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Partisan
"One of the best graphic novels ever." - Brian K. Vaughan (SAGA, PAPER GIRLS) GARTH ENNIS (creator of THE BOYS) and STEVE EPTING (creator of THE WINTER SOLDIER) reteam on a follow-up to their hit TKO Studios title and Amazon #1 bestseller SARA. "THERE ARE THINGS I WILL NEVER TELL MY HUSBAND." 1941. Aleksandra, a blacksmith’s wife, is thirty when the German invasion comes. With her husband in the army, she and her son and daughter are left to fend for themselves. And when a brutal campaign of genocide begins, her only hope is to join the partisans. Resistance fighters hated by the Nazis and distrusted by the local peasants, the partisans offer Aleksandra and her family a home- but only at a price. To protect her children from the horrors that surround them, this very ordinary peasant woman must learn to fight like a soldier- and to survive between the fronts of the bloodiest war in human history, no matter what the cost.
- GenresGraphic NovelsComicsWar
176 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2025
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,730 books3,273 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 18, 2026
Absolutely brutal and absolutely beautiful.
Ennis doesn’t hold anything back here—this is war at its most unforgiving, where survival feels like a coin flip and every choice comes with a cost. These characters go through so much, and a lot of it is just plain awful… but that’s what makes it hit so hard. It never feels cheap or exploitative—just honest and deeply human.
What really stood out is the character work. You feel every loss, every moment of fear, every small flicker of hope. It’s not about big heroics—it’s about endurance, and what people are willing to do to protect each other when everything is falling apart.
And the art? Perfectly matched to the tone. Quiet, expressive, and heavy in all the right ways.
Brutal. Beautiful. Completely gripping.
Easy 5⭐️. Ennis and Epting are peak here!
Ennis doesn’t hold anything back here—this is war at its most unforgiving, where survival feels like a coin flip and every choice comes with a cost. These characters go through so much, and a lot of it is just plain awful… but that’s what makes it hit so hard. It never feels cheap or exploitative—just honest and deeply human.
What really stood out is the character work. You feel every loss, every moment of fear, every small flicker of hope. It’s not about big heroics—it’s about endurance, and what people are willing to do to protect each other when everything is falling apart.
And the art? Perfectly matched to the tone. Quiet, expressive, and heavy in all the right ways.
Brutal. Beautiful. Completely gripping.
Easy 5⭐️. Ennis and Epting are peak here!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2026
Aleksandra is a married mother of two living the life of a Russian peasant on their farm - until the war begins and her husband is drafted into the Red Army. And then the Nazis arrive. After helping her Jewish neighbour, Aleksandra and her kids must escape into the woods where they discover the Russian resistance to the German invasion: guerrilla fighters made up of non-army Russians called Partisans. So begins Aleksandra’s war where she does things she would never tell her husband… if she ever sees him again.
Partisan is a sort of spiritual sequel to Garth Ennis and Steve Epting’s incredible comic Sara, in that it’s the same creative team returning to the same era, World War 2, to tell a new story again from the perspective of Russians as they fight against Hitler’s troops invading the Motherland. While I don’t think it’s as good as Sara, Partisan is still a very powerful read.
The first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book: it is absolutely brutal. Not that anybody who knows anything about what the Nazis did will be surprised, but it’s still disturbing to see mass murder portrayed so starkly - and then the tragedy of Rakhila, the Jewish neighbour, doing what she does to ensure their small group isn’t discovered is heartbreaking.
The action scenes are first class, all the way. The second chapter raises the stakes and shows the desperate actions ordinary people end up having to make, how (unsurprisingly) disorganised non-army regulars can be when it comes to military planning, and the cold-blooded consequences of their actions. The sacrifices and bravery of what these people went through is astonishing.
That said, I felt like the book was a bit chaotic - it didn’t really have a goal it was building up to, it was just a series of random action scenes - and lacked a strong narrative thread. That may well be part of the intent though - real war doesn’t have a storyline, and guerrilla fighters are just going from one fight to another hoping that they survive.
The characters are somewhat unmemorable as well. Aleksandra is a stoic, practical woman who does what she has to to keep her kids alive. I feel like this is not an especially unique character-type in fiction nor in Ennis’ other war comics either. The supporting cast are similarly unimpressive. It’s not that he writes the Partisans as saints and the Nazis as devils - there is nuance here (the German soldiers drinking themselves into a stupor to enact war crimes, some of the Partisans being as intolerant and bigoted as the Nazis), it’s just that no one character really stood out prominently as unique.
