If you’ve read any of the great Sgt. Rock issues you will find a lot to like in “Men of War” #1. From the classic style of storytelling to the inclusion of a shorter second story at the end of the book, this issue has the feel of the old school Sgt. Rock and Fighting Marines books. The main story tells of a young Corporal Rock, grandson to the legendary Frank Rock. He’s sent on a mission headed by a gruff and tough Sergeant Torisi but things go bad and Rock’s future is changed in a heartbeat. The second story tells about a small group of Navy SEALS doing recon on a potential hot target. After being compromised and pinned down by a sniper, SEALS Ice and Tracker split from the group to try and take out the threat.

Both tales are fun and nostalgic war stories. The one interesting dynamic that separates this Rock story from the earlier books is the inclusion of super humans. Writer Ivan Brandon doesn’t fully explain how Rock will fit into the New 52 but we do see a yet unidentified superhuman in this issue. That opens up the potential for a lot of cool storylines. This style of storytelling may not appeal to everyone. It’s rather vague in terms of background and setting but so were the original Sgt. Rock books. Both stories are a little slow getting started but both provide cliffhangers that had me ready for the next issue.

Tom Derenick handles the art on the main story and he does a good job. The characters are depicted well and combined with some nicely designed uniforms and sharply drawn weaponry, they really capture the military look. The action mainly consists of explosions brought on by the unknown superhuman. Derenick does a decent job with the scenes but there’s nothing that really stands out. My biggest problem visually was with the drab, flat color pallet. I understand most of the main story takes place at night but there was plenty of opportunities to add more color and give the story more life. Phil Winslade handles the art on the second story and his clean classic style works really well on the smaller, tighter knit tale.

“Men of War” is going to be a book that just doesn’t resonate with some people. As a huge fan of Sgt. Rock, I thought it was a fun read. It’s not perfect but by the end of the story I was completely involved. It’s simple and straightforward storytelling but it worked for me. The art is a mixed bag featuring some cool looking characters but dingy colors that don’t set the best tone. But I’m on board for the next issue and I’m hoping the creative team has some big things in store for us.