Customer Reviews

War Stories, Vol. 1

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

These WW2 war stories are a series of one-shot comics Garth Ennis did with a plethora of the best comics artists around at the moment including Chris Weston, John Higgins, Dave Gibbons and David Lloyd.

The stories in this volume include: the story of a Nazi tank commander as he and his crew evade their own troops in order to surrender to the Allies in the final months of the war; a group of soldiers tasked with taking Italy from the south upwards but being labelled "D-Day Dodgers" as if what they were doing was somehow worth less than what their comrades were doing in France; a group of jaded soldiers who decide to take advantage of a reconnaissance mission and hole up in a luxurious German castle for a few days; and the story of the HMS Nightingale, a battleship accompanying merchant ships as they battle unseen U-Boats across the Atlantic.

Simply put, I think this is Garth Ennis' best work and if you've read Ennis you'll know he's a tremendous writer with an enormous amount of talent and a list of brilliant books to his name. "War Stories" trumps them all. His signature black humour is missing and all of the focus is on paying tribute to the heroes who lived and died in the most brutal war in humanity to date.

The "D-Day Dodgers" was perhaps the most poignant as these thousands of men who fought their way to Berlin via Italy (my grandfather among them) were somehow seen as better off than those taking part in D-Day up in France. I'd never heard the term but was disgusted to learn that this label was indeed applied to these men as if their contribution was less than those in France. Ennis does justice to these men who died heroes despite being told they weren't appreciated.

I could go on about each of the four stories here as there are so many elements in each that are noteworthy and fascinating but I'll stop before the review goes on forever. Suffice it to say, if you're a fan of war stories, of history, of great writing, of fantastic artwork, and of brilliant comic books in general, this is a must read. Hugely recommended, this is an amazing book.

The first volume of War Stories collects four unrelated tales of World War 2. They are intentionally reminiscent of 'old time' war comics. As brutal as many the episodes in War Stories are, Ennis still returns to the basic values of heroism, patriotism and valor. Essentially, these folks sure swear a lot, but they're all heroes at the end of the day.

The first story - "Johann's Tiger" - is the weakest of the lot. It is the only story to have Axis protagonists, and it is difficult to feel any empathy for the crew of a Panzer tank. The other three stories - "D-Day Dodgers", "Screaming Eagles" and "Nightingale" - are slightly more conventional. American or British soldiers, put in awkward situations, betrayed by the bureaucracy of command, achieving brilliance (often Pyrrhic).

"D-Day Dodgers" - about the invasion of Italy - is the most philosophical. "Screaming Eagles" - about paratroopers on an unofficial leave - is the most pedestrian (and black comedic). And "Nightingale" - about a British destroyer - is the most haunting.

All of the artists are well-matched with their material, with David Lloyd's contribution to "Nightingale" perhaps being the most spectacular of the lot. An interesting, faintly-experimental read, War Stories feels like a Garth Ennis vanity piece. And with the resulting product this good, I can only hope there are more to follow.

For the most part, Garth Ennis' writing style really annoys me, but man can he write a war comic! With WAR STORIES VOLUME 1, Ennis shows that his superb ENEMY ACE: WAR IN HEAVEN was not just a fluke; indeed, he has a real talent for focusing on human issues amidst the chaos of war.

This trade collects the first four one-shot issues of Ennis' 2004 series, featuring superb art by Chris Weston, John Higgins, Dave Gibbons, and David Lloyd. The stories are told from many periods and perspectives in WW II:

- In the waning days of the war, a German tank commander tries to escape the shadows of his past.
- The Allies' Italian campaign pushes north, in spite of the derision heaped their way.
- The 4 remaining original members of the 101st Airborne Easy Company treat themselves to a long-deserved break.
- The HMS Nightingale endures the dangers of the Arctic passage in the north Atlantic.

In these stories, Ennis includes many examples of his trademark violence. There are shootings, burnings, hangings, decapitations, dismemberments, and even exploding animals; however, it all works in context. It's not over-the-top, as it frequently is in his other works, because, simply put, war is brutal. Amidst all of this, he perfectly captures the weariness and even helplessness felt by soldiers on both sides of the line. While this is some depressing material, I feel that Ennis is at his best when writing stories like this. I would love to see him in charge of a DC war comic renaissance - it would be great to have Sgt. Rock, Blackhawk, and even the Haunted Tank back on the stands, especially under Ennis' able guidance.

A well done tribute to some underrated WWII contributions :- A German panzer commander, the Allied infantry in Italy, a Destroyer escort for Soviet merchantmen, and a Sergeant in the 101st airborne, who has been used non-airborne for a long time.

It is told from the point of view of these figures, not your key figures, leaders, etc.

If you like war stories or just Garth Ennis's writing then you will have to read this.

If like factional stories about WWII then this is a good book, but if you want facts then forget this one. The Publisher, DC Comics, created this book in the style of a comic book. I do have to give them credit that there is a little more fact in this book than there is in a Superman comic.