Garth Ennis does earnest for a change - Battlefields

Putting Garth Ennis and earnestness in the same sentence is a strange combination. Most known for his hardcore politically incorrectness and his usage of profane satire, Ennis would not have been most people's first choice for writing a war comic that is basically a moving tribute to the lesser known heroes of the war. Most of the situations covered were based on real combat units or battles, and apparently accuracy of technical detail was kept as a priority. But to hire a guy more known for The Pro or Preacher or the sublimely violent Punisher mini-series "Welcome Back, Frank" is a bit of stunt casting or a brilliant tactical move.

It's BECAUSE Ennis is so stingingly sarcastic and biting that perhaps makes him an ideal war writer. The genre, which has not seen a sincere war comic since The Nam, is not exactly popular and anything WWII-related as a topic tends to be a special event. The usual gamut of WWII-comics tends to be jingoistic or fantasticical fare like Sgt. Rock, Haunted Tank, The Losers (original series) or the Blackhawks (of which I have particular fondness for). But combat comics of this genre are an acquired taste, as most people would rather read science fiction combat in the likes of Warhammer 40K or Halo, or sword and sorcery titles such as Conan and Secret History. Writing about the little guy in an impossible situation but of which you kind of know the outcome is not an easy sell. I suppose the fact that few other people or labels do it makes this an easy title to pick-up and review.

Battlefields has only written three mini-series, focusing on 1) The Night Witches, a squadron of Soviet bomber women in fragile biplanes, 2) The Tankies, a group of inexperienced tankers fighting in Normandy, and 3) Dear Billy, about POWs in Southeast Asia. His strongest is The Tankies, his latest, and where he adds his most innermost knowledge due to being able to relate most closely to the characters. Ennis treats his subjects lovingly, with his boys in The Tankies probably being reminders of people he grew up with. His knowledge of British accents and regional characteristics reminds you of an Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) novel. Apparently there are more series coming according to Ennis. I can't wait.