War Stories, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Garth Ennis (Author)

Book Description

Series: War Stories (Vertigo) | Publication Date: July 1, 2004

Acclaimed writer Garth Ennis (Preacher, Hellblazer) enlists a band of celebrated artists to join him in wading through the horrors, the humour and the hardware of the Second World War. In four very different engagements, Ennis battles with the steel-clad terror of tank warfare, faces withering fire on the beaches of Normandy, parachutes into chaos and mayhem with the American Airborne elite, and tries to outrun the bad luck of a jinx! Illustrated by comics artist luminaries Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Chris Weston (The Filth), David Lloyd (V for Vendetta) and John Higgins (Pride & Joy), this war-torn, battle-crazed graphic novel also features an afterword by Garth Ennis.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The heroics of square-jawed U.S. soldiers epitomized by Joe Kubert's Sgt. Rock [BKL D 1 03] were a comic-book mainstay in the 1950s and 1960s, but post-Vietnam antiwar attitudes put the nail in the war genre's coffin. Here Ennis reinvents the war comic for current sensibilities. Four long stories, each illustrated by a different artist, present World War II from various viewpoints. An exhausted German tank crew in the war's last days tries to be captured by Americans rather than vengeful Russians. The "D-Day Dodgers" fighting in Italy are accused of cowardice for escaping the "real" war. Jaded veterans sent to reconnoiter a remote chateau on the German front discover a cache of Nazi plunder. The crewmen of a British escort ship seek redemption after they're shunned as sole survivors of a brutal German attack. The stories are inspired by real events; Ennis' meticulous research guarantees verisimilitude, while his forceful characterization gives them remarkable power. Besides comics readers, fans of the movies Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers should appreciate them. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Comics Buyer's Guide No.1597 " Garth Ennis's versatility blows apart the perceived stereotypes of the war genre in comics."- Jim Johnson; Go! Essex Chronicle: "...a heart-wrenching, deeply personal collection of four disparate tales exposing the horrors humanity behind the war." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401203280
• ISBN-13: 978-1401203283
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #749,247 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

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasing Book for those who like History Channel or SGT Rock, October 14, 2005

By 

N. W. Hartung "resistandexsist" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Stories, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

The stories contained in this set are works of fiction yet, you can tell from the writer to editor to the artist's involved. That everyone did their homework on the situations that these stories reflect upon to where they could be actual stories from the lines of WWII. Theres 4 tales in this collection that hopefully more will come.
The tales here are as is:
Johann's Tiger
Illustrated by Chris Weston and Gary Erskine
D-Day Dodgers
Illustrated by John HIggins
Screaming Eagles
Illustrated by Dave Gibbons
Nightingale
Illustrated by David Lloyd
All stories above of course written by Garth Ennis
Whats interesting about this collection is the collection of stories are of less told tales that are kinda of lost in the shuffle of all that went on during the war. Pick this up if you're a fan of war comics from the old DC era of Stars and Stripes or if you love to watch the History Channel.
Oh, if you need a brief run down of what each tale is here it is:
Johann's Tiger
Is a tale of the mighty German Tiger tank and a brave piss poor group of Germans who with the tide of the war coming back from the Eastern Front to Germany they finally decide to fall rank and try to get captured by the american advancement on the Western half of Germany.
D-Day Dodgers
Is based apon "The Ballard of the D-Day Dodgers" Which Lady Astor was accused of making an offensive speech on the men who continued to fight up Italy's country side towards Germany instead of Fighting on the Beaches of Normandy. There's never been proof she made light of those who continued the advancement up Italy as bad. But, shortly someone made the infamous Ballard of these brave soldiers which pokes at Lady Astor comments rather true or not.
Screaming Eagles
Is a tale of one man's accounts in Europe that follows kinda of in vein of the old DC era Stars and Stripes and Sgt Rock with more grittyness and in more graphic detail.
NightingGale
Is a Sea Tale of Merchant Ships and transport ships up on the artic waters Norway and Northern Russia. It shows the dangers of how easy it was for the germans to pick off these ships from safe distances and how nontheless brave Saliors continued to deliver the goods to supply the fronts.
Also, just for note War Stories Vol 1 is the Same book as this title War Story D-Day Dodgers. DC in second print run decided to change title up a bit and the cover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book for every Garth Ennis fan to read, June 26, 2008

By 

Stephen Ebrey (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: War Stories, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Most people come to Garth Ennis through Preacher, though others discovered him with Hellblazer, The Punisher, and Fury. All great books. But war comics are one of Ennis' great loves, and you can't get the complete picture on him until you've read something like War Stories.

We've all seen a dozen WW II movies, played a few Call of Duty games, and watched Band of Brothers, right? What else is there to say about World War II? Plenty, as Ennis proves. He doesn't give us typical battles, instead writing about quirky, morbidly funny situations that average soldiers get themselves into.

And the art! Chris Weston, Dave Gibbons, and David Lloyd illustrated some of Grant Morrison and Alan Moore's most beloved comics, and it's a treat to see them team up with Ennis.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, January 25, 2008

By 

Robert "A life-long reader that learns most t... (Midwestern United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garth Ennis' War Stories, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Normally I am not into graphic novels: This one caught my eye at the library, and it was awesome. The war stories came to life in vivid detail; even compared with such classics as The Cruel Sea. I would greatly recommend this book.