Random Happenstance

I might've mentioned before, my local comic shop has a spinner rack by the door that they salt with one and two dollar books; and today's book was snagged specifically to go on my spinner rack! Mainly, because a modified version of the cover was used as the cover for the Showcase Presents: the War that Time Forgot! From (late) 1965, Star-Spangled War Stories #124, featuring "My Buddy--the Dinosaur!" Written by Robert Kanigher, art by Joe Kubert.

In a hospital tent in the South Pacific, young soldier Art tells a harrowing tale from his straitjacket, that his attending physicians tut-tut and pretend not to believe. Art and his pal Vic were about to hit an enemy beach, but Vic wasn't scared of anything as mundane as that: reading a vampire novel on the way in, he makes Art promise to kill him "if I should change into anythin' that'll harm anyone." Art thinks he's nuts, but agrees, which seems to take a load off of Vic. (Who among us hasn't had, or possibly been, that friend? "Rrrrggh, fine: if you go evil, I promise to kill you. Happy?") Their LST boat enters a fog bank, and then is hit by dinosaurs, as happens. Several soldiers are (bloodlessly) lost, but with some others Art and Vic get to the tanks. One of the tanks is carried off by a pterodactyl, but while Vic won't risk taking a chance to hit them, Art is able to squeeze off a shell to force the dinosaur to drop it. Into the drink. Well, good effort, regardless.

After hitting the beach, a giant crab, and a triceratops in short order--that's less than two pages! Stuck on the island as night falls, Art and Vic see a tyrannosaurus-type pass by, which reminds Vic of a werewolf. Later, Art wakes up, to Vic seemingly turning into a dinosaur? How? Why? Just the power of suggestion? Vic is missing the next morning, but a dinosaur that attacks the tank later seems to have his voice, and begs Art to kill him. One shell later, the dying creature turns back into Vic; and Art was the only survivor, recovered 32 days later. The doctors think it was delirium, since it couldn't...couldn't possibly...could it?

Also this issue: "Hillbilly with a Heater!" Or "Hillybilly with a Heater!" as the interior puts it. A deeply-southern soldier gets paired up with a tank after he gets separated from his unit, because he's dying to get those cotton-picking boots off'a his aching dogs. Still, as often the case in old DC war books, a lone soldier can rally hard when the occasion rises, and he gets the only reward he really wants. (Written by Hank Chapman, art by Jack Abel.)