G.I. Combat 1-5

G.I. Combat began at Quality. Much later, after DC bought the title, the WWII stories of the Haunted Tank headlined; but in 1952-3 this anthology presented nothing but contemporary Korean War stories.

I can identify the three writers by style but can name only one of them, Joe Millard. "Q" worked on Ken Shannon, T-Man, Blackhawk, Exploits of Daniel Boone, Robin Hood Tales, and Web of Evil—and wrote a couple of stories for Doll Man—from 1951 or '52 to Quality's demise at the end of 1956. "GIC A" I've so far found scripting only on this title. The first story here uses "damn" and "dammit" but that experiment in precode adult-aimed writing ends before the issue and the title get any older. UPDATE: "Q" is Robert Bernstein.

Indexers have reflexively named Chuck Cuidera as Reed Crandall's inker on most of his stories at Quality, no matter the actual style (or the reports of other inkers like Les Zakarin or Sam Burlockoff on some of his strips). In the case of the first G.I. Combat story, however, Crandall's inker is indeed Cuidera. Note the faces of the lieutenant in the top tier panels as examples of Crandall's pencils and the sergeant's face in the bottom tier's middle panel as most obviously Cuidera's inks.

 

My impression is that Pete Morisi and Sam Citron ink themselves on this title, but the difference between John Daly stories' inks at DC and Quality suggests he didn't ink himself at both. After the obscuring inks over Charles Nicholas's pencils in #1, the inking of his stories here is pretty consistent, and so although I've never seen his inks credited later at Charlton or DC, I'll venture that he does ink himself from #2 on.

The cover pencils are by Crandall: #1, 3-5, and Dick Dillin: #2.

G.I. Combat 1-5

Oct/52	1	Beyond the Call of Duty	w: Robert Bernstein
			p: Reed Crandall
			i: Chuck Cuidera
		Killing Pitch	w: "GIC A"  a: Pete Morisi
		The Runt Breaks Through	w: Bernstein  p: Charles Nicholas
		Trumpet of Death	w: "GIC A"  a: ?
Dec/	2	Operation Massacre	w: Bernstein  p: John Daly
		Prison Camp Slaughter	w: Bernstein  a: Morisi
		Behind Enemy Lines	w: "GIC A"  a: ?
		The Human Fly on Heartbreak Hill	w: "GIC A"  a: Nicholas
Feb/53	3	Havoc behind Red Lines	w: Bernstein  p: Daly
		An Indestructible Marine	w: "GIC A"  a: ?
		No Grandstand in Hell	w: Joe Millard  p: Crandall
		Suicide Decoy	w: Bernstein  a: Nicholas
Mar/	4	Bridge to Bloody Hell	w: Millard  p: Dick Dillin
		Vengeance Raid	w: Millard  a: Sam Citron
		The Lieutenant Attacks	w: "GIC A"  a: ?
		One Man Army	w: "GIC A"  p: Crandall
Apr/	5	Vindicated under Fire	w: "GIC A"  p: Dillin
		Glamour Guys of Hell	w: Bernstein  a: ?
		Hell Breaks Loose on Suicide Hill	w: Millard  a: Citron
		Death of a Coward	w: Bernstein  p: Crandall