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White Death
For four years, The Great War, World War One, raged across the planet. Millions were sent to their deaths in pointless battles. The Italian Front stretched along the borders of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empires, in treacherous mountain regions.
In the last months of 1916, a private in the Italian Bersaglieri returns to his childhood home in the Trentino mountain range to find it no longer a place of adventure and wonder as it was in his youth, but a place of death and despair. Amongst the weapons of both armies, none is more feared than the White Death: thundering avalanches deliberately caused by cannon fire... which, like war itself, consume everything in their path...
In the last months of 1916, a private in the Italian Bersaglieri returns to his childhood home in the Trentino mountain range to find it no longer a place of adventure and wonder as it was in his youth, but a place of death and despair. Amongst the weapons of both armies, none is more feared than the White Death: thundering avalanches deliberately caused by cannon fire... which, like war itself, consume everything in their path...
96 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 28, 2014
I'm not a huge fan of Charlie Adlard's work - I find his pencils on The Walking Dead almost as lazy as Kirkman's phoning-it-in-from-the-beach writing.
Partly it's because of his sloppy framing and weak portraiture - especially during action sequences - making it nearly impossible to understand who's who or which direction we're looking at through each frame. Makes a war comic pretty frustrating - like we're supposed to genuflect at his feet and take the storytelling burden on ourselves in gratitude for his deigning to grace us with his scrawls.
I skipped right past the self-indulgent introduction writings from the creators - I didn't want to bias my impression of their work with their overlong explanations, like what happens when a movie is so indecipherable that the producers tack on a heavy-handed narration at the beginning to make it digestible to the masses.
The real crime in this story is that with all these unfamiliar names and generically identical costumes, the only way to keep the characters straight would be art that actually gave us distinguishing characteristics (hair colour, a unique mark on a piece of clothing, a stark scar on the face) - none of which are visible in Adlard's muddy, washed out art.
It's like the very story is being buried under avalanches of Adlard's smeared grey artwork, the same way soldiers in these mountains are buried under snowy avalanches.
Not that Morrison's writing's some buried treasure. His plotting and story are good, but the dialogue gets dull when there's no action to justify its lack of imagination. The bordello scene was frankly a waste - generic soldiers with generic whores, doing tedious unremarkable things.
I don't entirely understand the point of this story. There are already thousands of retellings of war, and there's no special tales here - just a lot of the same moaning and tedium that makes war...grand?
The big reveal at the end is lost entirely in the shitty art, such that I didn't even know who the characters were and thus lost all impact of what little emotional reveal there was in the generic "I gave up my ideals and so should you" speech.
Once it's over I'm left feeling empty, and not how the creators intended. I feel like I got ripped off a decent story or any effort to distinguish this book from anything appearing on Saturday afternoons on the History channel.
I was too disaffected by this to muster up the energy to hate it properly for a one-star review, though, so 2 stars it is. My fellow Shallow Readers would be proud.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Partly it's because of his sloppy framing and weak portraiture - especially during action sequences - making it nearly impossible to understand who's who or which direction we're looking at through each frame. Makes a war comic pretty frustrating - like we're supposed to genuflect at his feet and take the storytelling burden on ourselves in gratitude for his deigning to grace us with his scrawls.
I skipped right past the self-indulgent introduction writings from the creators - I didn't want to bias my impression of their work with their overlong explanations, like what happens when a movie is so indecipherable that the producers tack on a heavy-handed narration at the beginning to make it digestible to the masses.
The real crime in this story is that with all these unfamiliar names and generically identical costumes, the only way to keep the characters straight would be art that actually gave us distinguishing characteristics (hair colour, a unique mark on a piece of clothing, a stark scar on the face) - none of which are visible in Adlard's muddy, washed out art.
It's like the very story is being buried under avalanches of Adlard's smeared grey artwork, the same way soldiers in these mountains are buried under snowy avalanches.
Not that Morrison's writing's some buried treasure. His plotting and story are good, but the dialogue gets dull when there's no action to justify its lack of imagination. The bordello scene was frankly a waste - generic soldiers with generic whores, doing tedious unremarkable things.
I don't entirely understand the point of this story. There are already thousands of retellings of war, and there's no special tales here - just a lot of the same moaning and tedium that makes war...grand?
The big reveal at the end is lost entirely in the shitty art, such that I didn't even know who the characters were and thus lost all impact of what little emotional reveal there was in the generic "I gave up my ideals and so should you" speech.
Once it's over I'm left feeling empty, and not how the creators intended. I feel like I got ripped off a decent story or any effort to distinguish this book from anything appearing on Saturday afternoons on the History channel.
I was too disaffected by this to muster up the energy to hate it properly for a one-star review, though, so 2 stars it is. My fellow Shallow Readers would be proud.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 3, 2020
A decent war story. Very depressing and a bit hard to follow who all the characters are.
August 23, 2015
This is the review I did in December 2014:
The 100th anniversary of the Great War is upon us, so there's a few WWI books coming out. . . and this is a reprint of Morrison's story from a decade or so ago, for the occasion. . . With Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard doing the art here. If you like Walking Dead (and I just don't, much), you will recognize the art style, charcoal and ink, a sketchy rough feel for vampires and soldiers. . . Earthy. The White Death is a cannon-induced avalanche, many of which killed perhaps 100,000 soldiers in that war. The anguish of war comes through from story and artwork.
