A Sailor's Story

A Sailor's Story #1-2

by Sam Glanzman, Max Brooks (Foreword), Larry Hama (Introduction)

"No one, from Stephen Ambrose to Steven Spielberg, can tell a better story than A Sailor's Story." ― Max Brooks, author of World War Z
"What makes A Sailor's Story most compelling is its modest grace. It's not really a memoir of war, but of life aboard a floating town. Mr. Glanzman's stories are like those you'd hear from a favorite uncle, true tales about average men who were most concerned about beer, women and gambling, not life, death and the enemy." — The New York Times
"This flawlessly reproduced graphic novel will introduce a whole new generation of appreciative readers to one of the most talent artists and storytellers the Golden Age of comics ever produced. Very highly recommended." — The Midwest Book Review
"Sam Glanzman is one of the great storytellers of 20th-century comics."— A. V. Club
Golden Age comic book legend Sam Glanzman draws upon his own World War II experiences in this outstanding graphic novel. Hailed by Eisner Award–winning Astro City author Kurt Busiek as "one of the most honest, dedicated and engaging cartoonists in comics history," Glanzman wrote and illustrated this intimate account of his life aboard a Navy destroyer, the USS Stevens. As legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont noted, this "isn't a story of make-believe super-beings; these are real people, with real fears, being transformed by events and circumstances into men of courage." Back in print for the first time in more than twenty-five years, this new collection unites both A Sailor's Story and its sequel, A Sailor's Story: Winds, Dreams, and Dragons, plus a never-before-seen ten-page story of the USS Stevens, Even Dead Birds Have Wings.
Exclusive Bonus Material:
• New Foreword by bestselling author Max Brooks
• New Introduction by original editor Larry Hama
• New Afterword by Batman writer Chuck Dixon
• Exclusive Glanzman tributes by Joe Kubert, Stan Lee, Denny O’Neil, Walt Simonson, Chris Claremont, Timothy Truman & many others

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, War, History, Comic Book

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2015

About the author

Samuel Joseph Glanzman was an American comics artist and memoirist. Glanzman is best known for his Charlton Comics series Hercules, his autobiographical war stories about his service aboard the U.S.S. Stevens for DC Comics and Marvel Comics; and the Charlton Comics Fightin' Army feature "The Lonely War of Willy Schultz".

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Glanzman cut his teeth on war, western, and even jungle comics like Kona, but his stories about life during World War II aboard the USS Stevens are what he's best known for. This volume contains A Sailor's Story, A Sailor's Story: Wind, Dreams, and Dragons, and a previously unpublished tale called Even Dead Birds Have Wings.

Glanzman's art style reminds me of Joe Kubert's, always a plus in my book. He draws great ocean scenes but his best work is on the greasy guns and innards of the USS Stevens, a Destroyer in the Pacific. Told from Glanzman's point of view, it's mostly slice of life stuff aboard a Destroyer, more day to day than exciting battles, though the Stevens sees some combat. They're personal tales with personal touches drawn from Sam's stint in the Navy.

Great stuff. I'm looking forward to the USS Stevens short stories I have ahead of me. Four out of five stars.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a retired US Navy sailor I read any story about shipboard life with a critical eye. The writer perfectly captures life in the Navy in both the art and writing in this comic. His experiences onboard a beautifully told, both the good and bad experiences he had. Exceptional read. Very recommended

[Phrodrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Glansman’s A sailor’s story is his story. His and his shipmates. AS they lived it from the decks and fire-rooms of a the USS Stevens DD-479. Fans of the movie Greyhound will recognize it as a Fletcher class destroyer, only this is a real ship in the real war as fought in the Pacific Theater. Fans of what was known as comic books will also recognize the realistic ink work and drawings of a man who was much prized in the years before the term graphic novel. Readers will not just read, but see and feel what it was to deal with boredom, storms and sudden death that is what it means to be a Navy man. Not just a US Navy sailor, but a navyman in a warship. Glanzman expresses no particular affinity for his enemy, but all that he wants us to know is universal even as it is unique to him. His shipmates are his family. His respect is for his fellow tin can sailors who are forever on that longest patrol

Collected in A Sailor’s Story are at least three different comic books he wrote well after World War II. The first book, A Sailor’s Story is a straightforward, somewhat sanitized version of his life in the navy Beginning with leaving his farm, where there was only his dog to leave behind to his return to that same farm months after the end of the war. He shares with us both his life as a sailor and engineer, a snipe in Navy parlance, as well as a number of asides designed to explain the technology and language of shipboard life. Every sailor learns it is a deck, not the floor, the overhead not the ceiling, extremely important, bulkheads, not walls. Glanzman may never have stood the mail buoy watch, but you can bet he was sent to get a length of chow line, or a left-handed monkey wrench.

