Haunted Tank
The Haunted Tank | |
---|---|
Vertigo | |
First comic appearance | G.I. Combat #87 (May 1961) |
Created by | Robert Kanigher Russ Heath |
In-story information | |
Team affiliations | Team 13 |
The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987.[1]
Publication history
The Haunted Tank was created by writer and editor
The Haunted Tank was often the cover feature of G.I. Combat and was second only to Sgt. Rock as DC Comics' longest-running war series.
Fictional character biography
An origin story in G.I. Combat #114 reveals that, at the time of the ghost's arrival, Jeb is a
General Stuart's ghost does not initially care for his assignment, but is impressed with the fighting spirit of Jeb and his crew. Jeb flies a Confederate rather than a Union flag on his "haunted" tank. Jeb, however, is the only one who can see or hear the General. His crew thinks he is crazy, but continue to follow his leadership as he has solid tactical expertise (brought about through his consultations with the General, who usually gives him cryptic hints of future events) and rarely fails in his missions.
As the Haunted Tank fights from Africa to the
Following a disastrous mission engineered to rescue the son of their commanding officer, General Norton, from a German P.O.W. camp (based on the
Later in the war, Slim is also killed in action and older veteran, Bill Craig, replaces him.[9] Craig's son Eddie also joins the crew a few issues later,[10] taking over the loader's position and allowing Gus to act as a second gunner.
The Jigsaw Tank is eventually replaced by an M4 Sherman tank that sees them through to the end of the war. Despite a story that involves the ghost of General William T. Sherman being assigned to the tank once the crew switches to the Sherman, General Stuart's ghost continues to watch over the crew until war's end.
The feature ended when G.I. Combat was cancelled with issue #288.[11]
Post G.I. Combat appearances
Secret Origins #14 (1987), featuring the Suicide Squad, reveals that Jeb Stuart is promoted to general after the war, but no mention is made of what happened to the others. The story also revealed that Stuart becomes the godfather of Richard Rodgers Flag, whose father led the World War II version of the Squad.[12] Rick Flag subsequently leads the second and third incarnations of the Squad, and Stuart is instrumental in helping Amanda Waller in the formation of the Squad's third incarnation in the 1980s. The now-elderly General Stuart next appears in Suicide Squad #49–50,[13] seeking the Squad's help to rescue Flag's only son, who has been kidnapped. Since Flag has recently been revealed to have been a false identity implanted in a soldier named Anthony Miller,[14] Stuart's true role in Flag's background has become unclear.
In Hawk and Dove Annual #1 (1990), the General's ghost helps out the heroes Hawk and Dove and their team
The tank and its original crew briefly appear in #46–47 of The Demon, although Stuart's crew members are inexplicably given the names of Arch Stanton, Rick Parsons and Slim Kilkenny. The crew and the Demon retrieve the tank from a military warehouse and it is restored via magic. They work together to stop demonic Nazis that are rampaging through Texas. All the enemy forces are destroyed and the tank is left covered in the desert sands.[16] The Haunted Tank and its original crew also appear in the 1999 supernatural "Day of Judgment" crossover in Anarky. In this issue, they fight demonic forces in the form of historical entities who wish to overthrow the President. The story ends before the battle does.[17]
Jeb Stuart
Jeb Stuart lies between life and death, becoming a spirit guide to his granddaughter, Lieutenant Jennifer Stuart. Jen Stuart operates an advanced tank, the Cyber-Command Assault Vehicle, which becomes the new Haunted Tank. Jeb reflects on how his situation compares to the ghost of the General. The two assist the superhero group '
The Haunted Tank appears in the 2006 incarnation of the Tales of the Unexpected comic. They assist Doctor Thirteen and other heroic characters in rescuing Traci Thirteen from Nazi gorillas. The General's ghost is mainly featured, becoming involved in a sword fight with the pirate ghost Captain Fear. Since both entities are deceased, the damage they deal to each other is ineffectual.[19]
The original Haunted Tank makes a guest appearance in the 2008 Vertigo mini-series
A "DC Showcase" black and white trade paperback collection Haunted Tank Volume One, reprinting stories between 1961 and 1965, was published in 2006. Haunted Tank Volume Two, reprinting stories from 1966 to 1972, was published in May 2008.
In the backup story "Snapshot: Remembrance" in the retrospective mini-series DC Universe: Legacies #4, set during a reunion on July 4, 1976, Jeb Stuart is teaching
A G.I. Combat one-shot was published in 2010, featuring the Haunted Tank. In this story, set in 1944 during the liberation of France, Jeb Stuart and his team have a friendly rivalry with Lieutenant Billy Sherman, who commands an M4 Sherman. Sherman is killed by German snipers and Jeb, with the general's advice, uses the Sherman's gun to take them down. At the end of the story, it is revealed that Lt Sherman was himself being guided by William T. Sherman and the two ghost generals discuss the situation.[21]
Another G.I. Combat relaunch features a story where Jeb Stuart, now a grandfather, tries to rescue his grandson, Scott Stuart, and Scott's fellow soldiers, from armed captors.[22]
Jamal Stuart
The Haunted Tank returned in 2008 as a five-issue mini-series from
In other media
Television
- The Haunted Tank appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Menace of the Madniks!", voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- An original version of the Haunted Tank, General Tucker, appears in a self-titled episode of Teen Titans Go!, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
Miscellaneous
- The Haunted Tank appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #5.
References
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
- ^ Markstein, Don. "The Haunted Tank". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ G. I. Combat #144
- ^ G.I. Combat #150
- ^ "Hybrid tanks - Feedback / Suggestions - World of Tanks official forum". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ^ G.I. Combat #160
- ^ G.I. Combat #162
- ^ G.I. Combat #244
- ^ G.I. Combat #251
- ^ G.I. Combat #288 (March 1987)
- ^ Secret Origins #14 (1986)
- ^ Suicide Squad #49–50 (1991)
- ^ Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag #1–8
- ^ Hawk and Dove Annual #1 (1990)
- The Demon#46–47
- ^ Anarky #7
- ^ Power Company #16–18 (2003)
- ^ Tales of the Unexpected #1-5
- ^ DC Universe: Legacies #4 (October 2010)
- ^ GI Combat Featuring The Haunted Tank #1 (November 2010)
- ^ G.I. Combat #6 (2012)
- ^ SDCC '08 - The Haunted Tank Rolls Again at Vertigo, Newsarama, July 25, 2008
- ^ Marraffino Commands "Haunted Tank", Comic Book Resources, September 23, 2008
External links
- The Haunted Tank at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
- Haunted Tank at the DCU Guide