Franklin Rock (New Earth)

### Relatives

John Michael Rock (father, deceased) · John Anderson (stepfather, deceased) · Larry Rock (brother, deceased) · Eddie Rock (brother, deceased) · Josh Rock (brother, deceased) · Bill Rock (brother) · Mickey Rock (brother, deceased) · Amy Rock (sister) · Ann Rock (sister)

## Status

### Occupation

Politician · Soldier · Sergeant · General

## Origin

### Creators

Robert Kanigher · Joe Kubert

**Sgt. Franklin "Frank" Rock** was the authority figure within his unit, Easy Company, during World War II. The unit was made up of a disparate collection of individuals who managed to participate in every major action in the European Theatre. Throughout the gruelling conflict, Rock developed a loathing for warfare but also creating a strong bond and deep sense of loyalty with the men of Easy Company.

## History

### Childhood

In his childhood, Rock had sworn, that he would salute to his brother Larry, if he would graduate from the R.O.T.C.. He never got the chance to do this, because Larry was still fighting against the Japanese empire in the Phillipine jungles, when Rock became soldier.

Rocky was the son of John Michael Rock, a fallen World War I hero, and was raised along with his brothers Larry, Mickey and Eddie, and a young sister, by a stepfather who was a Pennsylvania miner.
After his stepfather died in a mining accident in 1935, Rock was forced to quit the school and became a prize fighter in order to suport his mother and family. When the ring was no longer paying off, he moved to a job in a steel mill.

He learned the ABCs of how to be a combat infantryman by Sgt. Stryker, who also saved his life, after Rock accidently felt in the water. Years later, Stryker saved Rock's life a second time, which he paid with his life.

### Adventures in the army

He got the full lead of the Easy Company, after his former C.O. passed out during a mission in a desert.

During a mission, Rock and the men of Easy Co. worked together with Bruce Wayne, who posed as a British Service Spy and stopped a Nazi faction from using nerve gas against the allied forces. This was achieved thanks to Batman's intervention, and years later, Rock returned the favor when he saved Wayne from a certain death.

Among other events during his term of service, Rock led Easy Company in the final western invasion of Germany in 1945 and accepted the peaceful surrender of Hans von Hammer aka "The Enemy Ace."

### After the War

Rock was one of the early field commanders of Task Force X, serving with them as early as 1952.

General Rock played a vital role in the administration of President Lex Luthor and was also active during the "Our Worlds at War" debacle. Following which, General Rock was put in charge of a new Suicide Squad.

Following the Squad's dissolution, however, Rock vanished leaving behind only a lifelike face mask while the individual believed to have been his aide, Bulldozer, stood up from the wheelchair to which he had apparently been confined and walked away in front of bewildered witnesses. Task Force X head Amanda Waller commented that both Frank Rock and Bulldozer had died in 1945. So far, no explanation for these events has been given, though the implication is clearly that these individuals were not the real Rock and Bulldozer.

## Powers and Abilities

### Abilities

* **Firearms**: Rock is a crack shot, able to shoot down several German fighter planes with a single submachine gun, and able to throw hand grenades with amazing accuracy.
* **Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)**: Rock is a highly effective close combat fighter, mostly shown using a style of street fighting mixed with boxing.
* **Leadership**

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

* **M-1 Garand Cartridge Belt**
* **30 Caliber Ammunition Belts**

### Weapons

* **.45 Caliber Thompson Submachine Gun**
* **.45 Caliber Colt M1911A1 Automatic Pistol**

## Notes

* The character of Frank Rock was created by writer/editor Robert Kanigher. According to Kanigher, neither Rock, nor any of the other soldiers of Easy Company survived World War II. Kanigher's legendary character was allegedly felled by the last bullet fired in the final battle of World War II. This was also reflected in the back-up story of *DC Universe Legacies* #4. The revelation that the elder Rock was an impostor in *Suicide Squad* (Volume 2) #12 brings ambiguity to all his post-war adventures.
* Sgt. Rock and Easy Company's adventures took place simultaneously on both Earth-One and Earth-Two, with little to no differentiation between them. As such, Rock's continuity is preserved in the Post-Crisis environment.

## Trivia

* Sgt. Rock's dog tag number during World War II was 409966. This was also the serial number of Air Force Major Nick Hunter. Allegedly, the number 409966 was writer Robert Kanigher's own dogtag number during the time he spent in the service.
* Robert Kanigher mused in letters columns in the 1970s and 1980s that Rock probably belonged to "The Big Red One" (1st Infantry Division) given his appearance on battlefields in North Africa, Italy and Northwest Europe. The backstory for Rock was fleshed out in different comics over the years; generally he is considered to have come from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he worked in a steel mill. Enlisting after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he went to North Africa as a private but promotion came quickly as his superiors were killed, to assistant squad leader, squad leader, and then platoon sergeant. During the main series, his unit is only ever given as "Easy Company", but no regiment or division is named nor is unit insignia ever shown. In the 2009 six-issue mini-series, "Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion", Rock's unit is still referred to as "Easy Company", but is of the 141st Infantry Regiment. It is likely Rock's official position in Easy Company was of senior platoon sergeant though dialogue and scripts are usually vague on his actual responsibilities and duties. He usually leads patrols and appears to have powers of command over the men of the company. Several officer characters also appeared in the comic, as both platoon and company commanders, all of whom were regarded by Rock as superiors. Easy's commander was usually referred to as "the skipper" by Rock. Rock in turn was referred to by others as the "topkick", or senior non-commissioned officer in the company. Most infantry companies did not have Master Sergeants; significantly, Rock does not have the diamond of a First Sergeant on his rank insignia. Rock also usually wears the chevrons and rockers of a Master Sergeant on his uniform and also applied, oversize, to the front of his helmet.
* Sgt. Rock was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross at Normandy.
* Sgt. Rock is also known as *Sgt. Rocky*, *Service Number 409966*, *General of Sergeants*, *Private Rock* and *Rock of Easy*.

## Recommended Reading

* Sgt. Rock Recommended Reading
	+ *Our Army at War*  (Volume 1):
		- *Our Army at War* #81–301
	+ *Sgt. Rock*  (Volume 1)
	+ *Sgt. Rock*  (Volume 2)
	+ *Sgt. Rock: Between Hell and a Hard Place*
	+ *Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion*  (Volume 1)
	+ *Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy*  (Volume 1)

## Related

* Appearances of Franklin Rock (New Earth)
* 3 Images featuring Franklin Rock (New Earth)
* Quotations by or about Franklin Rock (New Earth)
* Character Gallery: Franklin Rock (New Earth)

### Footnotes

1. ↑ *Sgt. Rock* #315
2. ↑ *Booster Gold* (Volume 2) #20
3. ↑ *Sgt. Rock* #314
4. ↑ *Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe* #20
5. ↑ *Sgt. Rock* #323
6. ↑ *Our Army at War* #149
7. ↑ *The Brave and the Bold*  #84
8. ↑ *Enemy Ace: War in Heaven* #2
9. ↑ *Booster Gold* (Volume 2) #20
10. ↑ *Suicide Squad* (Volume 2) #1
11. ↑ *Suicide Squad* (Volume 2) #12
12. ↑ Sgt. Rock article at Wikipedia
13. ↑ *Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion* #1