Weird War Tales #35 (1975), story page 1 by Robbins

"Night of the Blood-Feast!" by George Kashdan. Cover date March 1975.

Nazi army doctor meets his bloody fate!

This page is crazy!

I wasn't aware Robbins drew any DC war comics and didn't expect his style would be a good match for the genre. Well, I was wrong. First of all, I discover he drew four Weird War Tales stories and wrote 11 yarns in Star Spangled War Stories.

Then I see this exemplar. It shows how his cartoony style works not only with the book's horror spin but also the genuine horror of war. The first panel's dichotomy of the depiction of the ugliness and brutality of war and Robbins's cartoon caricatures shouldn't work but does with incredible impact. In the last panel you would expect his art to diminish the evil and menace of the Nazis. However, his style amps it up!

A bloody great page for a bloody story of horror and war!

Film note: The splashy first panel reminds me of the movie "Patton" when the retreating German forces are on the brink of collapse but the Allies don't have enough gas and Montgomery is given priority over Patton. In one of the scenes American tanks run out of gas in the middle of the night just as Nazi tanks and troops appear. The Americans have no choice but to stand and fight. The next day Patton sees the bloody aftermath up close, the field dotted with dead men and hulks of destroyed tanks.

Postscript: I tend to prefer art that's realistic. DC war comics are appealing because Kubert and company tended to draw realistically, including accurate depictions of planes, tanks and other war material using reference. I also like Robbins's style in his 1940s Johnny Hazard strip, which has a Milton Caniff flavor. His later cartoony style, however, isn't my cup of tea. For example, I'm not a fan of his Invaders. (That said, I enjoy my Johnny Hazard strip from 1963, not for the art style but for its Cold War terminology and aircraft and setting in Asia.) Hence my surprise that this war, albeit also horror, page is so appealing.