I'm adding this re-review in August 2015:
I just read Charley's War, and Pat Mills bitterly complains in his introduction that very few anti-war comics came out after his own book in the nineties. But he singles out the work of Robbie Morrison and Charlie Adlard as a singularly powerful exception, a demonstration of what comics could do with subtlety and power, mainly through images. In re-reading I paid close attention to the introductions by Morrison and Adlard, who both credit this project with changing their professional lives. Here was an instance of integrity and passion and experimentation, not driven by corporate comics. And it is scathingly sad indictment of war seen through the metaphor of an avalanche, bombs deliberately creating White Death for thousands of people on both sides of the war on the Italian border with Austria-Hungary. It's not a fully developed story. It begins and ends with a series of images. It's more like a poem than a novel, which is what some comics stories can enact at their best, images of horror and waste. The human cost of war, where nature, snow, becomes a weapon in the process.
My first rating was a 3, and I kind of thought: Eh. Others didn't like it, either. This time I slowed down, sensing Mills over my shoulder, and I felt the resonance of the images, the metaphor of the avalanche, the power of comics in the service of pacifist sentiments. It's not Tardi, nor Sacco, nor Mills, but it's a good part of the stable of anti-war comics literature. I'd say it was up to a 3.5 for me, rounded up thanks to Mills, the opening and closing wordless images, and Morrison's and Adlard's intros.
The 100th anniversary of the Great War is upon us, so there's a few WWI books coming out. . . and this is a reprint of Morrison's story from a decade or so ago, for the occasion. . . With Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard doing the art here. If you like Walking Dead (and I just don't, much), you will recognize the art style, charcoal and ink, a sketchy rough feel for vampires and soldiers. . . Earthy. The White Death is a cannon-induced avalanche, many of which killed perhaps 100,000 soldiers in that war. The anguish of war comes through from story and artwork.
I'm adding this re-review in August 2015:
I just read Charley's War, and Pat Mills bitterly complains in his introduction that very few anti-war comics came out after his own book in the nineties. But he singles out the work of Robbie Morrison and Charlie Adlard as a singularly powerful exception, a demonstration of what comics could do with subtlety and power, mainly through images. In re-reading I paid close attention to the introductions by Morrison and Adlard, who both credit this project with changing their professional lives. Here was an instance of integrity and passion and experimentation, not driven by corporate comics. And it is scathingly sad indictment of war seen through the metaphor of an avalanche, bombs deliberately creating White Death for thousands of people on both sides of the war on the Italian border with Austria-Hungary. It's not a fully developed story. It begins and ends with a series of images. It's more like a poem than a novel, which is what some comics stories can enact at their best, images of horror and waste. The human cost of war, where nature, snow, becomes a weapon in the process.
My first rating was a 3, and I kind of thought: Eh. Others didn't like it, either. This time I slowed down, sensing Mills over my shoulder, and I felt the resonance of the images, the metaphor of the avalanche, the power of comics in the service of pacifist sentiments. It's not Tardi, nor Sacco, nor Mills, but it's a good part of the stable of anti-war comics literature. I'd say it was up to a 3.5 for me, rounded up thanks to Mills, the opening and closing wordless images, and Morrison's and Adlard's intros.
November 11, 2019
Absolute masterpiece. I’ll write some more comments later, but I only wish that there were more graphic novels as clever, well-crafted, heart-felt and beautiful as this one. The drawing technique is an exquisite match for the topic and the plot: white chalk and black charcoal over a grey background. As a huge plus, the authors worked on this as a labor of love (vs. a commission or a big publisher’s request), and boy, it shows.
June 15, 2024
War has always baffled me. I can't comprehend how easily people throw their lives away.
However, I understand that as long as there are those who impose their will through aggression and violence, there must be others willing to stand against them. It's a grim reality, but without resistance, the aggressors would always prevail.
It seems war is an intrinsic part of human existence, unlikely to ever vanish. Perhaps humanity will only cease fighting among itself when confronted with a common external threat.
This book provides an excellent portrayal of life on the Italian front line, capturing the harsh realities of the cold, snowy mountains, where the white death could strike at any moment.
Unfortunately, the edition itself is subpar. The quality of the paper and ink is poor, but it serves its purpose.
However, I understand that as long as there are those who impose their will through aggression and violence, there must be others willing to stand against them. It's a grim reality, but without resistance, the aggressors would always prevail.
It seems war is an intrinsic part of human existence, unlikely to ever vanish. Perhaps humanity will only cease fighting among itself when confronted with a common external threat.
This book provides an excellent portrayal of life on the Italian front line, capturing the harsh realities of the cold, snowy mountains, where the white death could strike at any moment.
Unfortunately, the edition itself is subpar. The quality of the paper and ink is poor, but it serves its purpose.
March 7, 2022
I knew that there were some really crazy battles in the Alps during WW2, but I did not know that there were brutal battles there during WWI. It was really interesting how they used avalanches as a weapon.
November 10, 2014
War, what is it good for?
War, by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
*********
As everyone knows by now 2014 marks the 100th year anniversary of the start of the first World War.
Over 16 million dead and 21 million wounded, empires destroyed all because of what happened between 1914 to 1918.
