Who's This? Army grunts.
The facts: Sgt. Rock's unit has pretty much been there since the beginning, though you could argue it predates Rock himself. He is "Sgt. Rocky" in Our Army at War #81 (April 1959), which is Easy's first appearance, 2 issues before he really becomes "Sgt. Rock". But it takes a while for the soldiers to differentiate themselves and for a recurring cast to evolve, starting with the Ice Cream Soldier (see below), more memorable G.I.s (Bulldozer, Little Sure Shot, Wildman, Jackie Johnson, and more) would become Easy staples for a long run of comics stretching from '59 to 1988, then appearing more occasionally with their famous sarge. During Invasion, it was revealed that Easy Company was still a thing, carrying on its tradition from World War II, though that particular grouping was never seen again.How you could have heard of them: When a Sgt. Rock story is published, he's with Easy Company (which is of course not to be confused with historical E-Companies, like the airborne unit whose exploits are chronicled in Band of Brothers). Several Rock mini-series came out in the 2000s. This past year, we got DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock vs. the Army of the Dead, which of course featured Easy Company.
Example story: Our Army at War #85 (August 1959) "Ice Cream Soldier!" by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert
While Sgt. Rock is nominally the star of his strip (and Our Army at War would eventually be renamed after him), it didn't take Kanigher long to start building up E-Company with more than cannon fodder (though assigned Lieutenants didn't fare as well). And this is probably why the Rock became the biggest war comics star of all. With Easy (where' "nothin's easy"), you had the capacity to tell one-off stories that would have been fine in an anthology, but keep them tied to a core continuity. And if the soldier survived, they could become supporting stars and even have the spotlight shine on them again down the road. The first distinct G.I. so featured was the Ice Cream Soldier. Real name: Phil. Attitude: Out of his depth and very nervous.
The kid's just too tense, and his unit soon gives him a nickname, foreshadowing the "snowflake" insult of our current era. And he could get himself and others killed by being too trepidatious.
Caution is dangerous in a world where instinct prevails. Several times, Sgt. Rock has to push him out of the way when the ice cream freezes. The rest of Easy also know what fear tastes like, but they trust in their leader. So when they are trapped by suppressive fire from a pill box...
The Sarge gets a shoulder wound out of it and Phil blames himself. The Rock tries to comfort him, but the rest of the unit aren't so nice. But the Sarge is worried too. He makes Phil the bazooka-man's assistant to keep him out of trouble, but what if he freezes when he sees a tank and fails to give his partner the ammo? A "freak winter" pops up (the last thing you should do is try to pin any of the Rock's stories anywhere/anywhen in World War II), which fits the theme and the kid gets frostbite - can't catch a break, this one! - but sick of hearing the "Ice Cream Soldier" crack, he starts to move.
And when an armored unit DID present itself, the bazooka-man went missing, so the kid took the weapon... missed, the ordinance falling short, but...
They were on a lake! While that first crew drowned, the so-called Ice Cream Soldier had time to reload, stand up (not the stance to take, but he was in a daze) and blow the second tank to kingdom come. And he survived!
He found his courage, and a way to take back the insult and retcon its meaning. Philip Mason would go on to appear 200+ more times as part of Easy Company, often selected to serve as point man during European operations. He's the first of many memorable G.I.s in Sgt. Rock's team, and a good example of what one can expect from the strip.
Who's Next? A total eclipse of the heart.
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