Savage Combat Tales #1
Published and © by Atlas (Seaboard), February 1975
Title: “Reborn in Battles”
Synopsis: Sgt. Ben Stryker must overcome his disdain with killing to rescue four prisoners and mold them into a fighting force.
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artist: Al McWilliams
Review: As with many Atlas (Seaboard) comics, Savage Combat Tales suffers from too much been there, done that. Writer Archie Goodwin might have earned renown for his earlier Blazing Combat work, but this Sgt. Stryker feature offers little new. The uncredited art is better than serviceable, with nice flashes throughout.
•••
Title: “Bounty”
Synopsis: A pilot more interested in collecting bounties than the well-being of his fellow fighters gets his comeuppance.
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Penciler: Jack Sparling
Inker: Alan Kupperburg
Review: Another by-the-book war story, this one with an EC-esque ending. Decent art here, too, but not exceptional.
Grade (for the entire issue): B-
Second opinion: “Another gory Atlas war mag. … It’s rough stuff and Archie Goodwin should be ashamed of himself for writing it.” – Frank Plowright, FantaCo’s Chronicle’s Series Annual #1, 1983
Cool factor: Meh.
Character quotable: “Y-you’re … the natural … .” – Sgt. Bloom, giving Stryker a battlefield promotion
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on July 7, 2010.