Incredible charcoal and chalk artistry by Charlie Adlard, yes, but not the most cohesive of stories.
Most wars are futile, and this graphic novel gives us just a small hint of what it could have been like along the Italian Austrian front. Not only were these young men fighting each other, they were also fighting to survive in the harsh mountainous regions; Fighting am0ngst themselves, the enemy, grenades, bullets, bayonets and much worse mustard gas.
I felt that this story had something missing, it didn't wring out of me the emotion that I assumed would come. I did not understand, for instance, how a soldier as shown with the character Pietro Aquasanta would be able to just switch sides, however unwillingly. Perhaps it did happen in the midst of war, but to me it seemed inconceivable, perhaps Robbie Morrison could have given us a little more detail about this. We do not get enough individual background story on these men, or the few women featured to care enough about any of them in particular.
We do however get a sense however fleeting of the humour of war, the brutality, the lack of dignity in death, the friendships and the betrayals common in conflicts.
Received for an honest review
Urthwild
War, by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
*********
As everyone knows by now 2014 marks the 100th year anniversary of the start of the first World War.
Over 16 million dead and 21 million wounded, empires destroyed all because of what happened between 1914 to 1918.
Incredible charcoal and chalk artistry by Charlie Adlard, yes, but not the most cohesive of stories.
Most wars are futile, and this graphic novel gives us just a small hint of what it could have been like along the Italian Austrian front. Not only were these young men fighting each other, they were also fighting to survive in the harsh mountainous regions; Fighting am0ngst themselves, the enemy, grenades, bullets, bayonets and much worse mustard gas.
I felt that this story had something missing, it didn't wring out of me the emotion that I assumed would come. I did not understand, for instance, how a soldier as shown with the character Pietro Aquasanta would be able to just switch sides, however unwillingly. Perhaps it did happen in the midst of war, but to me it seemed inconceivable, perhaps Robbie Morrison could have given us a little more detail about this. We do not get enough individual background story on these men, or the few women featured to care enough about any of them in particular.
We do however get a sense however fleeting of the humour of war, the brutality, the lack of dignity in death, the friendships and the betrayals common in conflicts.
Received for an honest review
Urthwild
April 22, 2015
"Fools and inbred, aristocratic halfwits in charge behind the lines and mad bastards at the front" -- Corporal Stellani, Medical Corps, 97th Bersaglieri
This gripping story focuses on the struggle between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire for control of the Trentino, Dolomite, and Caporetto Mountains. Robbie Morrison's storytelling is made particularly horrific by Charlie Adlard's beautiful yet chilling illustrations. Good to see a comic aspire to, much less achieve, this level of art. Highly recommended.
This gripping story focuses on the struggle between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire for control of the Trentino, Dolomite, and Caporetto Mountains. Robbie Morrison's storytelling is made particularly horrific by Charlie Adlard's beautiful yet chilling illustrations. Good to see a comic aspire to, much less achieve, this level of art. Highly recommended.
December 3, 2020
A quick read for all the WWI buffs out there, with a (morally) believable storyline.
December 16, 2024
I couldn't tell the characters apart.
October 8, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
White Death ended up being a difficult book for me to review: I was lost about 25% through and never regained the story at the end. So I reread and still have no idea what the story was other than it was soldiers, death, some prostitutes, lots of snow. And that's hard, especially after reading the forewards and how proud the writer/illustrator were of this piece and what it meant to them. It should have all worked so serendipitously: passionate creators, a little-told or known WW1 angle, a true-life story inspiration. But I was left mystified at what I was reading.
Story: A WW1 tale of the Italian Alps and the use of avalanches to defeat enemy troups.
The illustrations were beautiful on their own but somehow failed to coalesce into a story when put together. I had a hard time distinguishing one person from another, enemy vs. protagonist. People were killed and I wasn't sure if they were one of my main characters or not. It ended up being very frustrating when I had no context for the actions taking place. Granted, black and white will also be problematic for differentiation - especially with soldiers who all wear similar uniforms. But that also makes the choice of medium here somewhat questionable.
The other issue that stuck with me is the whole mysticism about avalanches. I suppose if you life in England, avalanches are mysterious and awesome. But for those who live with the condition as part of daily life, it's hardly a religious experience. E.g., I grew up through 5 major earthquakes in Los Angeles - I deal with knowing one will come, people will die, and devastation will occur. But I don't worship them, either.
That said, there are some great moments in the book (if lacking context for me) and I enjoyed the illustration style very much. I saw another reviewer note a twist at the end (which I missed completely, having got lost so easily), which added to my frustration. I appreciate a story of WW1 told from such an undocumented angle (and the little details such as chlorine gas attacks); so was my disappointment by not being able to get into White Death.
Although I am rating this a 3 star, I do feel there is a 5 star book in there for those who can follow the work or are willing to put in multiple viewings. I enjoy history and graphic novels enough that I will likely give this further reads in the future and see if I can make some sense of it.
Reviewed from an ARC.
May 16, 2016
I had to read it twice to actually understanding what was going on in this graphic novel. In fact, after reading #1, I was on the verge of giving it ★★ but then I started all over again and my rating went up.
Why did it change so much? Well, I always have troubles distinguishing the characters in a graphic novel. I can't see the little characteristics that make them different one from the other. Yeah, most of the times it annoys me and I don't who to blame. So, during my first reading I didn't know who was who and, of course, at the end .
