it was easy to get lost in all of those various tales of cosmic rays, radioactive spiders, and speeding faster than bullets, but I believe it was their common thread that resonated most deeply. All of those heroes used their extraordinary abilities to defend the defenseless against those who would do them harm. They put their lives on the line to oppose evil, not for thanks, but because it was the right thing to do.“Growing up as the son of Master Sergeant John H. Sands, I learned early on that there was a commonality between those who wore costumes in comics and those men and women I saw every day in uniform. I came to know that the same people that we passed in the commissary actually possessed a superpower: bravery. If called upon, they were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to uphold those self-evident truths that our country was founded upon
Super Soldiers shines a spotlight on several beloved comic book superheroes (and a few villains) who were once counted among the ranks of the US armed forces. Jason’s prose informs who these characters are to a great degree and in many cases, why they’ve endured for decades.”
—Ryan Sands, artist/actor on Marvel’s Runaways
A Salute to the Comic Book
Heroes and Villains Who
Fought for Their Country
Jason Inman
Mango Publishing
Coral Gables
Copyright © 2019 Jason Inman.
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.
Cover Design: Roberto Núñez
Cover illustration: Maxim Maksutov (Shutterstock)
Layout & Design: Liz Hong
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Super Soldiers: A Salute to the Comic Book Heroes and Villains Who Fought for Their Country
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2019938547
ISBN: (print) 978-1-63353-994-5, (ebook) 978-1-63353-995-2
BISAC category code: SOC022000, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture
Printed in the United States of America
For Bernadette Inman—my dear mom—who created my love for books, and for the veterans and service members of the US armed forces, whose bravery and courage should never go unrecognized. I count myself lucky to call you my brothers and sisters.
Table of Contents
Chapter 5
Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Chapter 6
Captain Atom
Chapter 7
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Chapter 8
Flash Thompson
Chapter 9
Isaiah Bradley
Chapter 10
Sgt. Rock
Chapter 11
Batwoman
Chapter 12
Beetle Bailey
Chapter 13
Nuke
Chapter 14
The Punisher
Chapter 15
Deathstroke
Chapter 16
Nick Fury
Honorable Mentions
Acknowledgments
Further
