Comics about the American Civil war

[bennyblanko]

well... do y'all know of any good ones?

[Red Oak Kid]

Here's a good one. I don't know if this one was ever reprinted tho.

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=10826&zoom=4

Yes, here is the Gemstone reprint:

http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=358629

[dan bailey]

Looks like it was one of the Gemstone reprints, circa '97. I think I've got all the Two-Fisted reprints in "annual" (read: rebound compendiums of unsold copies) format.

You'd think the War Against Northern Aggression (as I'm required to call it, probably, typing this as I am maybe 3 miles, tops, from the place Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederacy) would've been the focus of at least one series by now, but nooooooooo (that I know of, anyway). JEB Stuart's ghostly presence in "The Haunted Tank" doesn't really count, I don't think.

[InfoBroker]

The issue of Two Fisted Tales that ROK points to is part of what was intended to be a seven issue set that editor, Harvey Kurtzman and EC comics planned as an overall arc to the history (with varying viewpoints, North and South, of citizens, soldiers and slaves), of the Civil War. They even pulled in a noted historian to identify the events that had bearing and importance and should and could be covered in the format of short seven page vignettes.

I think in all two, maybe three issues were printed. The completion of the project was disrupted by Harvey being hospitalized for a brief while due to overwork, stress and exhaustion. When he returned his focus was on the break away hit comic MAD.

But the stories that were printed are jewels, definitely worth seeking out and reading.

-jb the Northern "Aggressor" from the free state of Iowa ib -

[InfoBroker]

I forgot to mentioned that the stories and issues spanned two EC titles, Two Fisted Tales (mentioned by Dan and ROK), and also Frontline Combat.

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/24844/400/24844_4_014.jpg



http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/15676/400/15676_4_009.jpg




-jb the civil minded ib -

[dan bailey]

Off the top of my head, I'm having very vague recollections of an occasional Civil War story in various DC war titles during the '60s & early '70s.

Seems like a setting that might've popped up as well in Marvel's unfortunately short-lived Semper Fi , which I'm farily sure carried at least one story set as far back as the Spanish-American War. I haven't read those ishes in at least a couple of years, though, so I could be totally wrong.

[MDG]

One of the best EC covers: Special Issue: Civil War!

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=10826&zoom=4

[cactusmaac]

The Kents by John Ostrander.

[dan bailey]

I'm presuming that that cover is by Jack Davis, MDG. Am I correct in recalling that he's something of an expert on the War to Keep People like InfoBroker Out of My Backyard* and Away from My Comics Collection (& Stop Him & the Rest of All Y'all Folks Up North from Putting Sugar in My Cornbread & Keeping It Out of My Iced Tea ... Also, Y'all Talk Funny)? Or am I thinking of George Evans' expertise on military aircraft? Or John Severin's on military equipment, period?

(As I may have mentioned at some point or other, awhile back, while looking through a Heritage Auctions listing of an envelope Severin had illustrated before mailing a letter to a friend back during WWII, at some point he was stationed here on the air base where I work.)


*Not that I keep my comics out in the backyard, mind, though they're in danger of expanding beyond their present confines of my bedroom. Looking back, I guess that during the Siege of Vicksburg, fans there had to take their comics with them to the caves, but still, that's better than the backyard.

[Roquefort Raider]

It's pretty ironic, but I think there may be more comics on the subject in Europe than in the US! Most French creators from the second half of the XXth century were in awe of the American west, and many of them actually crossed the Atlantic to work as cow-boys for a while.

The first civil war comic I read was "the legend of Alexis McCoy", written by Jean-Pierre Gourmelen and beautifully drawn by Spanish artist Antonio Hernandez Palacios. I don't know if it was ever translated in English, but it certainly should have been. McCoy is unusual in that he's a confederate.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x104/duktor/TBOs/McCoy/McCoy01.jpg

Les tuniques bleues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Tuniques_Bleues) (the blue coats) has been published in France since the 70s, and is still going strong. It's kind of a M*A*S*H set in the days of the civil war.

Lieutenant Blueberry, the character co-created by Moebius, had a series of books set during the civil war ("Blueberry's secret", "A Yankee named Blueberry" and "The blue coats" published by ComCats comics in 1989 and 1990). We follow Blueberry as he deserts the South after being falsely accused of murder and joins the federal army. Most episodes in the series are based on historical events, with the hero (of course) playing a role that history seems to have forgotten!

http://i2.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/ca/1b/fe27_1.JPG

[Netley]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Loveless, the Vertigo title by Brian Azzarello and Marcelo Frusin, which takes place in the American South immediately after the Civil War (I believe - I only read the first arc).

[dan bailey]

immediately after the Civil War (I believe - I only read the first arc).

Aye -- there's the rub. (Not that I've ever read the title. Besides, somehow "Brian Azzarello" and "Marcelo Frusin" don't sound properly Southern, & not just because they don't each have 3 names like God & Robert Edward Lee intended.)

Isn't Jonah Hex a former Confederate soldier? Probably he's not the only one amongst the Western characters of yesterday & today.

[Kan-Man]

It's pretty ironic, but I think there may be more comics on the subject in Europe than in the US! Most French creators from the second half of the XXth century were in awe of the American west, and many of them actually crossed the Atlantic to work as cow-boys for a while.