During the second reading I did my best to pay attention to the characters and what they were doing and finally it all made sense to me. War is hell, as many authors tell us. We see trenches, war hospitals and fighting scenes.
In school they do mention about the war on the Alps but just in passing. They don't delve into the topic and I've never stopped to think about it. This little graphic novel helped. The cold, the snow, the avalanches... And I've never heard before about people changing uniform after being captured. The protagonist, in fact, was born in Istria (a peninsula now shared by Italy, Slovenia and Croatia) and was conscripted into the Austrian-Hungarian army. Later he was captured by the Italians and he became an Italian soldier.
At the end of the book there are six pages which show the storyboards and the corresponding plates... And yeah, thanks to the storyboards some details of the story were much clearer.
I really loved the art. It was mostly gray paper with blacks and whites on it. Really impressing and it was perfect to reflect to colors of the mountains.
Really good.
Why did it change so much? Well, I always have troubles distinguishing the characters in a graphic novel. I can't see the little characteristics that make them different one from the other. Yeah, most of the times it annoys me and I don't who to blame. So, during my first reading I didn't know who was who and, of course, at the end .
During the second reading I did my best to pay attention to the characters and what they were doing and finally it all made sense to me. War is hell, as many authors tell us. We see trenches, war hospitals and fighting scenes.
In school they do mention about the war on the Alps but just in passing. They don't delve into the topic and I've never stopped to think about it. This little graphic novel helped. The cold, the snow, the avalanches... And I've never heard before about people changing uniform after being captured. The protagonist, in fact, was born in Istria (a peninsula now shared by Italy, Slovenia and Croatia) and was conscripted into the Austrian-Hungarian army. Later he was captured by the Italians and he became an Italian soldier.
At the end of the book there are six pages which show the storyboards and the corresponding plates... And yeah, thanks to the storyboards some details of the story were much clearer.
I really loved the art. It was mostly gray paper with blacks and whites on it. Really impressing and it was perfect to reflect to colors of the mountains.
Really good.
September 16, 2014
'White Death' is a reprint from an earlier time in Charlie Adlard's career right before he became known for his work on 'The Walking Dead' comic book series. That style is very evident here in a haunting tale from World War I.
Writer Robbie Morrison was inspired to write the story after a couple bodies were uncovered from ice in the Italian mountains. The bodies belonged to Austrian soldiers of the war fighting in the Italian Alps at high altitudes. During the 5 battles of the campaign, brutal tactics are used, including using guns to trigger avalanches, hence the title. The story follows Pietro Aquasanta, a man from Istria who started the war fighting for the Austro-Hungarian side and now fighting for the Italians. The conditions are brutal, cold and unrelentless.
The bleakness and despair of war are on full display here. The story has a few lighter moments, but these only serve to throw the reader off balance for the horrors to come. The art is a charcoal style that is really great. It serves this sort of story especially well. There is a small intro story included at the end of the book as well as some script to finished page breakdowns. I really enjoyed this story of the Great War.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Writer Robbie Morrison was inspired to write the story after a couple bodies were uncovered from ice in the Italian mountains. The bodies belonged to Austrian soldiers of the war fighting in the Italian Alps at high altitudes. During the 5 battles of the campaign, brutal tactics are used, including using guns to trigger avalanches, hence the title. The story follows Pietro Aquasanta, a man from Istria who started the war fighting for the Austro-Hungarian side and now fighting for the Italians. The conditions are brutal, cold and unrelentless.
The bleakness and despair of war are on full display here. The story has a few lighter moments, but these only serve to throw the reader off balance for the horrors to come. The art is a charcoal style that is really great. It serves this sort of story especially well. There is a small intro story included at the end of the book as well as some script to finished page breakdowns. I really enjoyed this story of the Great War.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
October 27, 2014
The illustrations caught me immediately. With a background in fine art, I recognized the charcoal-on-watercolor paper look immediately, and it continued to enthrall me throughout. There was a huge amount of emotion, story, and turmoil in a few short strokes, and the ability for white/black charcoal to portray snowstorms and flurry made it real for me. Occasionally, it did become hard to distinguish characters. This is not a flaw I've never encountered before, and I think is simply an unfortunate side-effect of the medium that is more than worth it considering the beauty and uniqueness of the illustration,
The story, as well, was quite amazing. I'm not usually a fan of war stories, but I felt this contained so much humanity it continued to challenge me in an incredibly enjoyable way. Obviously, I read this digitally but am eager to see if the print product is as amazing as I hope it to be. Well done.
The story, as well, was quite amazing. I'm not usually a fan of war stories, but I felt this contained so much humanity it continued to challenge me in an incredibly enjoyable way. Obviously, I read this digitally but am eager to see if the print product is as amazing as I hope it to be. Well done.
December 8, 2021
The art creates a perfect atmosphere that the story didn't quite live up to.
April 14, 2018
Wanted to really like this one. But I just liked it. The subject is excellent, highlighting an oft overlooked part of World War I. Some of the thematic tensions are pretty good too. But Morrison's script is muddled by subpar characterization, which undercut my emotional connection to anyone. And with that also went the dramatic tension. It all unfolds at about the same volume and register, and after a while it starts to wash over you.
