The War that Time Forgot
Encyclopedia
The War that Time Forgot was a comic book
feature published by DC Comics
beginning in 1960 in the title Star Spangled War Stories, created by Robert Kanigher
, Ross Andru
and Mike Esposito
. It ran for eight years, ending in 1968
and returned as a limited series in 2008
.
Featuring a combination of science fiction
and World War II
comic motifs, the stories featured a group of American soldiers, stranded on an uncharted island during the Pacific War
which they discover is populated by dinosaur
s.
, who wrote and edited, and by artists Ross Andru
and Mike Esposito
. They continued to compose most of the stories during the comic's run. During its time, it was the main feature of the book.
The title and some of the premises might have been influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Land That Time Forgot
, in which soldiers and sailors of the First World War are stranded on a dinosaur-haunted land in the Antarctic
.
The protagonists of the early adventures were not usually recurring, but a few of them appeared more than once. Among them are two soldiers named Larry and Charlie (Star Spangled War Stories #90, 92), the airborne brothers Henry, Steve and Tommy Frank a.k.a. ”The Flying Boots” (Star Spangled War Stories #99–100, 104–105), early prototypes of G.I. Robot
(Star Spangled War Stories #101–103, 125) members of the original Suicide Squad (Star Spangled War Stories #110–111, 116–121, 125, 127–128), sailors PT and Prof (Star Spangled War Stories #110–111), and the flying ace called "The Brother With No Wings" (Star Spangled War Stories #129, 131).
The series ran in Star Spangled War Stories from issue #90 to issue #137 (although issues #91 and #126 did not feature The War That Time Forgot stories). The final story was in the Feb-March 1968
issue of Star Spangled War Stories, afterwards, Enemy Ace
, a World War I
German pilot became the focus of the book, and the dinosaur plotline was retired. In 1973, some of these stories were reprinted in Four Star Battle Tales #3 and G.I War Tales issues #1 and #2. The War That Time Forgot re-appeared in the Oct 1976
issue (#195) of G. I. Combat, featuring the Haunted Tank.
In the 1980s, DC briefly revisited The War that Time Forgot in a run as one of the features in Weird War Tales
(#100). During the series run in Weird War Tales, Dinosaur Island
was visited by the Creature Commandos
and the G.I. Robot
. This was the World War II version of the Commandos.
Dinosaur Island was also featured in Tim Truman's 1998 four-issue mini-series, Guns of the Dragon. The 1920s set mini-series provided sort of an origin story for the island.
In Darwyn Cooke
's 2003
alternate-universe mini-series DC: The New Frontier
, Dinosaur Island was revisited yet again as part of its opening prelude. Here, it is visited by the military team known as The Losers
.
In May 2008
Bruce Jones
launched The War that Time Forgot as a 12-issue limited series
, featuring the Enemy Ace
, Firehair and Tomahawk
on one side and the Golden Gladiator, the Viking Prince
and the G.I. Robot
on the other.
black and white trade paperback collection, The War that Time Forgot Volume One, was published in 2007. It reprints stories that originally appeared between 1960 and 1966.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
feature published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
beginning in 1960 in the title Star Spangled War Stories, created by Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
, Ross Andru
Ross Andru
Ross Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
and Mike Esposito
Mike Esposito (comics)
Mike Esposito , who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, and Joe Gaudioso, was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s...
. It ran for eight years, ending in 1968
1968 in comics
See also:1968 in comics,other events of 1968,1969 in comics,1960s in comics and thelist of years in comics- Year overall :* With Kinney National Company's acquisition of Warner Bros., DC Comics becomes part of what eventually will be known as Warner Communications.* DC Comics art director Carmine...
and returned as a limited series in 2008
2008 in comics
-January:*January 9: Teen Titans: The Lost Annual, delayed since 2003, is published.*January 23: Hellblazer #240, marking the 20th anniversary of the series, is released.-February:...
.
Featuring a combination of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
comic motifs, the stories featured a group of American soldiers, stranded on an uncharted island during the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
which they discover is populated by dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s.
Publication history
The War that Time Forgot was created by Robert KanigherRobert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
, who wrote and edited, and by artists Ross Andru
Ross Andru
Ross Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
and Mike Esposito
Mike Esposito (comics)
Mike Esposito , who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, and Joe Gaudioso, was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s...
. They continued to compose most of the stories during the comic's run. During its time, it was the main feature of the book.
The title and some of the premises might have been influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Land That Time Forgot
The Land That Time Forgot (novel)
The Land That Time Forgot is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the first of his Caspak trilogy. His working title for the story was "The Lost U-Boat." The sequence was first published in Blue Book Magazine as a three-part serial in the issues for September, October and November 1918...
, in which soldiers and sailors of the First World War are stranded on a dinosaur-haunted land in the Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
.
The protagonists of the early adventures were not usually recurring, but a few of them appeared more than once. Among them are two soldiers named Larry and Charlie (Star Spangled War Stories #90, 92), the airborne brothers Henry, Steve and Tommy Frank a.k.a. ”The Flying Boots” (Star Spangled War Stories #99–100, 104–105), early prototypes of G.I. Robot
G.I. Robot
G.I. Robot is the name of a series of fictional robots that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics. The very first G.I. Robot, nicknamed Joe, first appeared in Star Spangled War Stories #101 , created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, with a second one named Mac in Star Spangled War...
