The Rat Pack

The Rat Pack is a comic book feature that appeared in the Maveric Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987. It was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in G.I. Combat #87 (May 1961).The show follows the exploits of four (three American and one British) Allied soldiers who are part of a long-range desert patrol group in the North African campaign during World War II. Their mission: "to attack, harass and wreak havoc on Field Marshal Rommel's vaunted Afrika Korps".

The feature centers on the ghost of 19th-century Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart, who is sent by the spirit of Alexander the Great to act as a guardian over his two namesakes, Lieutenant Jeb Stuart (named in the early stories as Jeb Stuart Smith, but eventually just shortened to Jeb Stuart) and the Light Tank M3 Stuart that Jeb commands.

"The Haunted Tank" was often the cover feature of G.I. Combat and was second only to Sgt. Rock as DC Comics' longest-running war series.



Post G.I. Combat appearances
Secret Origins #14 (1986), featuring the Suicide Squad, reveals that Jeb Stuart is promoted to General after the war, but no mention is made of what happened to the others. The story also revealed that Stuart becomes the godfather of Richard Rodgers Flag, whose father led the World War II version of the Squad. Rick Flag subsequently leads the second and third incarnations of the Squad, and Stuart is instrumental in helping Amanda Waller in the formation of the Squad's third incarnation in the 1980s. The now-elderly General Stuart next appears in Suicide Squad #49-#50, seeking the Squad's help to rescue Flag's only son, who has been kidnapped. Since Flag has recently been revealed to have been a false identity implanted in a soldier named Anthony Miller, Stuart's true role in Flag's background has become unclear.

In Hawk and Dove Annual #1, the General's ghost helps out the heroes Hawk and Dove and their team Titans West to escape Hell and a team of deceased supervillains.

The tank and its original crew briefly appear in #46-#47 of 'The Demon'. although Stuart's crewmembers are inexplicably given the names of Arch Stanton, Rick Parsons and Slim Kilkenny. The crew and the Demon retrieve the tank from a military warehouse and it is restored via magic. They work together to stop demonic Nazis that are rampaging through Texas. All the enemy forces are destroyed and the tank is left covered in the desert sands. The Haunted Tank and its original crew also appear in the 1999 supernatural "Day of Judgment" crossover in Anarky. In this issue, they fight demonic forces in the form of historical entities who wish to overthrow the President. The story ends before the battle does.

Later, Jeb Stuart lies between life and death, becoming a spirit guide (much like the ghost general) to his granddaughter, Lieutenant Jennifer Stuart. Jen Stuart operates an advanced tank, the Cyber-Command Assault Vehicle, which becomes the new Haunted Tank. Jeb later recovers, assured of his fate after death.

The Haunted Tank appears in the most recent incarnation of the Tales of the Unexpected comic. They assist Doctor Thirteen and other heroic characters in rescuing Traci Thirteen from Nazi gorillas. The General's ghost is mainly featured, becoming involved in a sword fight with the pirate ghost Captain Fear. Since both entities are deceased, the damage they deal to each other is ineffectual.

The original Haunted Tank makes a guest appearance in the 2008 Vertigo mini-series Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, set in October 1944, with Rick, Slim and Jeb (named as Jeb Stuart Smith once more). Arch is still alive at this point, but is said to be wounded and does not appear.

A "DC Showcase" black and white trade paperback collection Haunted Tank Volume One, reprinting stories between 1961 and 1965, was published in 2006. Haunted Tank Volume Two, reprinting stories from 1966 to 1972, was published in May 2008.

the Tank
New Units :

Apocalypse Tank : was the most powerful tank in Great World War III, mounting a pair of powerful forward facing cannons. These cannons were loaded with high explosive shells which were devastating against vehicles, capable of eliminating IFVs or other light vehicles with a single double volley. Against infantry, the weapons were less effective, but the explosives would still cause some damage. Lt. Zofia once described them as ‘War in a Can’. Like the Mammoth Tanks, the Apocalypse was designed to meet any opposition and expected to be the last unit standing.



Designation: Advanced Anti-Armor Tank Manufacturer: Arkhangelsk Tank Plant National Origin: U.S.S.R. Mass-Produced at: Soviet War Factory

Key Features:
 * 125mm Drakon cannon (x2)
 * Schuka magnetic harpoon
 * Myasorubka chain-treads
 * 16-layer reinforced steel armor
 * Tesla reactor eliminates 70% emissions

Landstorm concept is a vehicle that is designed for future, when airborne vehicles will not be much effective to reach a particular area because of frequent natural disasters which is the result of future global warming. This vehicle has been designed as an all terrain vehicle that is equipped with a collection of hidden gadgets or compartments and the ability to interchange the pods located on its back. There is a variety of Pods that can be enclosed with the vehicle before it is sent to a particular location. These pods have been designed considering scouting missions, food and water transportation to a disaster affected area, medical pods that can treat 2 patients simultaneously, excavation pods that can work as a robust crane to remove large pieces of wreckage, and fire rescue pod where the tank can hold 750 gallons of water and can drain water from lakes with outboard pumps.

landstorm futuristic vehicle

landstorm futuristic vehicle

The 4 hydraulic legs of Landstorm can move independently and are providing great functionality by navigating over tremendously difficult terrain and raising itself up to reach the target. The use of these hydraulic drive-train attached with several powerful electric motors and powered by hydrogen fuel cell, have made the vehicle lightweight by removing the mechanical parts to impel the wheels. Moreover, it can be airdropped when the destination is far from the closest depot and then continue to reach the target on land.

landstorm futuristic vehicle

The wheels of Landstorm are uniquely designed that feature small pods, allowing more grip on surfaces like loose dirt, mud or snow by increasing to compress surface area or just by using the edges to grip onto the surface. These are not just wheels, they feature a grapple gun or hook winch that lets the vehicle drag heavy debris or towing a standard vehicle. Once the Landstorm reaches the destination, the team will start rescuing and treating the survivors for emergency injuries.

The driver and navigator of Landstorm will have no problem finding out how far the destination is and how to get there by using the state of the art HUD technology along with a built in MultiSight camera (Infra Red, Night Vision and Cold Vision) powered with an advanced Computer AI. The heads up display features the most interactive information system which is controlled by the user’s neural patterns, which means, the information is controlled by the users thoughts. The rest of the cabin remains free for storage compartments for various equipments. There is a small backup unit that will start working if the main power source fails for any reason.

landstorm futuristic vehicle

landstorm futuristic vehicle

landstorm futuristic vehicle

Designer : Peter Spriggs Share

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Television

 * Haunted Tank will appear in an upcoming second season episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Miscellaneous

 * Haunted Tank appeared in issue 5 of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold comics. It helps Batman fight Key