Bernard Montgomery

Few comic characters blur the line between history and heroism quite like Bernard Montgomery, who stepped onto the page in 1954's Battlefront #18, brought to life by creator Bob McCarthy during Marvel's rich mid-century era of war comics. A real-world figure rendered in ink and panels, Monty's comics presence spans a remarkable stretch of publication history — from the Golden Age all the way through 2007 — appearing across titles as varied as Battle Picture Weekly and Valiant and Osprey Graphic History. Perhaps most intriguing is the company he keeps on the page: none other than Erwin Rommel, his legendary real-life adversary, making these issues a collector's dream for anyone drawn to the drama of history dramatized in sequential art. With only three catalog appearances, each one is a genuine find — a rare intersection of war history and comics craft worth tracking down.