War Stories (2014) #6

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I’ve got a suggestion for Ennis and Avatar on their War Stories. One issue stories, a decent artist a issue. No more guys like Aira, who can’t even hold together the perspective on the vehicles this issue. It’s just way too much.

And Ennis doesn’t have a story. He’s got a weak lecture from the sensitive, intellectual tankie about how Israel can’t compare everything to the Holocaust and they can’t be at war forever. The sergeant isn’t part of it because he’s one of Israel’s golems! That throwaway line is a lot more effective than the lengthy monologue about endless war.

Ennis stayed somewhat apolitical, just telling a history, until this point. Worse, he then tries to turn the golem sergeant into a different symbol at the end.

It’s very problematic work. Ennis has too much space, not a good enough artist and no editor crossing out lame, preachy monologues.

War Stories 6 (February 2015)

War Stories #6 I’ve got a suggestion for Ennis and Avatar on their War Stories. One issue stories, a decent artist a issue. No more guys like Aira, who can’t even hold together the perspective on the vehicles this issue. It’s just way too much.

Ennis stayed somewhat apolitical, just telling a history, until this point. Worse, he then tries to turn the golem sergeant into a different symbol at the end.

It’s very problematic work. Ennis has too much space, not a good enough artist and no editor crossing out lame, preachy monologues.

CREDITS

Children of Israel, Part Three: Saul Hath Slain His Thousands; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Tomas Aira; colorist, Digikore Studios; letterer, Kurt Hathaway; publisher, Avatar Press.

War Stories (2014) #5

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I wonder how this issue would be with a decent artist. Not even a good artist, just a decent one. One who clearly doesn’t have the time he needs to get the issue complete. Because Aira’s art is occasionally almost okay. He could be doing a better job. When it’s really bad, it’s because he’s rushing.

Regardless, it still really hurts the comic. Ennis is trying a different thing with this seventies-set story. He’s trying a different style of storytelling, he’s trying a different character relationship; he’s also going all out on the battle stuff. Aira can’t just not those elements competently, he doesn’t bring anything to the art.

There are also some Ennis problems with this issue. This War Stories arc features soldiers who spout lots of exposition, meaning they have to be very well informed. There’s no groundwork for that situation.

Ennis does keep his style fresh.

War Stories 5 (January 2015)

War Stories #5 I wonder how this issue would be with a decent artist. Not even a good artist, just a decent one. One who clearly doesn’t have the time he needs to get the issue complete. Because Aira’s art is occasionally almost okay. He could be doing a better job. When it’s really bad, it’s because he’s rushing.

Ennis does keep his style fresh.

CREDITS

Children of Israel, Part Two: In Fire They Will Come; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Tomas Aira; colorist, Digikore Studios; letterer, Kurt Hathaway; publisher, Avatar Press.

War Stories (2014) #4

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Garth Ennis goes somewhat modern with the latest War Stories arc, jumping to the late sixties and the story of an Israeli tank commander. He’s got a flashback to WWII, with the same tank commander getting a tour of a Panzer from a German tankie.

There’s a lot of narration, all third person and really close, going over this guy’s life. And a long dialogue exchange where Ennis has to go over the history of Israel, the guy’s career and then the current circumstances. Wait, maybe it takes place in the early seventies. I could check, but won’t.

The art, from Tomas Aira, is all right. It’s not great. The characters’ faces lack enough personality and the detail Aira puts into tanks doesn’t go into the people. Of course, Ennis emphasizes the people over the tanks so it doesn’t exactly match.

It’s ambitious, but too soon to really tell.

War Stories 4 (December 2014)

War Stories #4 Garth Ennis goes somewhat modern with the latest War Storiese arc, jumping to the late sixties and the story of an Israeli tank commander. He’s got a flashback to WWII, with the same tank commander getting a tour of a Panzer from a German tankie.

It’s ambitious, but too soon to really tell.

CREDITS

Children of Israel, Part One: A Stone Off My Heart; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Tomas Aira; colorist, Digikore Studios; letterer, Kurt Hathaway; publisher, Avatar Press.

War Stories (2014) #3

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If Ennis had just started out with the story he finishes telling in this issue, it would have been a much more satisfying story arc. He doesn’t want to seem too sentimental, I guess. But he starts narrating it in the past tense, directly referring to the war being over, so his protagonist clearly makes it.

Only the protagonist isn’t really telling his war story. Ennis has this interesting thing–a war story where the narration doesn’t engage with all the visuals, the protagonist has forgotten the details, they’ve ceased to be the important thing about this period of his life. It could have been an awesome little story.

Instead, Ennis tries to correct it all this issue and he rushes through it and it doesn’t work. It’s well-written, it’s just obvious and desperate.

And Burns’s detail on the war battle can’t make up for his terrible human beings.

War Stories 3 (November 2014)

War Stories #3 If Ennis had just started out with the story he finishes telling in this issue, it would have been a much more satisfying story arc. He doesn’t want to seem too sentimental, I guess. But he starts narrating it in the past tense, directly referring to the war being over, so his protagonist clearly makes it.

Instead, Ennis tries to correct it all this issue and he rushes through it and it doesn’t work. It’s well-written, it’s just obvious and desperate.

And Burns’s detail on the war battle can’t make up for his terrible human beings.

CREDITS

Castles in the Sky, Part Three of Three; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, Keith Burns; colorist, Digikore Studios; letterer, Kurt Hathaway; publisher, Avatar Press.

War Stories (2014) #2

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There’s something slightly off about the second issue of War Stories. Keith Burns’s art isn’t great, but it’s all right and Ennis’s script is strong enough to get over any visual bumps. Except the effort Burns puts into the aerial battles–there’s a lot of detail, but there’s no narrative to the illustration. So it contributes to that slightly off vibe, but not entirely.

The real problem is Ennis. He doesn’t actually have a story. He has some great scenes and anecdotes for bomber crews and the protagonist’s relationship with a British widow makes for a good scene, but Ennis doesn’t have a narrative. He’s just stringing these scenes together and hoping the protagonist’s narration will somehow get it through. And it doesn’t. The narration has a couple excellent moments, but they’re jagged too.

It’s not a cohesive issue. It’s a bridging issue in a three issue arc. But good.

War Stories (2014) #1

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Garth Ennis is back with more war stories–this time appropriately titled War Stories–and he’s off to an excellent start. The first arc of the new series has him covering an American flier in Britain in a bomber; well, the flier doesn’t actually get into a mission yet, with Ennis instead concentrating on his experiences before his first mission.

Then the first mission takes an unexpected turn or two.

Ennis writes in first person from the protagonist, talking about all the things he’s seeing as he journeys across the United States and then to Britain. There’s muted culture shock, there’s character development, there’s attention to detail. It’s excellent writing and Ennis obviously takes it very seriously.

Matt Martin’s art works out too. He has good composition and attention to period detail. Those pluses make up for the occasionally loose physical traits on people. Great tone though.

It’s outstanding stuff.