Which makes the non-action scenes a bit slow as I wasn’t that invested in the characters outside of Aleksandra’s immediate circle. Although Ennis does make the astute point through his child author character that these people were not politically motivated to do what they did. Aleksandra and people like her fought for their families, not for a corrupted ideology like communism that was as bad as fascism.
The only really egregious part of the plotting for me was how Aleksandra escaped the Gestapo interrogator towards the end. It’s such an exciting plot point that Ennis gets out of by using a deus ex machina that was very disappointing. That and the final part, which led to an ending that was too pat, felt like a bit of a forced cop out.
Steve Epting’s art is always good. I’ve been reading his comics for years and I’ve never once felt like his artwork was anything less than utterly masterful. He finds the humanity in the characters’ faces and body language, bringing out the devastating power, energy and fear in the battle scenes, and takes you back to this time and place in a way that feels like nothing short of time travel. I don’t know enough about the history to say whether the way the uniforms, equipment, and vehicles are accurate, but I know Ennis takes extra care to ensure this authenticity in his war books and Epting draws it all beautifully.
Jordie Bellaire’s colours are equally impressive, finding depth and dimension to the spare, unforgiving nature of the Russian countryside. She enhances certain scenes with apt colour choices - sombre blues when the group walks through the town of hanged civilians, orange for moments of brutality, like the execution scenes. One scene in particular is very impressively coloured: when the Partisans are walking through the forest in daylight and the light and shadows of the leaves reflect on their faces. It’s so skillful.
Partisan is a riveting war drama telling a story that, from my knowledge of war comics, has never been told before, and highlighting an important group of brave people who played a significant role in defeating the Nazis. Compared to Garth Ennis’ many excellent war comics, Partisan isn’t as great as some of them (War Stories, Battlefields, and the aforementioned Sara are all well-worth reading if you’re interested in this subject and haven’t read them yet), because of some questionable plotting and weak characterisation. There’s still a lot here that’s utterly fascinating to read though and the art team are among the best in the business, making Partisan a really good comic, and a must-read for fans of Ennis or war comics in general.
Partisan is a sort of spiritual sequel to Garth Ennis and Steve Epting’s incredible comic Sara, in that it’s the same creative team returning to the same era, World War 2, to tell a new story again from the perspective of Russians as they fight against Hitler’s troops invading the Motherland. While I don’t think it’s as good as Sara, Partisan is still a very powerful read.
The first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book: it is absolutely brutal. Not that anybody who knows anything about what the Nazis did will be surprised, but it’s still disturbing to see mass murder portrayed so starkly - and then the tragedy of Rakhila, the Jewish neighbour, doing what she does to ensure their small group isn’t discovered is heartbreaking.
The action scenes are first class, all the way. The second chapter raises the stakes and shows the desperate actions ordinary people end up having to make, how (unsurprisingly) disorganised non-army regulars can be when it comes to military planning, and the cold-blooded consequences of their actions. The sacrifices and bravery of what these people went through is astonishing.
That said, I felt like the book was a bit chaotic - it didn’t really have a goal it was building up to, it was just a series of random action scenes - and lacked a strong narrative thread. That may well be part of the intent though - real war doesn’t have a storyline, and guerrilla fighters are just going from one fight to another hoping that they survive.
The characters are somewhat unmemorable as well. Aleksandra is a stoic, practical woman who does what she has to to keep her kids alive. I feel like this is not an especially unique character-type in fiction nor in Ennis’ other war comics either. The supporting cast are similarly unimpressive. It’s not that he writes the Partisans as saints and the Nazis as devils - there is nuance here (the German soldiers drinking themselves into a stupor to enact war crimes, some of the Partisans being as intolerant and bigoted as the Nazis), it’s just that no one character really stood out prominently as unique.
Which makes the non-action scenes a bit slow as I wasn’t that invested in the characters outside of Aleksandra’s immediate circle. Although Ennis does make the astute point through his child author character that these people were not politically motivated to do what they did. Aleksandra and people like her fought for their families, not for a corrupted ideology like communism that was as bad as fascism.
The only really egregious part of the plotting for me was how Aleksandra escaped the Gestapo interrogator towards the end. It’s such an exciting plot point that Ennis gets out of by using a deus ex machina that was very disappointing. That and the final part, which led to an ending that was too pat, felt like a bit of a forced cop out.
