Friday, May 4, 2018

The Grooviest Covers of All Time: Joe Kubert's Unknown Soldier

Check it out, Groove-ophiles! While Young Groove dug Sgt. Rock, Haunted Tank, and the rest of DC's war features, his fave was (and still is) the Unknown Soldier. Debuting in Star Spangled War Stories #151 (April 1970), the "Mystery GI of WWII" took over the title of the mag with issue # 205 (January 1977), and continued on until the final ish (#268, July 1982). Pretty successful mag with lots of cool stories and art, and tons of magnificently illustrated covers by some of DC's best--mostly, though, by the great Joe Kubert. Here's a dozen of Ol' Groove's fave Kubert covers featuring the Unknown Soldier from the Star Spangled War Stories era. So action-packed, stylish, and even (at times) profound! Enjoy!












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8 comments:

  1. keythd23May 4, 2018 at 4:22 AM

    I could never get enough of Joe Kubert's covers, whether war, jungle or the occasional superhero ones. His sense of drama, style and layout were second to none. I remember reading in an interview once that he said he could complete a cover in about 11 hours, from layout to finished inks.

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  2. Mike MikulovskyMay 4, 2018 at 5:55 AM

    I used buy and fread all of Joe Kubert's books. I'm curious did they ever really explain who the Unknown Soldier really was? And when the series ended, did they do a final story where he dies or goes home? Thanks! Love seeing these old gems of DC especially from 1970-72.

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    1. The Groovy AgentMay 6, 2018 at 9:08 AM

      The final issue of Unknown Soldier (#268, July 1982) did, indeed wrap up (ouch, bad pun) our hero's saga--and with a (few) bang(s) (if I may add yet another bad pun)! You can read it here: http://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Unknown-Soldier-1977/Issue-268?id=36056#1

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    2. Mike MikulovskyMay 6, 2018 at 5:07 PM

      GROOVY!! Thanks Groovster! Ironic I was in Marine boot camp then. I'll be sure to read that issue here! Semper fi

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  3. AnonymousMay 4, 2018 at 3:32 PM

    Loved Joe's covers, especially with the rich colors & printing inks of the late '60s & early '70s. His drawings remained great from the mid 70's onwards, but the print quality began to lessen as the prices increased (ironically). Compelling dramatic scenarios in his covers---always.

    Regards,
    Chris A.

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  4. tomMay 4, 2018 at 9:47 PM

    LOVE the Unknown Soldier, wish DC Showcase would release more volumes. Is that his real face on the cover of issue #183? Never saw that image before.

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    1. AnonymousMay 6, 2018 at 7:57 AM

      Showcase series was discontinued several years ago, unfortunately.

      Chris A.

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    2. AnonymousMay 7, 2018 at 4:20 PM

      Yes, I believe that the unknown soldier's face was supposed to have been terribly marred, almost skeletal.

      Regards,

      Chris A.

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