Bill Mauldin is probably the most famous cartoonist from World War II.  He was an infantry soldier in the Italian campaign who also worked for the Italian theaters version of Stars and Stripes, the soldier-run newspaper.  If you were to see one of his strips, you would immediately recognize his work.

The Brass Ring is Mauldin's autobiography of his early life through the end of WWII.  He tells of his very humble beginnings as the son of a poor farm family, life in the depression, and the start of his career as an illustrator.  He joined the National Guard at an early age at the encouragement of a close friend as it became evident that the Guard would be Federalized at the beginning of the war and before he could be drafted.  He was able to quickly establish himself as a journalist and cartoonist and so avoiding direct insertion into a combat unit.  This is the story of his experiences and the material he created from them.

The Brass Ring has a much more linear telling than Up Front and is easier to read because of it.  Again, I enjoyed the perspective of the infantryman in the trenches although Mauldin never really experienced combat as a reporter.  He seemed to be willing to put himself in the thick of it though, which is refreshing for a rear echelon type.  An enjoyable book, but not the collection of his work that I have been hoping for.  I will keep trying.