Adlard's charcoal & chalk on grey paper technique is a cool choice of medium, offering stark and haunting tones that feed nicely into some of the themes. But his overall execution of this medium isn't always stellar, with some uninspiring framing and overall composition. Like Morrison, he doesn't successfully distinguish our characters enough, and with the exception of one character I struggled to know who was who and where I was at times.
Lots of potential here. There's urgency and sincere intent. Tarnished by sloppy execution. But I appreciate the attempt.
Adlard's charcoal & chalk on grey paper technique is a cool choice of medium, offering stark and haunting tones that feed nicely into some of the themes. But his overall execution of this medium isn't always stellar, with some uninspiring framing and overall composition. Like Morrison, he doesn't successfully distinguish our characters enough, and with the exception of one character I struggled to know who was who and where I was at times.
Lots of potential here. There's urgency and sincere intent. Tarnished by sloppy execution. But I appreciate the attempt.
Read
December 9, 2020A war tale. A very sad look at the men on an Italian front in the first world war.
Pietro Aquasanta is put into a war being fought of his childhood home. His knowledge is used to wage war.
Robbie Morrison scripts it well. It is a work that I don't enjoy reading in the same sense as I usually do. But I walked away feeling remorseful which I think is the point.
Charlie Adlard does the art which is what drew me to the book in the first place. The battles are captured without words but saying everything they need to in a few panels. Masterfully done, tragically beautiful.
I read this in the same way I read any other serious work of war. It's a serious subject matter with very real intentions.
And I'm glad that I read it.
Pietro Aquasanta is put into a war being fought of his childhood home. His knowledge is used to wage war.
Robbie Morrison scripts it well. It is a work that I don't enjoy reading in the same sense as I usually do. But I walked away feeling remorseful which I think is the point.
Charlie Adlard does the art which is what drew me to the book in the first place. The battles are captured without words but saying everything they need to in a few panels. Masterfully done, tragically beautiful.
I read this in the same way I read any other serious work of war. It's a serious subject matter with very real intentions.
And I'm glad that I read it.
October 23, 2022
A relatively by-the-numbers WW1 story, set in an under-remembered area (The Italian Alpine front) this short story has nice artwork and mentions in passing numerous interesting aspects of the Italian & Austro-Hungarian motives for fighting and the overlapping & mixed nationalities in areas under contest, but does not develop them in any meaningful way, leaving us with a nice-drawn but standard "WW1 was inhumane" storyline.
January 6, 2026
Las ilustraciones son maravillosas y tiene momentos épicos, pero es demasiaaaado breve. Le falta narrativa, le falta rellenar huecos, le faltan pausas. Va directo a lo que va. En el prólogo ya te dice que tenía la ilustración medio planeada a esperas de que alguien escribiera su historia y, claro, se nota. Le hubiera puesto cinco estrellas si, con la misma calidad, la historia se extendiera unas 300 páginas más.
January 9, 2023
A relatively uninteresting and underdeveloped story with highly taste specific artwork that sheds light on an interesting and mostly forgotten part of the First World War.
December 3, 2015
This is one of those rare times when I am a little lost for words about a book. Honestly, I've been sitting here for a while thinking about how I wanted to approach this review. White Death was a wonderfully drawn book, with an intriguing story, but I feel that there was something missing -- something more I needed, but I cannot put my finger on it.
White Death was written by Robbie Morrison after the discovery of two bodies in the Italian Alps that were identified as young Austro-Hungarian soldiers from the First World War. This is one of the few graphic novels that I know of that deal with World War I, and to my knowledge very few books at all cover this theater of the conflict. In 1915-1916, over the course of five grueling battles, approximately 60,000-100,000 soldiers were killed in the Italian Alps by avalanches caused by enemy shells -- The White Death. This is the story of those battles.
Morrison vividly brings to life the despair, heartbreak, and tragedy of war -- using the avalanche itself as a metaphor in the sense that it is a terrifying force that consumes everything in front of it without mercy. The raw storytelling, both in the trenches and in the towns and hospitals behind the lines remind us that war, no matter where or when is indeed hell. There is a brother against brother element that you do not generally associate with World War I, but in retrospect, I see how this is true of any war. Also very poignant is the way in which PTSD, or as it was then called - "Shell Shock" was dealt with. Quite terrifying.
What really stood out to me, however, about White Death was the artwork of Charlie Adlard. I am relatively new to graphic novels so this is my first time seeing Adlard's work, even though I have a huge compendium of The Walking Dead waiting on my bookshelf! As a result I came in unbiased to what he describes in his introduction as nothing less than a landmark book in his career. The artwork was stunning and masterfully done in a way that was able to capture the intensity and horror of war that Morrison put into words. The "charcoal and chalk dust" Adlard mentions in the same introduction to White Death seemed to jump off the pages, even through my e-reader, to make you feel dirty, cold, and sweaty with the troops all at the same time. No other graphic novel has had that effect on me.
My only real criticisms of White Death, and those parts that seemed to have me wanting more were in the fact that I was having difficulty about half way through the book keeping some characters straight in my head, and therefore fully understanding the action and motivations and feelings being expressed. This could be from my own lack of experience with the genre, but I feel that more detail in the story and the art was needed here. Also, there seems to be so much potential to have provided more build up and more continuation of the story. I feel as though we were dropped right into the middle of an epic novel and pulled back out before it was over. This comes from my not knowing anything about this aspect of World War I, and because of White Death wanting to know so much more! In a way then, I suppose it served a purpose.
