War Is Hell is a horror/war comic book series released by Marvel Comics from 1973 to 1975. For its first six issues, it featured reprints of Marvel war comics, followed by two issues of reprints of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. Beginning in issue #9, the series featured new material; the star of the series became Death, who forces a dishonorably discharged Polish-American soldier named John Kowalski, killed in the invasion of Poland, to die countless deaths in other lives. A War Is Hell limited series featuring Phantom Eagle appeared in 2008.
John Kowalski
During the series, Kowalski inhabits bodies of those about to die, not necessarily of the same side or sex, during World War II, including both the European and Pacific theatres, and needs to change things for the better before he is killed. Death summons him from the nether regions each story, and Kowalski wonders how many times he will have to do so. The series was created by writer Tony Isabella, but after successfully pitching the series and submitting his plot for the first issue, his new position as editor ate up a lot of his writing time.[1] Isabella recalled that "Roy [Thomas, Marvel editor] wanted to give Dick Ayers