Steve Epting’s art is always good. I’ve been reading his comics for years and I’ve never once felt like his artwork was anything less than utterly masterful. He finds the humanity in the characters’ faces and body language, bringing out the devastating power, energy and fear in the battle scenes, and takes you back to this time and place in a way that feels like nothing short of time travel. I don’t know enough about the history to say whether the way the uniforms, equipment, and vehicles are accurate, but I know Ennis takes extra care to ensure this authenticity in his war books and Epting draws it all beautifully.
Jordie Bellaire’s colours are equally impressive, finding depth and dimension to the spare, unforgiving nature of the Russian countryside. She enhances certain scenes with apt colour choices - sombre blues when the group walks through the town of hanged civilians, orange for moments of brutality, like the execution scenes. One scene in particular is very impressively coloured: when the Partisans are walking through the forest in daylight and the light and shadows of the leaves reflect on their faces. It’s so skillful.
Partisan is a riveting war drama telling a story that, from my knowledge of war comics, has never been told before, and highlighting an important group of brave people who played a significant role in defeating the Nazis. Compared to Garth Ennis’ many excellent war comics, Partisan isn’t as great as some of them (War Stories, Battlefields, and the aforementioned Sara are all well-worth reading if you’re interested in this subject and haven’t read them yet), because of some questionable plotting and weak characterisation. There’s still a lot here that’s utterly fascinating to read though and the art team are among the best in the business, making Partisan a really good comic, and a must-read for fans of Ennis or war comics in general.
February 12, 2026
Garth Ennis and Steve Epting manage to top their previous TKO book Sara, and strike gold with Partisan. With many exceptional comics under his belt through the years, Ennis really feels in his element with these WWII stories.
You can tell he's a history buff with the way he doesn't sugarcoat the atrocities that were committed during this time. This book is hard to continue with at times, as it does not spare the reader the horrifying imagery of what was done to the Jewish people and any who sympathized or harbored them during occupation.
A harrowing story of a mother and her children torn from their quiet lives by Nazi occupation. With no other choice for survival, Aleksandra joins a group of Russian freedom fighters, with the strength of keeping her children alive to fuel her. This story takes you from the darkest depths to the biggest moments of redemption and revolution. All while never glorifying the horrors of war.
Artistically, Steve Epting having been in comics for decades now, is turning out the work of his life with Sara and now Partisan. Every panel accompanied by Jordie Bellaire's lush and moody colors, takes your breath away.
More of these stories, please, Garth, Steve, and Jordie.
You can tell he's a history buff with the way he doesn't sugarcoat the atrocities that were committed during this time. This book is hard to continue with at times, as it does not spare the reader the horrifying imagery of what was done to the Jewish people and any who sympathized or harbored them during occupation.
A harrowing story of a mother and her children torn from their quiet lives by Nazi occupation. With no other choice for survival, Aleksandra joins a group of Russian freedom fighters, with the strength of keeping her children alive to fuel her. This story takes you from the darkest depths to the biggest moments of redemption and revolution. All while never glorifying the horrors of war.
Artistically, Steve Epting having been in comics for decades now, is turning out the work of his life with Sara and now Partisan. Every panel accompanied by Jordie Bellaire's lush and moody colors, takes your breath away.
More of these stories, please, Garth, Steve, and Jordie.
January 2, 2026
Uma maneira dura de começar este ano de livros.
A história da invasão da Rússia pelas forças alemãs na segunda guerra. Uma mulher que se vê sozinha com dois filhos (o marido é recrutado para a frente de batalha), e tem como única forma de sobreviver juntar-se aos partisan - a guerrilha que combate a invasão.
Assistem ao genocídio. E a única hipótese que tem é lutar. Mata e quase morre. Sofre todo o tipo de violência, e a pertença a um grupo é a única coisa que a salva e permite salvar os filhos.
Uma coisa é repetida vezes sem conta - a certeza do incomunicável da experiência - “há coisas que nunca direi ao meu marido”
Há coisas que podem tentar ser descritas, mas a novela gráfica mostra! Não fala sobre - está simplesmente ali. Pensei algumas vezes o quão doloroso deve ter dito desenhar algumas das cenas.
A história da invasão da Rússia pelas forças alemãs na segunda guerra. Uma mulher que se vê sozinha com dois filhos (o marido é recrutado para a frente de batalha), e tem como única forma de sobreviver juntar-se aos partisan - a guerrilha que combate a invasão.
Assistem ao genocídio. E a única hipótese que tem é lutar. Mata e quase morre. Sofre todo o tipo de violência, e a pertença a um grupo é a única coisa que a salva e permite salvar os filhos.
