the Bold. In issue #84, he'd had Rock and Easy cross paths with Bruce (Batman) Wayne during the war (in an episode obviously set on Earth-Two) and followed up with a present-day sequel in B&B #96. In that one, Bruce arrived at the United States Embassy in South America and was introduced to "our Military Attache and Chief of Embassy Security ... Sergeant Rock, U.S. Army." Two subsequent present-day episodes found Rock tracking a Satanic figure that he believed was Adolf Hitler (B&B #108) and an Easy Company "ghost" that he'd been ordered to execute at the Battle of the Bulge (B&B #117). In the bizarre B&B #124, Bob Haney and Jim Aparo actually guest-starred as Rock and Batman trailed a terrorist organization called the 1000. Robert Haney (1926 - November 25, 2004) was a comic book writer. ... The Brave and the Bold was a DC Comics superhero comic book which was published from August 1955 to July 1983. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Jim Aparo James N. Jim Aparo (1932-July 19, 2005) was a comic book artist best known for his work on various Batman stories for DC Comics. ...

In stories told after the demise of his own comic book, Rock's character was revived, explained to have survived the war, and went on to perform covert missions for the United States government. He also battled his old foe, the Iron Major, and went on an adventure to Dinosaur Island with his old second in command, Bulldozer. Following this, he appeared as a general and a Chief of Staff for Lex Luthor's administration. During the Imperiex War of the Our Worlds at War cross-over, General Frank Rock was killed, and later buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery. However, Frank Rock was involved with an incarnation of the Suicide Squad. At the end of the title, he peels off a mask and walks away from the team, while his companion "Bulldozer," assumed to be the original, stands up from his wheelchair, comments on how it was good to feel young again, and also walks away. Whether this was the real Frank Rock in disguise or an imposter is unknown. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States of America symbol The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a grouping comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the armed services in the United States armed forces. ... Lex Luthor is a fictional supervillain owned by DC Comics. ... Imperiex, also called the Devourer of Galaxies, is a fictional extraterrestrial supervillain featured in the Our Worlds at War crossover published by DC Comics. ... Cover to JLA: Our Worlds at War #1. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Suicide Squad is a name for a number of fictional organizations created for and owned by DC Comics. ...

The use of the Rock character in post-war stories had one major effect on Rock's backstory, according to Wells:

All of the super-hero crossovers were more than Kanigher could take. In the letter columns of 1978's Sgt. Rock #316 and 323 and 1980's Sgt. Rock #347 and 348, he announced that his hero had not lived past 1945, blunting most of Haney's Brave and the Bold episodes if nothing else. "It is inevitable and wholly in character that neither Rock nor Easy survived the closing days of the war," he proclaimed.

Indeed in the letter column for Sgt. Rock #374, Kanigher stated that:

As far as I'm concerned ROCK is the only authentic World War II Soldier. For obvious reasons. He and Easy Company lives only, and will eventually die, to the last man, in World War II.

The first use of the Rock character after the demise of the series was an issue of Swamp Thing, six months after the release of Sgt. Rock #422. The story was set in May 1945, intimating that Sgt. Rock had survived the war in Europe and raised the question of whether Rock transferred to the Pacific theatre. The Swamp Thing is a fictional character created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson for DC Comics, and featured in a long-running horror-fantasy comic book series of the same name. ...

Kanigher also mused on possible movie portrayals of Rock, opining in the letters column of Sgt. Rock that Lee Marvin would be "laconic" enough to play the part (not to mention having played a similar character in the film The Big Red One). Lee Marvin (February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... The Big Red One is a 1980 war film written and directed by Samuel Fuller. ...

DC Comics' chief competitor, Marvel Comics, got in a subtle dig at Rock in an issue of G.I. Joe when the character Breaker says to a companion "You're kidding! The only guy who can knock down an airplane with a sub-machine gun is Sgt. Granite of Difficult Company!"^[1] This was in reference to many Sgt. Rock stories which featured the improbable and consistent use of small arms and even bazookas to bring down enemy aircraft — a feat never matched in real life. However, it should be noted that Marvel's Silver Age WWII icon, Sgt. Nick Fury, once had one of his men destroy an airplane using a hand grenade, while descending in a parachute.^[2] Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... Cover of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #1, published by Marvel Comics Since its debut in 1984, the comic book history of G.I. Joe has seen three separate publishers and four main-title series, all of which have been based off of the Hasbro toyline of the... For other uses, see Bazooka (disambiguation). ... For the French hip hop artist, see Nikkfurie. ...

Merchandise and collectibles

A line of 3-3/4" action figures bearing the SGT. ROCK name was released in the 1980s by Remco Toys, likely as a result of the popularity of Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy line. The figures had little resemblance to the World War II characters of the comic books. The Sgt. Rock figure was depicted in Vietnam-era fatigues and gear and had an M-16 rifle instead of a Thompson submachine gun. Other generic figures were sold, with no other characters recognizable from the comics. These US troops also had Vietnam-era equipment and helmets/helmet covers or berets, and were collectively referred to as "Tough Action Soldiers." "Enemy" soldiers were simply toys produced from the same molds used to make the US soldiers, painted black with blue helmets. Each figure came with a plastic dog tag on which purchasers could ink their name and rank. A serial number was printed on a paper sticker affixed to the plastic tag, which also came with a silver coloured string to suspend the tag around the neck. Playsets included plastic machinegun and mortar bunkers. The quality of these toys was very low; soft plastic was used, and joints had limited movement, especially compared to the much superior G.I. Joe line of 3-3/4" action figures. Image File history File links Sgtrockdoll2. ... Remco was a toy company founded in the 40s that was best known for toys marketed and sold in the late 1950s and 1960 like the Johnny Reb Cannon and Mighty Matilda Atomic Aircraft The slogan was Every Boy Wants a Remco Toy. ...

