"Hold the line boy! We're Westfor, we're the 388th! These Blocheads ain't shit!"
— Sargent Hill, Page 43
The 388th
is a webcomic first published on May 20th, 2016, by Tony Bourne a former US Army Captain. By May 17th, 2023, there are over 359 pages of the comic.
The story follows the Westfor Army's 388th Regiment Third Battalion Second Company, known in later pages as "Diablo". It's told mostly from the perspective of the company's Living Legend known as Sargent Hill as fights day and night to make sure that his men live to see another day in the battle against the Block Alliance.
These tropes serve the state!:
- Abnormal Ammo: Much of both Westfor and Bloc Alliance weapons fire hypersonic rounds which appear to be quite effective at taking human lives.
- Attack Drone: Westfor makes use of many drone vehicles in their battles against the Blocheads.
- Anyone Can Die: Unless their name is Hill or they're a higher officer, chances are they'll be dead in the first few pages. That goes for both named and unnamed characters.
- Armor Is Useless: Given that both sides use sonic rounds, which are likely to be fired and fly at very high speeds, it's no surprise that no soldier in the entire comic has no armor except for a helmet, some basic military webbing and knee pads.
- Character Catchphrase: "We serve the state!" appears to be this for Westfor.
- Tank Goodness: The 9th Armoured Corps of Westfor is one of the main tank units shown in the comic, and they use tanks that bear resemblance to the US Sherman Tank, but they do have very big guns, at least when shown in relation to other humans.