(Star Spangled War Stories #101–103, 125) members of the original Suicide Squad (Star Spangled War Stories #110–111, 116–121, 125, 127–128), sailors PT and Prof (Star Spangled War Stories #110–111), and the flying ace called "The Brother With No Wings" (Star Spangled War Stories #129, 131).
The series ran in Star Spangled War Stories from issue #90 to issue #137 (although issues #91 and #126 did not feature The War That Time Forgot stories). The final story was in the Feb-March 1968
1968 in comics
See also:1968 in comics,other events of 1968,1969 in comics,1960s in comics and thelist of years in comics- Year overall :* With Kinney National Company's acquisition of Warner Bros., DC Comics becomes part of what eventually will be known as Warner Communications.* DC Comics art director Carmine...
issue of Star Spangled War Stories, afterwards, Enemy Ace
Enemy Ace
Enemy Ace is DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German anti-hero and flying ace in World War I and World War II, Hans von Hammer, known to the world as "The Hammer of Hell."-Overview:...
, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
German pilot became the focus of the book, and the dinosaur plotline was retired. In 1973, some of these stories were reprinted in Four Star Battle Tales #3 and G.I War Tales issues #1 and #2. The War That Time Forgot re-appeared in the Oct 1976
1976 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1976.- Year overall :* American Splendor, Harvey Pekar's long-running autobiographical comic book title, publishes its debut issue.* Fantagraphics Books, Inc. founded by Gary Groth and Michael Catron....
issue (#195) of G. I. Combat, featuring the Haunted Tank.
In the 1980s, DC briefly revisited The War that Time Forgot in a run as one of the features in Weird War Tales
Weird War Tales
Weird War Tales was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics which ran from September 1971 to June 1983.-Background:...
(#100). During the series run in Weird War Tales, Dinosaur Island
Dinosaur Island
Dinosaur Island is an island that has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. The island is not the same "Dinosaur Island" that appeared in Batman #35...
was visited by the Creature Commandos
Creature Commandos
The Creature Commandos are a fictional DC Comics team of military superhumans originally set in World War II. The original team, created by J. M...
and the G.I. Robot
G.I. Robot
G.I. Robot is the name of a series of fictional robots that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics. The very first G.I. Robot, nicknamed Joe, first appeared in Star Spangled War Stories #101 , created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, with a second one named Mac in Star Spangled War...
. This was the World War II version of the Commandos.
Dinosaur Island was also featured in Tim Truman's 1998 four-issue mini-series, Guns of the Dragon. The 1920s set mini-series provided sort of an origin story for the island.
In Darwyn Cooke
Darwyn Cooke
Darwyn Cooke is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier, The Spirit and Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter.-Career:...
's 2003
2003 in comics
-January:* January 2: Kid Colt artist Jack Keller dies at age 80.- April :* Action Comics #800: Double-sized anniversary issue, "A Hero's Journey," by Joe Kelly, Pascual Ferry, and Duncan Rouleau...
alternate-universe mini-series DC: The New Frontier
DC: The New Frontier
DC: The New Frontier is an Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Award-winning six-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, published by DC Comics in 2003-2004. It was then collected into two trade paperback volumes from 2004–2005 and then an Absolute Edition in 2006...
, Dinosaur Island was revisited yet again as part of its opening prelude. Here, it is visited by the military team known as The Losers
The Losers (comics)
The Losers is the name of a war comic book feature published by DC Comics. The name was later given to a reimagined comic book series for DC's Vertigo imprint.The first Losers comic was a war comics feature set during World War II...
.
In May 2008
2008 in comics
-January:*January 9: Teen Titans: The Lost Annual, delayed since 2003, is published.*January 23: Hellblazer #240, marking the 20th anniversary of the series, is released.-February:...
Bruce Jones
Bruce Jones (comics)
Bruce Jones, whose pen names include Philip Roland and Bruce Elliot, is an American comic book writer, novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter whose work included writing Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk from 2001-2005.-Early career:...
launched The War that Time Forgot as a 12-issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, featuring the Enemy Ace
Enemy Ace
Enemy Ace is DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German anti-hero and flying ace in World War I and World War II, Hans von Hammer, known to the world as "The Hammer of Hell."-Overview:...
, Firehair and Tomahawk
Tomahawk (comics)
Tomahawk is a comic book character whose adventures were published by DC Comics during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as a backup feature in Star Spangled Comics and World's Finest Comics and in his own eponymous series...
on one side and the Golden Gladiator, the Viking Prince
Viking Prince
Viking Prince is a DC Comics title which featured in the comic book The Brave and the Bold. It was a historic adventure story about a Viking named Jon...
and the G.I. Robot
G.I. Robot
G.I. Robot is the name of a series of fictional robots that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics. The very first G.I. Robot, nicknamed Joe, first appeared in Star Spangled War Stories #101 , created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, with a second one named Mac in Star Spangled War...
on the other.
Collections
A DC Showcase PresentsShowcase presents
Showcase Presents is a line of black-and-white paperback books published by DC Comics at an average rate of two per month. Created to effectively be DC's version of Marvel Comics' Essential Marvel volumes, each book includes over 500 pages of reprints, primarily from the Silver Age...
black and white trade paperback collection, The War that Time Forgot Volume One, was published in 2007. It reprints stories that originally appeared between 1960 and 1966.
- The War That Time Forgot Vol. 1 (collects The War That Time Forgot #1-6)
- The War That Time Forgot Vol. 2 (collects The War That Time Forgot #7-12)
External links
- Review of The War that Time Forgot #1, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
- Sunday Slugfest: The War that Time Forgot #1, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...