There were also a range of diecast metal vehicles, produced by Universal Toys for Azrak-Hamway of New York. These were packaged on cards similar to the Remco Action Figures. The range included two tanks, a Jeep, a staff car and an ambulance. These were cheap toys, of rather poor quality. Although Sgt Rock's adventures took place in WWII, the staff car and ambulance were modern vehicles!

In 2002, a limited edition of 12" SGT. ROCK figures was released (ironically enough by Hasbro, as part of the 12" GI Joe line), including four other characters from the comic book series; Bulldozer, Little Sure Shot, Jackie Johnson and Wildman. The figures wore proper World War II-era fatigues and carried the same weapons they carried in the comic books (though the Bulldozer figure carries an M-1 rifle instead of a water-cooled Browning .30 calibre machine gun). A female figure was also released, portraying French Resistance fighter Mademoiselle Marie, Sgt. Rock's only love interest during the comic book series. A number of playsets were also produced by Dreams and Visions in 2003, for either Sgt. Rock or any other 12" figures. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (462x727, 202 KB) Summary Image collected on online auction site. ... Mademoiselle Marie (often shortened to Mlle. ...

Cultural references

• The English rock band XTC included a song called "Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)" on their 1980 album Black Sea. The song was released as a single that December and reached No. 16 on the U.K. singles chart. Songwriter Andy Partridge would later pen songs about two other DC Comics characters, Supergirl and Brainiac.
• The character Xander Harris made frequent references to Rock on the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
• During the credits of the 1987 film Predator, Lt. Hawkins (Shane Black) is shown reading a Sgt. Rock comic.
• One issue of the underground comic Dopin Dan had a Sgt. Rock parody called Sgt. Jock. It featured the main character leading a dispirited platoon in the Vietnam War and taking out two deliberately anachronistic foes by impossible means, namely destroying a Tiger Tank with nothing but a brass knuckles assisted punch, then downing a Stuka dive bomber by throwing a bayonet through the windshield, killing the pilot.
• Stacy David former host of the Spike TV show Trucks! Built a off-road truck and named it Sgt. Rock
• The Simpsons' Episode, Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish", is considered a homage to both Sgt. Rock and Joe Kubert's Art Design.

XTC are an influential new wave band from Swindon, England. ... This is considered one of the most consistent albums by XTC. Black Sea is not as dark as its predecessor, Drums And Wires, although it is still focused on big drums and sharp guitars. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Supergirl (disambiguation). ... Brainiac is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and frequent opponent of Superman. ... Alexander LaVelle Xander Harris (born 1981 in Sunnydale, California) is a fictional character in the cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ... Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated American cult television series that initially aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. ... Predator is a 1987 science fiction, action and horror film directed by John McTiernan and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura. ... Shane Black (born December 16, 1961) is an American actor, screenwriter and film director. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... First Tiger I tank captured near Tunis The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... Categories: Weapon stubs | M e weapons ... Junkers Ju 87 Dive-Bombers The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was the most famous Sturzkampfflugzeug (German dive bomber) in World War II, instantly recognisable by its inverted gull-wings and fixed undercarriage. ... Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in The Curse of the Flying Hellfish is the 22nd episode of The Simpsons seventh season. ...

Movie

For a period of time in the late 1980s early 1990s, Arnold Schwarzenegger was attached to the role, despite the seeming incongruity of an Austrian actor playing an American G.I. in WW II. Screenplays were written by John Milius and David Peoples, the latter depicting Rock as having a German-American father and being able to speak German (a skill he uses to ambush the enemy). Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the U.S. state of California. ... John Milius (born April 11, 1944 in St. ... David Webb Peoples (born c. ... German Americans (German Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of ethnic German ancestry and currently form the largest ancestry group in the United States. ...

Rumours were abundant in the late 1990s that Bruce Willis might portray Rock on the big screen, with writers such as Steven De Souza, Jeffrey Boam, and Brian Helgeland being hired by Warner Bros. to re-write Peoples' screenplay. Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955 in Idar-Oberstein, Germany) is an American actor and singer. ... Jeffrey Boam (November 30, 1949 – January 24, 2000) was an American screenwriter and producer. ... Brian Helgeland (born January 17, 1961 in Providence, Rhode Island) is a movie writer and director, who graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. ... Warner Bros. ...

Producer Joel Silver is still attempting to make a Sgt. Rock movie. John Cox has written the latest screenplay, which is not based on any of the previous screenplay drafts.^[3] Cox has stated that Schwarzenegger is no longer attached to star in the project.^[1] In April 2007, David Gambino, VP at Silver Pictures said, "The good news is we have a fantastic screenplay and everybody's really happy with it. It's really just about trying to attach cast right now and really decide what the movie is going to be, how we're going to make it."^[4] Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is a successful Hollywood film producer. ...

References

External links

• The DC Comics Encyclopedia entry on Sergeant Frank Rock. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader

Notes

1 ^  GI Joe: A Real American Hero, Vol. 1, #12, June 1983 (Marvel Comics Group)
2 ^  Sgt. Fury #1, page 6, May 1963 (Marvel Comics Group)
3 ^  Cox locked up for WB's 'Rock' duty
4 ^  Sgt. Rock Movie Update