Who's This? Sgt. Rock's archenemy.
The facts: Created for Our Army at War #158 (September, 1965) by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, the Iron Major was an attempt at a recurring enemy for Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, a Nazi officer who could give orders in the background, but also prove a physical threat with his comic booky prosthesis. He scored almost a dozen appearances in Our Army at War and Sgt. Rock comics (a baker's dozen if we count a Brave and the Bold team-up and a flashback in Giffen's Suicide Squad), often apparently dying at the end of the story only to show up again. Non-war comics (like Hawk and Dove and War of the Gods) have used him as an evil zombie, in groups of evil zombies.
How you could have heard of him: The DC Showcase: Sgt. Rock cartoon used him as a villain.
Example story: Our Army at War #165 (March 1966) "The Return of the Iron Major!" by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert
You know how much I love to look at characters' SECOND appearance... But he died in the first! Well, it's easy to rise from the dead when the heroes DON'T CHECK FOR A BODY! This may be a gritty war comic, but it's still a COMIC, and COMIC BOOK RULES apply!
Soon after this, Easy is staying at a fortress-like castle, unappreciated guests of the Contessa Helga Von Hohenschlag-Lowenberg, who Sgt. Rock is fated to fall in love with (what IS this? Sgt. Fury?). The Rock is attracted to her steely-eyed pride, but she seems to hate his guts and is, in fact, the Iron Major's lover! The whole situation sends the Sarge into a flashback showing the Major's really very slappy fighting style.
It's a fight that ended with the Ratzi officer hitting a landmine and exploding, but as we already saw, he walked away from that explosion. But in the present moment, German soldiers saw Easy Company walk into the castle, so they throw a potato masher through the window and only Sgt. Rock's quick reflexes save the Contessa from being killed. And still, she would rather have died than have a grunt put his mitts on her. The Company makes short work of the German unit, and the Contessa binds the Rock's wounds, finally melting in the face of his taking a bullet for her. And in the middle of their first kiss...
The Iron Major is BACK! (Though I don't think he should be using the term "sweetheart".) In short order, the Major smashes the Rock's rifle and starts slapping him silly again. "Iron can crush rock!" he says. The Sarge is outmatched physically, so he'll have to use his smarts!
Rocks float no more than iron does, so that's not gonna score high on the S.A.T.’s, but his gambit does work and they both fall into the rushing river on that side of the castle (a moat wouldn't have "crushing current"). The Rock is fished out, the Major isn't. BUT DID WE SEE A BODY?! No. Exactly. As for the Contessa, she simply forgot herself for a second and rebuffs the Sarge before Easy Company moves on, and is never heard from again. Unlike the Iron Major...
According to the splash page, the Iron Major was back by popular demand, but what do you think? Does a "supervillain" like this break the usually more grounded world of Easy Company?
Who's Next? A space pirate.
Comments