Book 1 is somewhat sanitized in that he excised much of the business of war fighting, emphasizing the personalities and events between patrols. Book 2 is somewhat choppy. He has sections beginning with his diary of that period and then particular episodes some comic, most very personal from that period. For example, I had read about the bitter and massively destructive fighting to retake Manila. The pictures of destroyed buildings and needlessly made desperate people carry emotional weight. This is not romantic, glorious war, or American flag waving. This is what people survive when war comes to them. Also included is a third title, Even Dead Birds Have Wings. This is a highly personal effort to remember, those lost at the Battle of Midway, and through them to honor those who go towards the sounds of war at whatever the hazard.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2022 bk 21. Sam Glanzman is the name on many WWII type comic books of my childhood. I remember a social studies teacher saying the high school textbook is accurate, but if you wanted to really know war, read Sam Glanzman's work. He even kept different comics in separate sections of his classroom - WWI/WWII / Korea / Vietnam. In our 'free time' we could read those books and I did- my homework was done and I had to do something. Recently I ran across an announcement of the reprinting of the 2 biographical graphic novels of Sam Glanzman's life and knew I had to read them. I'm glad I did. The two books are a memorial to the war dead of the Pacific, the destroyed ships, and wrecked lives. It shows how a young boy changes into a young man, how people learned to fight boredom and terror - or didn't. Beautifully drawn. There are references to liberty and prostitution while on leave, but the true horrors are the killing of men by men and his descriptions of the terrors of war.

[BigJohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1987, I bought a graphic novel by renowned war comics artist Sam Glanzman, who had made a name for himself illustrating DC comics' varying war titles. I hadn't really heard of him, but he released a graphic novel with Marvel called "A Sailor's Story," which I bought and immediately fell in love with. It's a unique book in that it is illustrated by someone with experience in sequential storytelling, and who actually was assigned to a Destroyer during World War II.

This autobiographical book is funny, endearing, sad, tragic and very much every-day-in-the-life. We get a unique illustrated perspective of a sailor's downtime, along with the fret and fury of all-out battle.

Shortly after that Graphic Novel was released, a follow-up story was released that gave more anecdotes about his tour with the USS Stevens in the Pacific during World War II. But for some reason, I never bought it.

Earlier this year, this combination was released by Dover that puts book one and book two together, along with page after page of accolades heaped upon him by comics greats and industry legends. It is a truly wonderful piece of work, and worth every penny.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Sam Glanzman's art on G.I. Combat. Sam drew the Haunted Tank feature and combined aspects of the greatest war artist of all time: Russ Heath and the amazing Joe Kubert.

The bulk of Glanzman's war comics were published by either Dell or DC. A Sailor's Story was originally published by Marvel in 1989. This reissue is publosed by Dover Press on high quality paper and with additional materials to supplement the original book.

You will enjoy Sam's description of destroyer life: the food, the chores, the mental stresses. And then the combat. What's clear is the destroyer U.S.S. Stevens is not a mere ship but the home of hundreds of young men. Delightful details of US Navy life abound: the time honoured USN ritual when crossing the Equator, naval terminology (Port-Starboard-Fantail, etc.).

A Sailor's Story brings us a fantastic firsthand view of the Second World War by a vet who was there. Heartbreaking aspects of Sam's life: he is an orphan deeply attached to his dog Beauty. Read this and respect this.

Rest In Peace Mr. Glanzman and thank you for your service and your art.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Dover reprint edition collects Glanzman's two graphic memoirs from the 1980s Marvel Graphic Novel imprint and combines them with a new end story, Glanzman photos, and tributes to Glanzman. Rereading this makes me want to read it again and again. I'll be looking for the anthology of his USS Stevens short stories next.
Highest recommendation.
Thanks to GSU Library at GSU Clarkston for the loan, and to Dover Publishing for the collected edition.

[Alex Sarll]

Glanzman's account of his own wartime destroyer service is undoubtedly a valuable historical record, the work of a brave man and an extremely gifted artist. But as a story, it's weighed down by the need to fit everything in, respect the facts and the chronology. The second book reads much more fluently than the first, but I'd still take his very lightly fictionalised USS Stevens stories over either, because there the lightest touch of trimming alchemises fact into art.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though it’s an undeniably valuable document, Sam Glanzman’s personal account aboard the USS Stevens in the Pacific theater of World War II is a little slow and too concerned with cramming in all the facts. The bravery and brotherhood of Glanzman and his shipmates comes through, and it’s an informative read to be sure. It just doesn’t have the narrative thrust and engagement I was hoping for. It's essentially a slice-of-life story on a destroyer. Looks like Glanzman’s USS Stevens stories might be more up my alley.

