Garth Ennis' 303 [Paperback]

Garth Ennis (Author), Jacen Burrows (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2003

Deep in the mountains of Afghanistan, a dozen Russian special forces soldiers race their British opponents for a secret neither of them can imagine. The Russian leader, a war-weary colonel who knows no other life but conflict, carries old ghosts that refuse to let him be. But the battle that awaits him deep in this ancient land will change his life forever, and send him on a violent journey no sane man would contemplate. The ultimate soldier meets his destiny, in a tale from Garth Ennis, the creator of PREACHER.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Garth Ennis, a critically acclaimed writer from Northern Ireland, has been working in the comic book industry for over 20 years, and is most easily recognized as the creator of Preacher, and long-time contributor to Marvel's Punisher. Perhaps his greatest success in recent years has been CROSSED, a horror survival series published by Avatar Press, in which the world has been overrun by sadistic homicidal maniacs. The CROSSED property has been optioned for film by Kevin Spacey’ s Trigger Street Productions. Other Avatar publications by Ennis include STREETS OF GLORY, CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD, and 303.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Avatar Press; Original edition (March 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592910378
• ISBN-13: 978-1592910373
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #767,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Twisted and controversial ending, July 15, 2007

By 

R. SHARIFF "rayhans1282" (Jamaica, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Garth Ennis' 303 (Paperback)

The story "303" is told from the POV of a Russian Soldier who is leading a team to investigate a private U.S. plane that has crashed in the mountains of Afghanistan. The mystery regarding the crash arises when Americans dcline offers of assistance from nighboring countries such as Britain. So, basically this piques the interest of the British and the Russians as they set out to investigate the wrecage with the Americans on the way to safeguard their secret. What ensues is a bloody battle within the three factions and the death of innocent villagers as the Americans carpet-bomb a nearby village to preserve their secret. But at the end, the old Russain soldier survives and what he discovers entails a deal between the American government and a private corporation regarding rebuilding placns for Afghnistan, Iraq and eventually Iran and N. Korea. The soldier then sets out for the United States specifically Texas with a goal of his own. That's as far as I am going to go with the plot without spoiling anything.

In this book Ennis uses the protagonist, the Russian soldier as a vehicle for exploring and commenting on the dark side of war. He comments on the present and past squirmishes between Afghanistan and the West. He also delievers a shocking and controversial ending which I honestly did not see coming. The book is well written and represents another solid tale questioning war morality a la Ennis' Unknown Soldier.

Let's talk about the art. It complements the story very well and does its job to convey the story. It gets a bit gory at times but this is after all a war story so, shouldn't come as a surprise. The art itself is clean and crisp. Jacen Burrows is a great artist and I look forward to seeing more of his work.

If you want to read a story that will leave you thinking, my recommendation is to pick this book up.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful storytelling, May 12, 2008

By 

Jason Orszt (nj) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Garth Ennis' 303 (Paperback)

I don't know what it is, but when I finished 303 I felt like this was perhaps one of the most well-written stuff Ennis has ever done. The story's on a nameless, aged Russian colonel that starts out leading a dozen Russian Special Forces into Afghanistan to retrieve some secret documents from a downed US airplane. Interestingly, the English SAS are after it, along with the American military. It leads to some smart conversations and narratives between respectable men who seem to be in the wrong place and time of the world.

The dialogue is direct, rarely caustic or vulgarly fun like you get in classic Ennis characters; it serves for the foreboding mood created by the end of the first arc. There is a wonderful point of view on the War of Iraq and how it is to be seen historically. In fact, history is very much a strong theme hanging over the Colonel, as well as the Sargent you meet in Part two. It's built up to haunt (you'll see this in many ways, not just in apparitions) the characters, to remind them that the world seems to have outgrown them.

The art, of course, is still very much in line with the rest of Ennis' gory realism. Jacen is a cool partner to Ennis. I'd love to see more from the two, like a longer series.

I recommend this to anyone whose anyone with a brain for its universal appeal and grade-A storytelling.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great war story, April 24, 2008

By 

Brit C Power (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garth Ennis' 303 (Paperback)

This is one of Garth Ennis's best novels. I found this a very enjoyable read and in my opinion the artwork is fantastic. The story is well written and thought provoking and the art style fits it perfectly. The book is a little short but it makes up for it with a really good ending. Not as light hearted as much of Ennis's work but none the worse for this.