The Haunted Tank
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"The Haunted Tank" is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987. It was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in G.I. Combat #87 (May 1961).
The feature centers on the ghost of 19th-century Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart, who is sent by the spirit of Alexander the Great to act as a guardian over his two namesakes, Lieutenant Jeb Stuart (named in the early stories as Jeb Stuart Smith, but eventually just shortened to Jeb Stuart) and the Light Tank M3 Stuart that Jeb commands.
"The Haunted Tank" was often the cover feature of G.I. Combat and was second only to Sgt. Rock as DC Comics' longest-running war series.
[edit] Character history
An origin story in G.I. Combat #114 reveals that, at the time of the ghost's arrival, Jeb is a sergeant in the United States Army who commands a Stuart tank fighting with the Allies in the North African Campaign. Jeb and his men are childhood friends who had volunteered for the cavalry when World War II began. The original crew consists of Jeb as tank commander; Arch Asher, loader; Rick Rawlins, driver; and Slim Stryker, gunner.
The ghost of General Stuart does not initially care for his assignment, but is impressed with the fighting spirit of Jeb and his crew. The ghost is further honored when Jeb flies a Confederate rather than a Union flag on his "haunted" tank. Jeb, however, is the only one who can see or hear the General. His crew thinks he is crazy, but continue to follow his leadership as he has solid tactical expertise (brought about through his consultations with the General, who usually gives him cryptic hints of future events) and rarely fails in his missions or loses crewmembers in the line of duty.
As the Haunted Tank fights from Africa to the European Theater of Operations, the crew goes through several M3 tanks. Arch is killed saving them from an exploding German tank (G.I. Combat #162) and is replaced by Gus Gray, a soldier the crew had met just days earlier. Later in the war, Slim is also killed in action and is replaced by the older veteran Bill Craig, (G.I. Combat #244), whose son Eddie also joins the crew a few issues later (G.I. Combat #251), taking over the loader's position and allowing Gus to act as a second gunner.
Following a disastrous mission (based on the Task Force Baum incident), the crew of the Haunted Tank spend time in a German prisoner of war camp. Finding a "tank graveyard", they use the wreckage and spare parts to build themselves a new tank, the "Jigsaw Tank", and fight their way back to the Allied lines.
The Jigsaw Tank is eventually replaced by an M4 Sherman tank that sees them through to the end of the war. Despite a story that involves the ghost of General William T. Sherman being assigned to the tank once the crew switches to the Sherman, General Stuart's ghost continues to watch over the crew till war's end.
The feature ended when G.I. Combat was cancelled with issue #288 (March 1987).
[edit] Post G.I. Combat appearances
Secret Origins #14, in 1986, revealed Jeb Stuart had been promoted to General after the war, but no mention was made of what happened to the others.
The tank and its original crew (or their spirits) briefly appear in The Demon #46-47 during temporal anomalies caused by the Zero Hour event in 1994, although Jeb's crewmembers are inexplicably given the names of Arch Stanton, Rick Parsons and Slim Kilkenny. The Haunted Tank and its original crew also appear in the 1999 supernatural "Day of Judgment" crossover in Anarky #7.
In Power Company #16-18, an elderly Jeb Stuart lies between life and death, becoming a spirit guide (much like the ghost general) to his granddaughter, Lieutenant Jennifer Stuart. Jen Stuart operates an advanced tank, the Cyber-Command Assault Vehicle, which becomes the new Haunted Tank. Jeb later recovers, assured of his fate after death.
A "DC Showcase" black and white trade paperback collection Haunted Tank Volume One, reprinting stories between 1961 and 1964, was published in 2006.