[Tim Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a little time over the last two weekends to sit down and re-read Sam Glanzman's A Sailor's Story. I owned the two graphic novels by Marvel where these were originally published back in the 80s, but they really aren't readily accessible and it's nice to have both of them in a single volume with the added material, including a new story by Glanzman and some really nice tributes by folks from the comics world.

These two stories were really extensions of Glanzman's U.S.S. Stevens stories that ran as back-ups in DC's war books in the 70s. Glanzman served on the Stevens during World War II and these are really graphic memoirs of his war years on the ship. It's a truly amazing insight into the lives of normal "tin can sailors." Glanzman's diagrams of the ship and of the various sections lead to a lot greater understanding of what the sailors lived through. And while both stories were short enough that you didn't get a great feel for any single sailor (except maybe Sam) you did feel empathy for them, particularly in small way, such as when their mail from home was being transferred from ship to ship and ended up in the ocean, lost forever.

I wasn't a reader of war comics as a kid. I have learned to appreciate them much better now, recognizing their strengths and limitations. DC had the advantage of some amazing artists, including Glanzman, Kubert, Russ Heath and Jerry Grandinetti. Yeah, these particular books were done for Marvel, but Glanzman honed his craft as to war comics at DC.

Highly recommended...and now I will double down on efforts to get Dover's reprint of the complete U.S.S. Stevens.

[Daniel Cornwall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Military history buffs ought to consider this graphic novel. Written by someone who served on a US destroyer in WWII. Provides a vivid impression of the alternating periods of boredom and terror that came from being on patrol and supporting invasions. Great attention to ship detail. Book includes a number of tributes to the author.

This could potentially be useful to K12 students studying the Pacific campaigns of World War II as they provide an "everyman" perspective on the conflict.

Given its nonfiction focus, a section of further reading suggestions would have been welcome, but is not included.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding and intimate portrait of men at war, showing readers the full range of their heroism and their fears, their drudgery and their pleasures. Glanzman explains incredible details of life aboard a ship, giving readers incredible insights into all his duties and routines, such as how the machine guns operate and his role in keeping them going, while capturing the touching and entertaining human moments like his attempts to sleep on the much cooler deck. Thank you, Mr Glanzman, for your service as well as your artistry and your storytelling.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

My father served in a Fletcher-class destroyer in the Pacific at the tail end of WWII, but talked very little about his experiences (He did mention the beans and pork chops as being very good.) I wish I'd found this book before Dad died. There are now a lot of questions I would ask him. As it is, even though Dad served in Spruance's task force instead of Halsey's, I have a much better idea now of what his war was like.

[Renée L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very cool. It's a WWII graphic memoir. Written and illustrated by Sam Glanzman who did a lot of comics with DC, including some COMBAT stuff.

Glanzman served on the USS Stevens during WWII after Pearl Harbor. This is a nice combination of life aboard a Destroyer as well as battle and work. The battle scene illustrations are incredible. The Pacific War was a brutal battle theater And much of it comes to life on these pages.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well illustrated with the naval world explained in detail, but a little too much technical detail and not enough story for me. I think if you had been in the navy you might have a greater appreciation for this book. After seeing Dunkirk this week, it was a perfect complement, further enlightening the naval WWII experience.

[Mickey Bits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Glanzman is a true master of the genre. This autobiographical book was informative and realistic. I especially enjoyed when an more experienced sailor gives Sam and a buddy a primer on the terms used on a ship. Politically incorrect at times, it is a product of its time. Highly recommended.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autobiographical and factual accounts from WWII, told and illustrated by a man who served. Priceless and invaluable.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising, not your typical Marvel Graphic Novel. It's an evocative story of what life was like as a sailor during World War II. Does a great job capturing the feeling.

[Emilia P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it utterly cruel to say -- this was a freaking slog, had very little narrative progression, or action to speak of that really compelled one to the tale, and wasn't specific enough on the details of ship life to be particularly meaningful to someone who wasn't already versed in it and so had neither the little things nor the big things to hook little old me, and it took me like two months to read it, and there are so many good and compelling and involving war stories out there that this one --- nope! no thanks. :(

[Mhorg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

I well remember Sam's work in the issues of Sgt. Rock. Always moving, always brilliant, this is the pinnacle of his long career. Beautifully drawn, wonderfully written, this is not just a graphic novel, it's a work of history. And I loved seeing the fat snipe who takes up a hatch. I remember him being the star of one of Sam's shorts! Great job, Sam, great job!

[Johnathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb chronicle of life in the US Navy during World War II, covering everything from the horrors to the boredom. Glanzman's writing and art are crisply realistic, sucking into his story, with all its triumphs and tragedies. A true example of just what one can do with the comic book medium.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Glanzman is one of the great storytellers, as well as a great artist. This some of his best.