Sparkling Stars #18
"Alma Sheppard" in Sparkling Stars #18 (1946) delivers a quietly poignant moment in the life of Sad Sack, a returning GI navigating a world that’s moved on without him. Written and drawn by George Baker, the story captures a bittersweet homecoming with a single, tender detail: the soldier using a "Welcome Soldier" banner as a blanket on a cold train platform. The cover by Herman C. Browner perfectly frames the mood, a 10-cent comic in 1946 that lingers in memory long after the final page.
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Sad Sack returns to America to see a "Welcome Soldier" banner in the train station. However, the movie theater and hotel are full (because of all the returning soldiers) and the GI Canteen is closed (because the war is over). Even the park has a "Keep Off the Grass" sign. So Sack ends up sleeping on the train platform, using the "Welcome Soldier" banner as a blanket.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).