This page is for the original Sgt. Rock, Frank Rock.
For the second Sgt. Rock, see Joe Rock.
Origin
Born Franklin John Rock, the future Sgt. Rock grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He came from a family that had it’s fair share death and tragedy, in fact, he lost three fathers in his youth and many of his siblings had hard and usually short lives ahead of them. His father, Sgt. John Michael Rock died in France by snipers bullet in World War One, and he was raised by a stepfather, John Anderson. He graduated from Pennsylvania’s Hillside High School, but when John Anderson died in a cave-in at Pittsburgh steel mill, Franklin tried to support his family as a prizefighter, but soon went to work for the same steel mill where his stepfather has died. While working in the mill, he met a man who became his father figure, but lost him also in a unspecified accident.
His brothers and sisters had a lot of bad luck in life. His sister Ann was committed to a mental institution, brother Eddie died in a motorcycle accident, Josh was killed when he jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge while training to be a paratrooper, Larry was left a vegetable after being wounded in the Second World War and his sister Amy took care of him. His brother Bill served as a Marine in the Pacific Theater, and it is not known for sure if he survived the war.
Creation
Sgt. Rock was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert as an iconic war comic hero. This hard as nails non-commissioned infantry officer led the illustrious Easy Company in the European Theater of the Second World War. And like many legendary warriors, his origins and especially death are shrouded in mystery.
Character Evolution
Rock enlisted as a Private during the early days of World War II. He first served in North Africa where he was promoted to assistant squad leader when his superiors were killed, later he was promoted to squad leader. Rock later rose to the rank of Sergeant after he held Easy Company’s position on a hill despite a German onslaught that killed the other men in his unit. In subsequent years, Rock would routinely turn down offers of promotion, choosing instead to remain on the battlefield with the other “Combat Happy Joes of Easy”, as they were commonly referred to due to their propensity of finding their way to the thick of the battlefield. Rock is famous for wearing first, the M-1 Garand cartridge belt and later two belts of .50 caliber ammunition, because both of these munitions were useless to him in a combat situation (his personal weapon was most often a Thompson submachine gun), they are considered his good luck charms. Rock was very loyal to his team, despite having a deep loathing for warfare.
Sgt. Rock and Easy Company’s adventures took place simultaneously on both Earth-One and Earth-Two, with little to no differentiation between them. Rock’s continuity is preserved in the Post-Crisis (Modern Age: New Earth) and Post-Flashpoint: Earth-0 universes. Rock has appeared in many more comics, teaming up with the likes of Batman, Superman and the Suicide Squad.
Major Story Arcs
Last The Shoot Fire
In DC Universe: Legacies #4 the Easy Company had a reunion party to remember those who fought and died in the the Second World War. The Easy Company wished that their Sergeant Frank Rock was there but he was not. The Easy Company told a story how Sergeant Rock became a hero. Sergeant Rock and Easy Company where at the closing days of the war in 1945 when he saved a little girl from German gunfire. He got her back in a safe area, but he was badly wounded in battle and died in front of Easy Company while holding on to the girl. Easy Company took the girl and went on looking for a family member that can take care of the girl. With the loss of Sergeant Rock it was a devastating blow to Easy Company near the end of the war.
The reunion was made up of The Losers, Gravedigger, Jeb Stuart and Mademoiselle Marie. When Marie’s son arrived to have a late dinner. All of the attendees insinuated her son looked like Sgt. Rock.
Post-WWII Stories
The ultimate fate of Sgt. Rock is a mystery. While it was said that he died in on the last day of WWII by the last bullet fired by an enemy combatant, while saving a child, but he has also appeared in a number of post-war stories where he battled his old foe, the Iron Major and he went to the Dinosaur island.
General Rock
Rock is shown to still be alive in Modern Age, Rock has been promoted to the rank of General. General Rock played a vital role in the administration of President Lex Luthor and he was also active during the “Our Worlds at War“. Following Our Worlds at War, General Rock is put in charge of the new Suicide Squad, but the Squad’s is dissolution a very short time later. Rock vanished, leaving behind only a lifelike face mask. Amanda Waller commented that Frank Rock had died in 1945, but there is no explanation if General Rock is the real Sgt. Rock.
Futures End
Rock is in charge of a black ops team. He looks to around his early sixties and has a cybernetic eye piece, which resembles tech from the steam punk era. He continued to serve with the government and new technologies made appear to look and possibly slow the natural aging process.
Skills and Abilities
Marksmanship
Rock is a crack shot, able to shoot down several German fighter planes with a single sub-machine gun, and able to throw hand grenades with amazing accuracy.
Abilities
Rock is a highly effective close combat fighter, mostly shown using a style of street fighting mixed with boxing. Rock seems to have close to superhuman endurance and strength, surviving large number of gunshot wounds, fragments from hand grenades, exposure to freezing water and other hazards.
Equipment
- .45 caliber Thompson sub-machine gun
- .45 caliber Colt M1911A1 automatic pistol and M-1 Garand cartridge belt
- 30 caliber ammunition belts (slung over shoulder)
Other Versions
Liberty Files
Sgt. Rock appears in JSA Liberty Files: The Whistling Skull series.
Another Nail
Sgt. Rock appears in the Justice League of America: Another Nail series.
Joe Rock
Joe Rock is the Sgt. Rock/ Sgt. Nick Fury.
Other Media
Television
Animated
Justice League
Sgt. Rock appeared in an episode of Justice League called “The Savage Time“.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Sgt. Rock appeared in two episodes of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, “Mitefall!” and “Plague of the Prototypes!“.