Uma coisa é repetida vezes sem conta - a certeza do incomunicável da experiência - “há coisas que nunca direi ao meu marido”
Há coisas que podem tentar ser descritas, mas a novela gráfica mostra! Não fala sobre - está simplesmente ali. Pensei algumas vezes o quão doloroso deve ter dito desenhar algumas das cenas.
September 9, 2026
One Ennis’ best comics he’s ever written bar none.
Sara was amazing, and incredible. Partisan was a step above that and genuinely had me gripped throughout the story. Ennis loves doing war comics, and I think this comic illustrates his strengths. Genuine human drama, stakes that matter, compelling relationships, grounded brutality, and heart.
This comic follows Aleksandra and her journey during WW2 trying to protect her family. We see her take up arms, make sacrifices, and build relationships. I loved how fleshed out and real all the characters were in this story. Not one felt underdeveloped. The ending was perfect and felt earned. I genuinely got emotional when I finally got to the end.
Overall amazing comic and one I recommend everyone to check out. I need more comics like this from Ennis.
Sara was amazing, and incredible. Partisan was a step above that and genuinely had me gripped throughout the story. Ennis loves doing war comics, and I think this comic illustrates his strengths. Genuine human drama, stakes that matter, compelling relationships, grounded brutality, and heart.
This comic follows Aleksandra and her journey during WW2 trying to protect her family. We see her take up arms, make sacrifices, and build relationships. I loved how fleshed out and real all the characters were in this story. Not one felt underdeveloped. The ending was perfect and felt earned. I genuinely got emotional when I finally got to the end.
Overall amazing comic and one I recommend everyone to check out. I need more comics like this from Ennis.
January 2, 2026
Starting off the new year strong with this one. I've always enjoyed Garth's ww2 stories, and this might be his best one yet. The story goes into the brutal Eastern Front through the eyes of a mother in the resistance movement. Garth doesn't hold back on the horrors of war; there are some moments in this comic that are very harrowing and even downright awful. Steve Epting's art, as ususal is stellar, and like Garth's writing, he draws some very intense stuff that really hits home on the horrors of war. This is already one of my favorite comic books in a long time, and it's going to be tough to top this one for the rest of the year.
February 4, 2026
Another great Ennis story about World War II. What set this one apart was the main character being a Russian farmer's wife who joins the resistance against Nazi occupiers. Ennis is known to have over the top violence but in his historical stories , he keeps it grounded in reality. I felt that the climax wrapped up too quickly. The artwork was top notch.
December 24, 2025
Absolutely heartbreaking
The best comic of 2025
And I’d be willing to wager that it’s the best story in any medium in 2025
Incredibly, Ennis is at his peak as a writer just now.
I’ve never seen Epting look better and Bellaire’s colours capture the tone perfectly.
The best comic of 2025
And I’d be willing to wager that it’s the best story in any medium in 2025
Incredibly, Ennis is at his peak as a writer just now.
I’ve never seen Epting look better and Bellaire’s colours capture the tone perfectly.
December 29, 2025
The follow up story to Sara, it follows a different Russian woman's experience of surviving the horrors of WW2. Once again, the art and coloring convey the intensity and desperation of Aleksandra's journey.
January 3, 2026
Had multiple moments where I audibly said wow/gasped due to the horrors of war. I felt like Aleksandra was a very similar character to Ennis' Sara and I enjoyed that, as it felt like an extension of a book I previously enjoyed. I was very satisfied with the ending as well to a harsh war story.
January 24, 2026
A brutal but engrossing story about a Russian woman who becomes a Partisan, fighting the Nazis from the woods during WWII while also taking care of her children. Not for the weak of stomach, but a gritty and realistic portrayal of the realities of war.
December 3, 2025
Like walking through a dark, dark wood, and hoping that the path will break.
January 24, 2026
If there is only one thing Garth Ennis can write, it’s an unflinching war story. Complimented perfectly by Steve Epting and Jordie Bellaire art.
February 8, 2026
Garth certainly knows how to tell a good war story that doesn’t pull its punches. And boy is the art in this gorgeous.
April 11, 2026
5/5
An accurate depiction of WW2 from a wife and mother's perspective. Brutal, rash, calculated.
An accurate depiction of WW2 from a wife and mother's perspective. Brutal, rash, calculated.
December 4, 2025
For me, this is not quite on the level of the previous Ennis/Epting TKO offering, Sara, but it's an unflinching WWII story all the same. A fine addition to Ennis's war comics catalog.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews