Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Drew Ford, kickstarter, sam glansman, The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz, Wayne Vansant, will franz

Controversial 1960s Comic The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz Finished and on Kickstarter

Published Sat, 01 Sep 2018 14:00:40 -0500

by Jude Terror

Last updated Sat, 01 Sep 2018 16:53:47 -0500

Comments

Drew Ford's latest Kickstarter project may be one of his most ambitious yet. In a press release announcing the launch of the Kickstarter, Ford writes:

I launched a Kickstarter today to collect (and finally give an ending to) one of the most powerful and controversial stories ever told in the medium of comic books. This masterwork of war comics literature by Will Franz and Sam Glanzman has never been collected, and was canceled back in the 1960s by it's original publisher (Charlton) before it could be finished, amid allegations that it was causing young men who read it to become conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War. Now, with the help of acclaimed war comics artist Wayne Vansant, Will Franz will finally be able to finish his remarkable story of an American solider who finds himself on the wrong side of WWII…just trying to survive!

The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz was serialized in Charlton Comics' Fightin' Army #76-92. It's seen a few reprints over the years, most recently about 20 years ago. The Kickstarter aims not only to collect it in a hardcover edition, but also to feature a new ending, written by Will Franz (who wrote the original story when he was 16). Original artist Sam Glanzman, a World War II vet, passed away last year at the age of 92 and was unable to complete the story, so Wayne Vansant stepped in to finish it.

Limited early bird rewards levels offer entry-level pledges of $19 for a digital copy and $39 for the Hardcover. Prices jump to $39 digital and $59 print after those are all gone, and there are of course higher reward tiers as well.

UPDATE: Drew Ford has let us know that anyone pledging to the Kickstarter for one of the print rewards through Bleeding Cool will receive, as a free bonus, a copy of the previously released Red Range graphic novel by Joe R. Lansdale and Sam Glanzman. If you've already pledged since this article was published earlier, just send a message through Kickstarter letting him know.

Check it out on Kickstarter, if you're so inclined.