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Frontline Combat#1
Cover: Harvey Kurtzman

Frontline Combat #1

Jul 1951 · EC · 0.10 USD
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"Marines Retreat!" is a striking, human-centered wartime tale from EC’s Frontline Combat #1 (1951), where a lone American soldier faces off against a Chinese Communist fighter—only to discover they’re both just men, not machines, bound by shared lives and families. Drawn with stark, expressive detail by Jack Davis, and lettered by Ben Oda, the story unfolds with quiet intensity, capturing the personal cost of conflict. The cover, a powerful, dynamic piece by Harvey Kurtzman, sets the tone with a visceral, high-stakes moment that echoes the story’s emotional core.

Contains 4 stories
Marines Retreat!
8 pp · War
U.S. Marines [Tony Feranda (death)KelleyJoePrivate Harold Parksrest unnamed] (some die)Chinese Army (villains, many die)

In the frozen hell of the Changjin Reservoir, American troops fight a desperate retreat, outnumbered and cut off. Private Parks, haunted by memories of his family back home, finds himself drawn into a dangerous gamble that could cost him everything.

Enemy Assault!
7 pp · War
unnamed American soldierAmerican soldiers (many die)unnamed Communist soldier (villain, death)Communist soldiers (villains, many die)

In "Enemy Assault!", two soldiers—Jo from the American forces and a Chinese Communist fighter—find themselves locked in a tense standoff on a war-torn battlefield. As they speak, they discover shocking common ground: both are husbands and fathers, bound by the same quiet hopes and fears. With the front lines closing in, the weight of duty and humanity presses down on them both.

O.P.!
6 pp · War
unnamed U.S. Army LieutenantAmerican operation post soldiers (all die)German soldiers (villains, all die)

In a tense moment during a war that’s grinding on, an Army howitzer officer calls in to check on a forward operation post, asking if the enemy is advancing and if they need support—only to find the situation unfolds in a way that catches him completely off guard.

Unterseeboot 113
7 pp · War
Captain Kurt Kluge (villain, U-Boat commander, death)U-Boat crew members [KurtSchultzrest unnamed] (villains)

In "Unterseeboot 113," a Nazi naval commander orders his U-boat to surface for supplies—only to be stunned when a nearby tanker opens fire, its hull bearing the unmistakable markings of the British Navy. The sudden betrayal by a vessel he believed to be his own leaves him reeling, caught in a tense standoff that blurs the lines between ally and enemy.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta
Raw (Good) $150
CGC 9.8 · 1 in census $12,017*
CGC 9.6 · 6 in census $7,357
CGC 9.4 · 1 in census $4,707*
CGC 9.2 · 1 in census $3,021*
CGC 9.0 none in existence
CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $1,386
Show all 21 grades
CGC 8.0 · 1 in census $1,148*
CGC 7.5 · 1 in census $921*
CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $766*
CGC 6.5 · 5 in census $589
CGC 6.0 · 5 in census $538
CGC 5.5 · 3 in census $467*
CGC 5.0 · 5 in census $360
CGC 4.5 · 6 in census $360*
CGC 4.0 · 2 in census $329*
CGC 3.5 · 4 in census $293*
CGC 3.0 · 4 in census $260*
CGC 2.5 · 3 in census $210*
CGC 2.0 · 4 in census $179*
CGC 1.5 · 1 in census $138*
CGC 1.0 · 1 in census $115*
* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade
Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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Full credits

artist, inker Jack Davis
letterer Ben Oda
cover pencils, inks Harvey Kurtzman

Reprints

Reprinted in Weird Fantasy #7 (1951), Frontline Combat #1 (1951), The Complete Frontline Combat #1 (1982), Iskalde Grøss #8 [1988] (1988), Frontline Combat #1 (1995), Frontline Combat Annual #1 (1996), EC Archives: Frontline Combat #1 (2008), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #1 (2012), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #22 (2018), The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library #26 (2019), Choke Gasp! The Best of 75 Years of EC Comics #[nn] (2019), Verta ja väristyksiä #[nn] (2023), Artisan Edition #[16] (2024)

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