The first civil war comic I read was "the legend of Alexis McCoy", written by Jean-Pierre Gourmelen and beautifully drawn by Spanish artist Antonio Hernandez Palacios. I don't know if it was ever translated in English, but it certainly should have been. McCoy is unusual in that he's a confederate.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x104/duktor/TBOs/McCoy/McCoy01.jpg

Les tuniques bleues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Tuniques_Bleues) (the blue coats) has been published in France since the 70s, and is still going strong. It's kind of a M*A*S*H set in the days of the civil war.

Lieutenant Blueberry, the character co-created by Moebius, had a series of books set during the civil war ("Blueberry's secret", "A Yankee named Blueberry" and "The blue coats" published by ComCats comics in 1989 and 1990). We follow Blueberry as he deserts the South after being falsely accused of murder and joins the federal army. Most episodes in the series are based on historical events, with the hero (of course) playing a role that history seems to have forgotten!

http://i2.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/ca/1b/fe27_1.JPG

Fascinating stuff, but am I the only one to think Lieutenant Blueberry is one of the silliest names ever?

[Kan-Man]

Wasn't Jonah Hex in the confederacy? I don't know if any storylines incorporated the Civil War, though.

[dan bailey]

Fascinating stuff, but am I the only one to think Lieutenant Blueberry is one of the silliest names ever?\

It's certainly always kept me from even entertaining the thought of looking into the character or series. Sounds like a Harvey superhero strip from the late '60s in the back of Bunny, like SooperHippie.

[Roquefort Raider]

Fascinating stuff, but am I the only one to think Lieutenant Blueberry is one of the silliest names ever?

It is, but the character has always had a self-deriding aspect so it fits quite well. Also, as we learned in the above-mentioned series, "Blueberry" is not his true name (his name is Donovan). Running away from a lynching mob, he fell in the hands of a group of blue coats to whom he pretended being a sympathizer helping a slave to escape the south. (In fact, he and the escapee in question had merely gotten out of jail together, and since the other guy had conveniently been shot a few minutes before, he wasn't about to deny that version of the facts). Asked for his name, Donovan made one up on the spot, and the first thing that came to mind was "Blueberry", since there was a blueberry bush right under his eyes.

Nowadays, I suspect he would have said "MacDonald" or "Starbuck".

[dan bailey]

ItDonovan made one up on the spot, and the first thing that came to mind was "Blueberry", since there was a blueberry bush right under his eyes.

Y'know, Bush would've made a lot more sense (especially since at that time it wasn't the surname of the most-hated man in the world). Funny people, those French.

[Roquefort Raider]

Y'know, Bush would've made a lot more sense (especially since at that time it wasn't the surname of the most-hated man in the world). Funny people, those French.

I wonder if the same thing happened to the scarlet pimpernel, who could easily have found a more virile garden-related name like "the iron rake". (Thankfully he didn't go for "the dirty hoe"!)

[Lone Ranger]

There are some Civil War stories scattered throughout the Atlas war titles of the 50s. Sadly, those will never been reprinted.

The Scalphunter series in Weird Western Tales takes place during the Civil War.

[prince hal]

There were here and there a few Civil War stories in DC's war books, but never a series, although Jonah Hex was indeed a CSA veteran and I recall at least one of his stories was set during his Civil War days.

Look for comics released in 1960 and '61, when the Civil War centennial was HUGE! In addition to Civil War cards (bloody predecessors of the Mars Attacks line with art by NJorm Saunders), there were TV shows (The Americans) and plenty of toys (the Johnny Reb cannon pops to mind).

I'll bet there were a batch of Dell/Gold Key issues devoted to Disney's "Johnny Shiloh" series and I'm almost sure there was one adapting the Disney movie about the "Great Train Raid," for lack of the actual name I can't remember, about Union soldiers (I think they won some of the hundreds of Medals of Honor given out in the war.) who trainjack their way to some kind of victory. If I have tme for fun, I'll troll the GCD.

[prince hal]

http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=12958

"The Great Locomotive Chase" Four Color #712 (1956)

No luck on Johnny Shiloh or The Americans.

Also, check this link and scroll down to the Marvel Comics Civil War comics (not what you think!).

http://www.libertybellmuseum.com/MuseumShop/civilwarbooks.htm

[Red Oak Kid]

Look for comics released in 1960 and '61, when the Civil War centennial was HUGE! In addition to Civil War cards (bloody predecessors of the Mars Attacks line with art by NJorm Saunders), there were TV shows (The Americans) and plenty of toys (the Johnny Reb cannon pops to mind).

I'll bet there were a batch of Dell/Gold Key issues devoted to Disney's "Johnny Shiloh" series ...

Did someone say Johnny Shiloh?

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=295785&zoom=4

The comic version of the Disney movie(I don't think it was a series) can be found in "Walt Disney's World of Adventure" #2. For some reason this is listed on GCD simply as "World of Adventure".

This may be one of the very first comics I ever bought. I know I took it with me on a vacation trip to St. Louis in 1963 and I'm sure I wanted it because I had seen the movie on Wonderful World of Color.

When I got back into comics in 2000, this was one of the first comics I tried to find. I just remembered it was Johnny Shiloh, but had no clue to the actual title of the comic. I literally looked at every page of an Overstreet Guide till I found it. Why did Disney's name have to begin with a "W"?:D

Hmmm....I wonder who drew the Johnny Shiloh story?

I also had the Johnny Reb cannon. In fact I was crazy about anything having to do with the war between the states at that time.

There was a TV show called "The Great Adventure" which dramatized events in American history and many episodes were set in the Civil War.