DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest — War is Hell

Reprint of "Reach for the Heavens" from Star-Spangled War Stories #149

Cover Date May 1982
Issue #21
Pages 100
Type Reprint
Cover Price $.95
Featured Character Hans von Hammer

Synopsis

This volume differentiates itself from earlier digests by shifting its focus away from traditional superhero-adjacent combat teams toward highly acclaimed, gritty, and deeply psychological anthology short stories originally published in DC's core military titles. The Enemy Ace narrative reflects on Hans von Hammer's early days as a fresh recruit flying alongside a toxic, unprincipled German pilot named Heinrich Muller, who lacks von Hammer's strict code of military honor and fights dirty, creating intense friction between the two aviators.

Collector Notes

Unlike standard monthly comics, this issue was published as a pocket-sized (4⅞" x 6⅝") Blue Ribbon Digest. Because these books were printed on low-grade, highly acidic pulp paper and glued into a tight square-bound pocketbook spine, they are highly fragile. High-grade copies (CGC 9.0 or better) are incredibly scarce because the spines split easily when opened flat.

Creative Team

Writer Robert Kanigher
Penciler Joe Kubert
Inker Joe Kubert