To say that Battlefields: The Night Witches was one of the most enjoyable Garth Ennis stories I have read in quite some time says kind of a lot. I love Garth Ennis. I read everything that has his name on it. Not all of it is spectacular, but a lot of it is great and all of it is at the very least pretty good. I can't say that about too many comic book authors.
So the fact that Dynamite Entertainment keeps rolling out more Battlefields stories makes me happy. The first chapter of the second installment, Dear Billy, debuted a couple of weeks ago and it continues the trend of the intense, exquisite storytelling found in The Night Witches.
Even though Dear Billy just started, the next installment has already been announced for April. The Tankies reunites Ennis with his old partner in crime Carlos Ezquerra (The Adventures in the Rifle Brigade, Just A Pilgrim, A Man Called Kev, etc).
Here's a synopsis from Dynamite:
"After D-Day came the battle for Normandy, when largely untried Allied soldiers met the seasoned veterans of the German army. As Panzer units and SS troops turn the French countryside into a killing ground, a lone British tank crew struggle to rejoin their squadron. Cut off behind enemy lines, their only hope lies in their fearsome commander, Corporal Stiles- but no one in the crew can stand him, and Stiles isn't too fond of them either. And there are Tigers lurking in the undergrowth..."
Well hey- look at that. The first Battlefields story by Garth Ennis just wrapped up last week and we already have the first part of the next story hitting comic shelves tomorrow.
As I mentioned before, The Night Witches is one of the best war stories Ennis has delivered in a long time and hopes are high that the second chapter keeps with this trend.
CBR has a five page preview of Dear Billy. Check it out here.
Have we talked about Battlefields: The Night Witches yet? No? All right, let's talk about it.
This is a wonderful three part World War II story written by Garth Ennis with art by Russ Braun. Published by Dynamite. The last issue just came out this week.
Ennis writes a lot of war stories. Some of them are good. Some of them are better than good. And a few are kind of meh. I just finished the third and final chapter of his latest and it's not only one of the best war stories of his I've read, it's one of his best stories in recent memory.
It's the Soviets vs the Nazis. This story is told from both perspectives. The Russian side follows the fighter pilots, specifically centered around The Night Witches- women pilots who fly their missions under the cover of darkness and who also don't get much respect from their male counterparts. On the German side you follow a regiment made up of the obligatory scum of the Earth type we've come to expect in these types of situations- except this particular unit is interesting since it includes a solider who is far more inclined to follow his own moral compass than he is at taking the horrific orders he's given by his head of command.
In three short installments, Ennis and Braun craft quite the captivating narrative. It's rich with history, violence, some interesting twists that you might not see coming and even brief glimpses of a love story. The idea of these "Night Witches" was so fascinating that one might think that ol' Garth had come up with a great fictionalized World War II story that seemed almost like it could have really happened. As it turns out, it's firmly grounded in facts. You can read more about The Night Witches here.
And as luck would have it, Battlefields continues on with a new story coming in a few weeks. If you haven't read this first one go and check it out. And be on the lookout for Battlefields: Dear Billy at your comic shop in the near future.
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