Enemy Ace: War in Heaven [Paperback]

Garth Ennis (Author), Chris Weston (Author), Christian Alamy (Author), Russ Heath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Follows legendary World War I German fighter pilot Hans von Hammer, a.k.a. the Enemy Ace, as he struggles with his conscience while carrying out his duty to his country during World War II.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563899825
• ISBN-13: 978-1563899829
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.3 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garth Ennis is the award-winning writer of Hellblazer, Hitman, Punisher, Preacher, Pride and Joy and War Stories. He is much in demand for his hard-edged, wickedly humorous style.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hammer Of Hell, December 25, 2004

By 

Brian C. Grindrod "Brindrod's Guano Shovel Co." (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enemy Ace: War in Heaven (Paperback)

The ENEMY ACE: War In Heaven trade paperback will please old time fans of Hans Von Hammer and DC's war titles of yesteryear. Undoubtedly, those who worship Garth Ennis will also find it to their liking.

At 46 years old, Hans Von Hammer a.k.a. The Hammer Of Hell due to his fantastic World War I military record is called upon by the Nazi regime to join the battle against the Russians. Von Hammer does not share Hitler's vision but the chance to fly a fighter aircraft to protect his homeland and fellow countrymen overcomes him. Although he has not flown a military plane since 1918, Von Hammer is still able to outmatch Germany's opponents with his keen mind, skill and impeccable air fighting strategy. With his competence, courage and legendary status, Von Hammer earns the respect of his fellow pilots and blatantly defies not only his superiors but allows himself to openly disrespect Hitler alongside many Nazi officials. After inadvertently finding himself in the Dachau concentration camp, Von Hammer questions his role as a soldier of The Third Reich. When Nazi Germany finally succumbs, Von Hammer gracefully surrenders to Sergeant Rock(!) in an honourable fashion but not before he manages to destroy the air fighter planes in the field so that the Allies cannot use it against his homeland.

Ennis does the insurmountable by making the reader sympathetic towards Von Hammer and his friend, Peter. They both know that they are fighting for one of history's most diabolic community but like the reliable soldiers that they are, they follow orders. In a peculiar fashion, I even found myself "rooting" for these characters even if they fought for one of mankind's prominent evil empire. Ennis levels out the script by injecting a touch of humour in the way Von Hammer constantly defies an ass kissing Nazi officer. It does somehow stretch the suspension of disbelief too far at times considering the nature of the story. I doubt that any soldier or citizen, no matter how important they were to the Nazi cause, would have been able to get away with insulting high ranking officials and members of the party in such an audacious style for the better part of three years.

Chris Weston alongside Christian Alamy's art work in the first half of the book captures all the intensity and action of a war being fought in the skies. The details, background and realism of every panel is a pure cinematic delight. One really gets a glimpse of the horror and adrenaline of warfare in the facial expressions of the air fighters in their cockpits.

Although I am extremely disappointed that Weston & Alamy were not aboard for the second half of the book, it was agreeable to see veteran penciller Russ Heath's work on a war tale again. Alongside Joe Kubert, Heath pencilled an immeasurable amount of DC's combat books such as Our Army At War. Nevertheless, I did find the change of artists irritating considering that it was originally a two part mini-series. The styles of each artist on their specific chapter does not particularly harmonize well to make this undertaking a cohesive one visual wise. In other words, imagine an X-Men monthly issue where Jae Lee pencils the first half of the script and Steve Dillon does the other. Great artists in their own right but this would certainly break the flow of the story that is intentionally one chapter.

Despite my reservation about this questionable artist switch, Heath, Weston and Alamy effectively render Ennis' saga about Hans Von Hammer a mesmerizing one. I hope that the high quality story telling in ENEMY ACE: War In Heaven reawakens a passion for war tales and creates a demand. A genre that has practically vanished since Marvel Comics' cancelled The Nam in 1993.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb addition to the life of Hans von Hammer, February 14, 2007

By 

Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enemy Ace: War in Heaven (Paperback)

I have enjoyed the adventures of Enemy Ace in both the DC Showcase edition and the superb George Pratt graphic novel War Idyll, but those stories are separated by 50-plus years. My big question has always been, "what happened in-between?" ENEMY ACE: WAR IN HEAVEN provides the answer. Set from 1941 - 1945, the "Hammer of Hell" is brought out of retirement by the Luftwaffe to lead a squadron of younger pilots. von Hammer, now 46, has no love for the Nazi regime, yet he accepts the position because he has a sense of duty to fight for his country... and fight he does, racking up so many kills that his distaste for Hitler is conveniently ignored by his peers. But von Hammer's sense of duty can only last so long when it comes to the ineptitude and atrocities he witnesses in a Germany under Nazi rule. In the end, he has to make a difficult decision.

I normally run the other way when writer Garth Ennis gets his hands on any company-owned character, but this is a happy exception. Ennis captures the character perfectly, giving us a tired man in middle-age going back to war because that's what gives him life. Thankfully, this story doesn't have the standard Ennis shock value, though there is one scene of a bailed-out pilot falling into the propeller of another plane. Well, at least it fits the story. A nice cameo by Sgt. Rock helps to anchor the action firmly within the greater DC Universe.

Art duties are split between Chris Weston and Russ Heath. Weston does a great job on the first half of the book, perfectly capturing the feel of WW2 styles and machinery. Comics legend Russ Heath finishes off the story, providing a nice blend of his classic style and Weston's stylish renderings. While the differences between the two artistic styles are noticeable, it's really not a problem at all.

Rounding out this collection is a classic tale from Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert: Star-Spangled War Stories #139, featuring Enemy Ace vs. the Hangman. Its inclusion is made all the more enjoyable by the fact that Weston incorporates an image from it into his art for the main story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heroes Have Every Nationality, January 18, 2007

By 

Hal von Luebbert "H.A.L." (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enemy Ace: War in Heaven (Paperback)

As a collector of comic books and comic book art, I rate this highly. As a writer, I consider that the character, Enemy Ace, is so good I wish I'd created him. The story, too, is really excellent. Hans von Hammer is a real hero, the kind children nowadays see far too seldom. Excellent saga, excellent comic book.