Our Army at War #253

Joe Kubert's cover for this January 1973 issue delivers a visceral snapshot of Sgt. Rock mid-struggle — rifle in hand, grappling with a helmeted enemy soldier bearing a Nazi armband while Easy Company's troops advance in the background. The bold cover question "Can Rock Be Broken by Iron?" sets the tension for Bob Kanigher's story "Rock and Iron," with interior art by Russ Heath bringing its own gritty authenticity to the battlefield. DC's war comics were firing on all cylinders in 1973, and this issue makes a compelling case for itself right from the cover.