All in all this was an excellent book, and one that makes it easy to see why it has been listed on a few "essential" graphic novel lists. I highly recommend it to mature young adult and adult readers for the intense story, graphic nature or the art, and the brief nudity and adult themes in a few scenes and panels.
White Death was written by Robbie Morrison after the discovery of two bodies in the Italian Alps that were identified as young Austro-Hungarian soldiers from the First World War. This is one of the few graphic novels that I know of that deal with World War I, and to my knowledge very few books at all cover this theater of the conflict. In 1915-1916, over the course of five grueling battles, approximately 60,000-100,000 soldiers were killed in the Italian Alps by avalanches caused by enemy shells -- The White Death. This is the story of those battles.
Morrison vividly brings to life the despair, heartbreak, and tragedy of war -- using the avalanche itself as a metaphor in the sense that it is a terrifying force that consumes everything in front of it without mercy. The raw storytelling, both in the trenches and in the towns and hospitals behind the lines remind us that war, no matter where or when is indeed hell. There is a brother against brother element that you do not generally associate with World War I, but in retrospect, I see how this is true of any war. Also very poignant is the way in which PTSD, or as it was then called - "Shell Shock" was dealt with. Quite terrifying.
What really stood out to me, however, about White Death was the artwork of Charlie Adlard. I am relatively new to graphic novels so this is my first time seeing Adlard's work, even though I have a huge compendium of The Walking Dead waiting on my bookshelf! As a result I came in unbiased to what he describes in his introduction as nothing less than a landmark book in his career. The artwork was stunning and masterfully done in a way that was able to capture the intensity and horror of war that Morrison put into words. The "charcoal and chalk dust" Adlard mentions in the same introduction to White Death seemed to jump off the pages, even through my e-reader, to make you feel dirty, cold, and sweaty with the troops all at the same time. No other graphic novel has had that effect on me.
My only real criticisms of White Death, and those parts that seemed to have me wanting more were in the fact that I was having difficulty about half way through the book keeping some characters straight in my head, and therefore fully understanding the action and motivations and feelings being expressed. This could be from my own lack of experience with the genre, but I feel that more detail in the story and the art was needed here. Also, there seems to be so much potential to have provided more build up and more continuation of the story. I feel as though we were dropped right into the middle of an epic novel and pulled back out before it was over. This comes from my not knowing anything about this aspect of World War I, and because of White Death wanting to know so much more! In a way then, I suppose it served a purpose.
All in all this was an excellent book, and one that makes it easy to see why it has been listed on a few "essential" graphic novel lists. I highly recommend it to mature young adult and adult readers for the intense story, graphic nature or the art, and the brief nudity and adult themes in a few scenes and panels.
September 17, 2014
Reseña de Sergi Viciana · Nota: 8 · Reseña en Fantífica
Es el centenario de la Primera Guerra Mundial, y aunque está teniendo menos eco del que merece, al menos el mercado no se está limitando a reeditar a Tardi. Robbie Morrison (Nikolai Dante, Juez Dredd) y Charlie Adlard (Los muertos vivientes, El aliento del Wendigo) nos traen este interesante cómic ambientado en uno de los escenarios menores del conflicto, poco conocido pero igual de sangriento que el que más. Su título, La muerte blanca, hace referencia al nombre que los soldados de la entente daban a los aludes provocados por los cañones austro-húngaros. Aludes provocados aposta y que mataron probablemente a más de cien mil soldados.
Lo que más llama la atención en La muerte blanca es el tipo de ilustración elegido, con unos tonos grises que lo inundan todo, volviendo el aire irrespirable y llegando a crear auténtica sensación de asfixia en el lector. La técnica usada por Adlard es parecida al carboncillo, y el dibujo es bastante diferente de su línea habitual.
No es la primera vez que Adlard se acerca a la Gran Guerra, que ya apareció en su El aliento del Wendigo, aunque allí era sólo un escenario en el que situar su historia de terror indio. En esta ocasión el escenario se convierte en el gran protagonista. La composición se llena de grandes viñetas y fondos casi sin definir, lo que aumenta la fuerza del primer plano. Además, el punto de vista suele situarse por encima de los personajes, aunque a menudo lo hace sólo levemente, como si lo viéramos desde las montañas que les van a traer la muerte en cualquier momento.
La historia en sí es casi anecdótica, y ese es el principal problema: aunque sabemos que es una excusa para contarnos la brutalidad que fue esa guerra, a ratos nos gustaría que nos importara más lo que les pasa a los personajes. Su tragedia personal debería ser más trágica, por así decirlo, y menos filosófica.
Quizás si el aspecto visual no fuera tan brillante se notaría menos lo flojo del guión y, en conjunto, dejaría mejor sabor de boca. Tal y como está, no puedo evitar quedarme con la sensación de que podría haber sido mucho más de lo que es. Aun así, merece la pena leerlo y, sobre todo, disfrutarlo visualmente.
