G.I. Combat #56

DC's long-running war anthology hits hard with this January 1958 issue, its cover by Joe Kubert dominated by the enormous, battle-hardened face of a drill instructor — helmet on, jaw set, shouting with raw authority — while three soldiers charge forward through smoke and explosions at his feet. The cover tagline, "The D.I. — and the Sand Fleas!," promises the kind of gritty military storytelling that made G.I. Combat a standout on the spinner rack. Robert Kanigher and Kubert together make this a fine example of DC's war comics at their most visceral and human.