tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464833.post4674333458445693031..comments2024-03-09T13:14:56.299-08:00Comments on Silver Age Comics: Our Army At War #175Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464833.post-58573682602562308692011-09-12T09:30:59.023-07:002011-09-12T09:30:59.023-07:00Thank you, Pat, for running an article on this sto...<i>Thank you</i>, Pat, for running an article on this story.<br /><br />I was not a solid Sergeant Rock fan. (In the eternal "Rock or Fury?" debate, my preference was for Fury.) But I did pick up a few of DC's war comics over the years. Enough to keep track of what was going on.<br /><br />Also enough to notice the repetition of Robert Kanigher's plot structure, that you accurately recounted last month.<br /><br />However, "T.N.T. Letter" showed that Kanigher could break his pattern, and when he did, the result could be quite impressive. I can easily envision "T.N.T. Letter" working as a script for the television show <i>Combat!</i>.<br /><br />Kanigher dealt with the human side of war, but too often, he was so heavy-handed that he smothered much of the emotional result he was going for. But in this one, he hit the mark squarely. It's poignant without being sappy, and the end is a genuine lump-in-the-throat moment.<br /><br />Like Joplin John (who was spot-on in his criticism of the sniggering that seems to be part of modern sensibilities) and you, I found nothing sordid in the ending. It's sweet and touching, with no hint of sexual inneuendo.<br /><br />There is one touch I would have added during the scene in which Rock was fighting it out with the Germans to obtain medical supplies for the girl. It would have been a nice touch for the Panzer tank commander to realise what Rock was fighting for, order his men to stop, and then <i>give</i> Rock the medical kit.<br /><br />The Nazis were pure evil, no question. But the average German soldier was just a guy fighting at his country's call, and not a soulless monster. There were real moments during WWII when the humanity on both sides rose to the fore.<br /><br />But, it would have been gilding the lily. Kanigher crafted a marvelous little gem of a tale, and thanks, Pat, for introducing me to it.Commander Bensonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464833.post-44229679968780048842011-09-11T09:34:28.095-07:002011-09-11T09:34:28.095-07:00Ya know, it's sad that in our "progressiv...Ya know, it's sad that in our "progressive", "enlightened" times a sweet ending to a beautiful story like this would have to be marred by some hoser snickering to himself. You'd have to take the whole thing out of context to stroke that snide sense of perversity, and out of context...what's the point? These are the same people who snigger about Batman and Robin being gay. Why does an imagined sexual element have to overtake the emotional one? Thank God we'll always have these great old comics to go back to and enjoy on THEIR terms as they were intended.Joplin Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07675384207971550626noreply@blogger.com