Es el centenario de la Primera Guerra Mundial, y aunque está teniendo menos eco del que merece, al menos el mercado no se está limitando a reeditar a Tardi. Robbie Morrison (Nikolai Dante, Juez Dredd) y Charlie Adlard (Los muertos vivientes, El aliento del Wendigo) nos traen este interesante cómic ambientado en uno de los escenarios menores del conflicto, poco conocido pero igual de sangriento que el que más. Su título, La muerte blanca, hace referencia al nombre que los soldados de la entente daban a los aludes provocados por los cañones austro-húngaros. Aludes provocados aposta y que mataron probablemente a más de cien mil soldados.
Lo que más llama la atención en La muerte blanca es el tipo de ilustración elegido, con unos tonos grises que lo inundan todo, volviendo el aire irrespirable y llegando a crear auténtica sensación de asfixia en el lector. La técnica usada por Adlard es parecida al carboncillo, y el dibujo es bastante diferente de su línea habitual.
No es la primera vez que Adlard se acerca a la Gran Guerra, que ya apareció en su El aliento del Wendigo, aunque allí era sólo un escenario en el que situar su historia de terror indio. En esta ocasión el escenario se convierte en el gran protagonista. La composición se llena de grandes viñetas y fondos casi sin definir, lo que aumenta la fuerza del primer plano. Además, el punto de vista suele situarse por encima de los personajes, aunque a menudo lo hace sólo levemente, como si lo viéramos desde las montañas que les van a traer la muerte en cualquier momento.
La historia en sí es casi anecdótica, y ese es el principal problema: aunque sabemos que es una excusa para contarnos la brutalidad que fue esa guerra, a ratos nos gustaría que nos importara más lo que les pasa a los personajes. Su tragedia personal debería ser más trágica, por así decirlo, y menos filosófica.
Quizás si el aspecto visual no fuera tan brillante se notaría menos lo flojo del guión y, en conjunto, dejaría mejor sabor de boca. Tal y como está, no puedo evitar quedarme con la sensación de que podría haber sido mucho más de lo que es. Aun así, merece la pena leerlo y, sobre todo, disfrutarlo visualmente.
May 4, 2015
The modern conception of World War I is dominated by images of horrific trench warfare, poison gas, and swarms of men being mowed down by machine guns in the fields of France and Belgium. But it's always been the war's other arenas that grabbed hold of my imagination, especially the English and German skirmishes in East Africa (a good novel about the war there is William Boyd's An Ice-Cream War). About a decade ago, I read a highly autobiographical novel (The Sardinian Brigade, by Emilio Lusso) set in the lesser-known front of the Italian Alps.This graphic novel covers that same arena, where about a million soldiers died over the course of about three years of fighting.
Much as I was looking forward to this, I found it kind of muddled and hard to engage with. To be sure, there are some haunting panels of faces locked in horror and pain. But the book suffers from a lack of story, lack of context, and frankly, a cast of characters who are very hard to distinguish from one another. Admittedly, one of the themes of the book is how malleable nationality was in northeastern Italy, where territory shifted back and forth between Italy and Austria every few decades. But this is a more fundamental case of artwork and storytelling not communicating well. This becomes literal in one section where the lettering is done in a script in order to represent a letter, and its so tiny and hard to read that I almost stopped reading the whole book at that point. I kept going until the end, mainly because every few pages there was a striking image, but by the end I didn't feel like I read a story or been presented a message beyond a kind of "war is hell" cliche.
Much as I was looking forward to this, I found it kind of muddled and hard to engage with. To be sure, there are some haunting panels of faces locked in horror and pain. But the book suffers from a lack of story, lack of context, and frankly, a cast of characters who are very hard to distinguish from one another. Admittedly, one of the themes of the book is how malleable nationality was in northeastern Italy, where territory shifted back and forth between Italy and Austria every few decades. But this is a more fundamental case of artwork and storytelling not communicating well. This becomes literal in one section where the lettering is done in a script in order to represent a letter, and its so tiny and hard to read that I almost stopped reading the whole book at that point. I kept going until the end, mainly because every few pages there was a striking image, but by the end I didn't feel like I read a story or been presented a message beyond a kind of "war is hell" cliche.
August 10, 2015
I immersed myself in the First World War while writing on it a couple of years ago, and studied it in many aspects beyond the Belgian trenches I wrote about, but I was never really aware of the bitter, cruel fighting along the Italian-Austrian front.
War fought on mountainsides. War fought in a Winter so cold the bodies of the dead were piled up to reinforce the trenches, the soldiers knowing the bodies would not begin to rot until the following Spring. War fought with bayonets and rifles and poison gas and, fiendishly, with avalanches. That was the White Death of the title.
The story was inspired by the recovery of two dead soldiers from the Alpine ice in 2013, almost a hundred years after they died. The soldiers bear the names of real soldiers who died there. Writer Robbie Morrison turned these materials into a vision of the sad, painful, ultimately pointless story of this small but hard-fought campaign.
Artist Charlie Adlard illustrated the story in an unusual style of chalk and charcoal on grey paper, achieving a very suitable look for the book, starting right from the arresting cover image of an Italian soldier wrapped in a muffler and wearing snow goggles, which is liable to be mistaken for a skull at first glance -- and possibly at second. For all we can tell, this is one of the frozen soldiers.
