—Ryan Sands, artist/actor on Marvel’s Runaways
A Salute to the Comic Book
Heroes and Villains Who
Fought for Their Country
Jason Inman
Mango Publishing
Coral Gables
Copyright © 2019 Jason Inman.
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.
Cover Design: Roberto Núñez
Cover illustration: Maxim Maksutov (Shutterstock)
Layout & Design: Liz Hong
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Super Soldiers: A Salute to the Comic Book Heroes and Villains Who Fought for Their Country
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2019938547
ISBN: (print) 978-1-63353-994-5, (ebook) 978-1-63353-995-2
BISAC category code: SOC022000, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture
Printed in the United States of America
For Bernadette Inman—my dear mom—who created my love for books, and for the veterans and service members of the US armed forces, whose bravery and courage should never go unrecognized. I count myself lucky to call you my brothers and sisters.
Table of Contents
Chapter 5
Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Chapter 6
Captain Atom
Chapter 7
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Chapter 8
Flash Thompson
Chapter 9
Isaiah Bradley
Chapter 10
Sgt. Rock
Chapter 11
Batwoman
Chapter 12
Beetle Bailey
Chapter 13
Nuke
Chapter 14
The Punisher
Chapter 15
Deathstroke
Chapter 16
Nick Fury
Honorable Mentions
Acknowledgments
Further Reading by Subject
About the Author
There’s a surprisingly high amount of crossover when it comes to camouflage and spandex. It’s quite shocking, actually. Both are machine-washable, they are staples of ’90s hip-hop fashion, and, probably most importantly, both are worn by heroes. In all seriousness, the pages of comic books are littered with men and women who have signed on the dotted line and put on the uniform of the United States military.
But why? Why are comic books filled with so many service members? The mental fortitude required to pull off wearing your underwear on the outside of your costume is at least comparable to the courage President Teddy Roosevelt displayed when he charged up San Juan Hill. Both service members and comic book characters pull off amazing feats that seemed nigh impossible. One could make the easy comparison that both sides are filled with heroes. Superheroes put on their capes and boots and dive off rooftops in a never-ending quest to save everyday citizens in the service of justice. Military soldiers do the same (without the capes, of course). Whether it is duty, responsibility, or classic patriotism, these men and women have laced up their boots and sacrificed their lives to protect civilians they have never met.
However, there are many differences as well. Most comic book heroes are vigilantes. They can’t be tied down by any law or institution because the actions they need to take (for the good of their community) have to be done “outside the law.” Superman can’t join the military—what if he needed to stop a flood in a country that wasn’t an ally of the US? This allegiance would tie his hands. Superman is going to fix a dam in whatever country he pleases. And he should. He’s Superman.
Service members have to follow a different code. One must raise their right hand, swear an oath of enlistment to the values of the United States, and obey the orders of the officers appointed over them—this oath leaves very little