The Sgt. Rock Archives #1
"The Rock!" from *Sgt. Rock Archives #1* (2002) delivers a gripping wartime character study from the legendary team of Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. Set in the gritty realism of World War II, it follows Sergeant Rock as he mentors a fiercely independent new recruit whose self-reliant attitude clashes with the Company’s brotherhood ethos. With Kubert’s masterful art and Grandenetti’s dynamic cover, this story captures the tension between individualism and unit loyalty—where the true test of a soldier isn’t just courage, but the moment he chooses to put someone else first.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Rock explains to new transfer Nolan the principles of the Company: every guy is looking out for the guy next to him. Nolan explains his own principles: he looks out for No. 1, and he's No. 1. Later, Nolan wages a one-man offensive, and earns a bronze star. A similar move against a machine gun nest gets him a second one. The Captain wants him sent down; there's no place for a hero on this team. But Rock wants to give him time. An attack on an air base sees Zack get hit, and Rock rises to cover him. But when Rock is taken down, Zack gives up the No. 1 attitude to save both their lives.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).