Indeed, the end of the story can be interpreted as showing that all of the characters who avoided being shot, stabbed, blown up or poisoned wound up dying the White Death.
War fought on mountainsides. War fought in a Winter so cold the bodies of the dead were piled up to reinforce the trenches, the soldiers knowing the bodies would not begin to rot until the following Spring. War fought with bayonets and rifles and poison gas and, fiendishly, with avalanches. That was the White Death of the title.
The story was inspired by the recovery of two dead soldiers from the Alpine ice in 2013, almost a hundred years after they died. The soldiers bear the names of real soldiers who died there. Writer Robbie Morrison turned these materials into a vision of the sad, painful, ultimately pointless story of this small but hard-fought campaign.
Artist Charlie Adlard illustrated the story in an unusual style of chalk and charcoal on grey paper, achieving a very suitable look for the book, starting right from the arresting cover image of an Italian soldier wrapped in a muffler and wearing snow goggles, which is liable to be mistaken for a skull at first glance -- and possibly at second. For all we can tell, this is one of the frozen soldiers.
Indeed, the end of the story can be interpreted as showing that all of the characters who avoided being shot, stabbed, blown up or poisoned wound up dying the White Death.
October 26, 2014
Having known nothing of this book, or its creators, I was happy to see the distinctive look it presented – white chalk and graphite on grey paper – but still annoyed by its flaws. The style is perfectly in keeping with the mountainous landscapes used as a battleground on the northern Italian border in WWI, and really allows for everything the artist needs – a gentle snowflake, a Dantean field hospital, etc. It's a shame the story is a little over the place – a gung-ho commanding officer using and abusing his troops, someone with a link to the other side – and the artwork completely fails to distinguish any one character from another. I know that's normally the way with war stories – and shows the interchangeability of the grunts and their fates – but it would really have helped here if I could tell who was who. It's often impossible to tell respective status or rank. Still, the book is handsomely presented, with a bonus short story and some script pages as extras, and does serve as a memorial eye-opener to this oft-forgotten corner of Europe's many theatres of war. It would have been so much greater however if I could have rooted for some characters I could keep separate from their colleagues, and not just get left with an impressionistic image of the grey fate of the soldiers.
September 17, 2014
This is a raw gritty story of World War I and a grim view of the front and the men who fought there. The story itself feels a little disjointed, but that almost adds to the authenticity of the unpredictable nature of war. The artwork is beautiful, with the textures and colors effectively portraying the grit and gruesomeness of battle on the front lines. The "white death" referred to in the title was the avalanches that were deliberately caused by both sides in the Italian alps during the war. Characters are seen fighting, dying, visiting bordellos--many ugly scenes but beautifully rendered here. A good read for those interested in WWI, but definitely not for children.
September 29, 2014
The war on the Italian front is less well-known that what occurred in Belgium and France. This comic collection tells of the futility of war in a different area. The Italian troops use avalanches – the white death – to target the enemy trenches.
It’s also about the Italians who lived on the Austrian side of the Tyrol who end up torn between the two sides and fighting each other.
The black and white artwork is hard-hitting and effective, showing in details the horrors of war.
Recommended to lovers of well-produced comics.
It’s also about the Italians who lived on the Austrian side of the Tyrol who end up torn between the two sides and fighting each other.
The black and white artwork is hard-hitting and effective, showing in details the horrors of war.
Recommended to lovers of well-produced comics.
October 22, 2014
The story follows the despair of the conflict at the Austrian-Italian border during World War I.
Pietro Aquasanta has returned to his old village as a soldier and is now encountered with the sorrows of war. Through the story he often clashes with Orsini, his commanding officer, who has adopted an approach of kill or be killed and do whatever it takes for you to survive and screw the brother standing next to you.
The story is sad and the black and white of the drawings really works well to convey the story.
Rating 4 out of 5
Read@Book
Pietro Aquasanta has returned to his old village as a soldier and is now encountered with the sorrows of war. Through the story he often clashes with Orsini, his commanding officer, who has adopted an approach of kill or be killed and do whatever it takes for you to survive and screw the brother standing next to you.
The story is sad and the black and white of the drawings really works well to convey the story.
Rating 4 out of 5
Read@Book
September 23, 2015
A rather predictable story that does well to highlight the struggles faced during WW1. My main issue is in how short it is. Character progression feels rushed leading to a stale sense surrounding the characters who envelop tropes without really expanding on them in an interesting way.
The art style is crude, which at times can lead to some wonderful panels, however for most of the GN it feels like an unrefined sketch that the artist just decided to let go anyway.
I was actually really interested in this GN and had much higher hopes, but was sorely let down by how average it felt.
The art style is crude, which at times can lead to some wonderful panels, however for most of the GN it feels like an unrefined sketch that the artist just decided to let go anyway.
I was actually really interested in this GN and had much higher hopes, but was sorely let down by how average it felt.
May 20, 2016
On the recent binge of graphic-novels/bios/journalism/history this has been the only disappointment (so far). My fault I guess - as the subject is not really of interest, I was sold on the cover in a sense; that somewhat betrays the overall artwork too which, though I'm not qualified to critique, I didn't at all connect with - perhaps that's the aim, icy, detached, cold, grey, etc but I did not enjoy this and couldn't recommend it. There were text/layout issues too - some poor choices in the design of this book.
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