Charley's War (Vol. 1): 2 June - 1 August 1916 - Hardcover

Mills, Pat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1840236272 ISBN 13: 9781840236279

Publisher: Titan Books, 2005

Synopsis

In 1916, Charley Bourne lies about his age to enlist in the British army and fight on the battlefields of France, where thoughts of glory and patriotism are swept away by the bloody horror of trench warfare.

About this title

About the Author:

Pat Mills is a venerated comics writer of such legendary titles as Charley’s War, Marshal Law, and Judge Dredd; and creator of a whole slew of famous stories and characters from the pages of British sci-fi flagship 2000 AD—including Flesh, Invasion, Nemesis the Warlock, The ABC Warriors, and Defoe.

Joe Colquhoun (1926–1987) was a British comics illustrator best known for his artwork in Charley's War. The Los Angeles Times called Charley’s War “darkly spectacular” and Publisher’s Weekly said “Colquhoun's dark brushwork is lovingly detailed and horribly convincing.” Early in his comics career, he worked on Roy of the Rovers, Lion, and Tiger.

From Publishers Weekly:

Created with passionate love and hate, this continuing story from the 1979 British weekly Battle Action focuses on the plight of common soldiers during WWI. Young Charley Bourne is in some ways the ideal enlisted man: he's not especially bright, but he believes devoutly in his king and country and is certain that he and his comrades will triumph because of their natural superiority to foreigners. He soon learns better. The Allies are bogged down in muddy trenches, shooting at the enemy across a shell-torn no man's land, while most of their officers are either sadistic martinets or doddering fools. Charley's courage and his fellowship with his "mates" are genuine; so, however, is the pointless slaughter of young men. The story builds up to the Battle of the Somme, a historical catastrophe that resulted in virtually unchanged battle lines despite over a million casualties. Mills's carefully researched scripts bristle with rage at the hardships the soldiers endured and the society that betrayed them. An especially effective touch is the use of interpolated scraps of Charley's letters, where he struggles not to tell his family how awful his experience is, followed by their pathetically ignorant, patriotic replies. Colquhoun's dark brushwork is lovingly detailed and horribly convincing. Timelessly relevant and well researched, this is a comics classic. (Mar.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Titan Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1840236272
• ISBN 13: 9781840236279
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 112
• Illustrator: Colquhoun Joe