Haunted Tank - Post G.I. Combat Appearances

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 (1990), 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 to his granddaughter, Lieutenant Jennifer Stuart. Jen Stuart operates an advanced tank, the Cyber-Command Assault Vehicle, which becomes the new Haunted Tank. Jeb reflects on how his situation compares to the ghost of the General. The two assist the superhero group 'The Power Company' in defeating an invading alien army. 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 guerillas. 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. The Haunted Tank was called "This here genuine piece of modern American Firepower" to the Narrator,William J. Kilroy who draws some 'Kilroy was Here' graffitis.

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.

In the backup story "Snapshot: Remembrance" in the retrospective mini-series DC Universe: Legacies #4, set during a reunion on July 4, 1976, Jeb Stuart is teaching American History at Calvin College (where the Golden Age Atom studied) and says he has not spoken to the General in years.

A G.I. Combat oneshot was published in 2010, featuring the Haunted Tank. In this story, set in 1944 during the liberation of France, Jeb Stuart and his team have a friendly rivalry with Lieutenant Billy Sherman, who commands an M4 Sherman. Sherman is killed by German snipers and Jeb, with the general's advice, uses the Sherman's gun to take them down. At the end of the story it is revealed that Lt Sherman was himself being guided by William T. Sherman and the two ghost generals discuss the situation.