Action and adventure
Action and adventure |
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Page 36 of 42  Tower of Shadows Other genres boomed as well. War, for example, went through a renaissance. Marvel's main title was Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos (1963), which was set in the Second World War, and featured a cigar-chewing Sarge and a group of ethnically diverse commandos ('howling racial stereotypes', according to some). DC Comics' answer was Sgt Rock, an old character from Our Army at War, given his own title in 1977, which was also set in the Second World War, but which was less 'superheroey'. It was left to smaller publishers to deal with Vietnam, especially Dell, whose main hit was Tales of the Green Beret (1967). Despite the lead set by EC in the 1950s, these comics eschewed an anti-war stance in favour of old-fashioned shoot-em-ups. Even horror made a comeback eventually. Of course, publishers had to tread carefully, because even though the Code was less stringently enforced with time, there was always the lurking possibility of another backlash. Because of this, titles like DC Comics' House of Mystery and House of Secrets prospered: they had existed since the early 1950s, but had never been in the market for grossness. Similarly, Marvel scored a few notable hits based more on creepiness than old-fashioned gore: Tower of Shadows (1969) was an anthology with some outstandingly atmospheric 'fast-cut' artwork by Jim Steranko.  Tower of Shadows (Marvel Comics, 1969). Art: Jim Steranko. |