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Charleys War Vol 1 Boy Soldier
THE MOST RENOWNED WAR STORY IN COMICS HISTORY RE-MASTERED TO MARK THE CENTENARY FIRST WORLD WAR. Join 16 year old Charley Bourne as he eagerly signs up to fight on the Western front in 1916. The idealistic working class boy experiences the perilous arena of trench warfare, where every waking moment is a bitter fight for survival. As visceral, thrilling and compelling as on its debut, this intensely dramatic war story is the finest the comic book medium has ever produced. Written with acute political and historical insight by British comics legend Pat Mills, it is illustrated throughout with the breathtaking artwork of Joe Colquhoun. This first volume of Charley's War includes Charley's harrowing participation in one of the bloodiest encounters in human history - The Battle of the Somme.
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 20, 2022
Now more than 40 years old, Charley's War is undoubtedly dated: it owes much to the serialized British war comics of the time, which it deliberately undermined. Pages are sometimes cramped, there's unnecessary and exclamation-laden dialogue, and chapters repeat information with no thought to collection -- all signs of the times. The story can feel trapped in the time of its production and, while it subverts these usually heroic war comics, it clearly retains their trappings, substituting horrors of war for heroic challenges while still thrilling the reader in a way that Americans will no doubt find recalls early 2000AD. While this entertains, a sense of "one thing after the next" or "how will the writer get out of this one?" can intrude, lessening one's enjoyment. While some are masterful, not all the episodes are equally worthy.
However, Charley's War lives in its episodes, which are filled with ghastly horrors, usually drawn from real-world facts -- some of which were even worse than what's presented here. Mills, best known for his Judge Dredd work, eschews any romanticism about war and its horrors. Characters die unexpectedly. There's heroic sacrifice here, but it's rare and always subverted, often undermined by military commanders. The artist brilliantly illustrates WWI tanks, zeppelins, gas masks, machine guns, and dreary trenches, creating a surreal, almost sci-fi hellscape. It's hard not to imagine how shocking all of this would have been during WWI -- and equally when Charley's War was being serialized. We often incorrectly imagine military operations as precise, preferring the myth of logical operations and smart soldiers engaged in a chess game with their opposites. The truth, like many of history's horrors, is often surreal, bizarre, stupid, and ultimately has only the meaning we give it. Charley's War is to be commended for embracing this mode and for avoiding comfortable cliches.
Is it perfect? No, but it's a must-read for any afficionado of graphic narrative.
However, Charley's War lives in its episodes, which are filled with ghastly horrors, usually drawn from real-world facts -- some of which were even worse than what's presented here. Mills, best known for his Judge Dredd work, eschews any romanticism about war and its horrors. Characters die unexpectedly. There's heroic sacrifice here, but it's rare and always subverted, often undermined by military commanders. The artist brilliantly illustrates WWI tanks, zeppelins, gas masks, machine guns, and dreary trenches, creating a surreal, almost sci-fi hellscape. It's hard not to imagine how shocking all of this would have been during WWI -- and equally when Charley's War was being serialized. We often incorrectly imagine military operations as precise, preferring the myth of logical operations and smart soldiers engaged in a chess game with their opposites. The truth, like many of history's horrors, is often surreal, bizarre, stupid, and ultimately has only the meaning we give it. Charley's War is to be commended for embracing this mode and for avoiding comfortable cliches.
Is it perfect? No, but it's a must-read for any afficionado of graphic narrative.
October 15, 2024
El arranque es un poco flojo y la estructura de historias breves hacía que fuera bastante reiterativo, pero según avanza y se desarrollan los horrores de las trincheras (y de la retaguardia) las historias ganan intensidad y brutalidad y mejoran hasta ser muy buenas.
January 22, 2019
Just over 100 years on from the armistice and Pat Mills alternative boys own tale from the pages of Battle and Battle Action is more relevant than ever. Gorgeously remastered (especially the rare colour pages which will have never looked so good) and presented with the writers commentary this is something that kids should read in history class and adults should read alongside Watchmen or The Sandman!
December 10, 2023
Whether Charley’s War is the best ever continuing English language war strip is eventually a matter of subjectivity, but there’s a very strong case to be made. There can be no argument about it being the best British war series. Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun produced eight years of immaculately researched and detail packed strips presenting the horrors of World War I through the eyes of sixteen year old volunteer Charley Bourne.
In story terms this is very slightly the weakest of the three new volumes because Mills took a while to find his tone and voice. Colquhoun hit the ground running, his character rich, busy and meticulously composed pages superb from the beginning. Those qualities are sometimes neglected as his passion for detail can overwhelm other appreciation. The first page of Charley’s War is an indication of the work ethic he applied throughout, set in a bus garage where Colquhoun illustrates a vintage bus with detail comparable to the actual restored version now seen in the Imperial War Museum.
He’s a little hard on himself, but in his accompanying notes Mills confesses that it took him a while to reject entirely the traditional gung-ho triumphalism of war stories for British boys’ comics, yet his background preparation laid the foundations for greatness. His over-riding priority was to present World War I as realistically seen by the ordinary man in the trenches, not the officers or the war poets. Charley is a good-hearted, loyal and brave working class lad. Immense heroism is displayed, but it’s natural in reacting to circumstance rather than the contrived nature of cinema versions. Another inspired touch from the start was the way into many stories being the postcards the largely uneducated Charley sent home to his parents. Not wanting to upset his mother, these are understated descriptions of horrific events in everyday language. Early episodes see Charley making friends and coping with a terrifying new environment, astute personality-defining comedic touches splicing the combat.
Mills instituted a timeline from the start, and it’s with the first Somme battle that absolute realism becomes the storytelling priority. More-so than the Germans, we’re left in no doubt who Mills holds responsible for tens of thousands of senselessly sacrificed lives, his characterization of an upper class establishment and its complicit military hierarchy scathing. For all that, he never forgets that the priority was producing exciting episodes for young boys, and there’s a good story within each three page episode.
In recent memory the entirety of Charley’s World War I service has been published in uniform hardcover editions with accompanying background articles, and annotations from Mills, so why would you want these new editions? Because they’re better is the short answer. Steve White’s articles on aspects of World War I are absent, but the art reproduction is immensely improved. Titan didn’t have access to the original art, and did the best they could with the material available, but in some cases the results were so muddy apologies were provided in the books, although this difficulty diminished as the ten volumes continued. Also of note is that colour has been restored to pages originally serialized in that way. It is primitive, and a case could be made that for the art actually looking better in black and white, but these pages especially suffered from poor reproduction in previous editions. Furthermore, all remaining machine-lettered pages have had the lettering replaced for a uniform look. It’s a small touch, but signifies the overall care of the restoration.
In story terms this is very slightly the weakest of the three new volumes because Mills took a while to find his tone and voice. Colquhoun hit the ground running, his character rich, busy and meticulously composed pages superb from the beginning. Those qualities are sometimes neglected as his passion for detail can overwhelm other appreciation. The first page of Charley’s War is an indication of the work ethic he applied throughout, set in a bus garage where Colquhoun illustrates a vintage bus with detail comparable to the actual restored version now seen in the Imperial War Museum.
He’s a little hard on himself, but in his accompanying notes Mills confesses that it took him a while to reject entirely the traditional gung-ho triumphalism of war stories for British boys’ comics, yet his background preparation laid the foundations for greatness. His over-riding priority was to present World War I as realistically seen by the ordinary man in the trenches, not the officers or the war poets. Charley is a good-hearted, loyal and brave working class lad. Immense heroism is displayed, but it’s natural in reacting to circumstance rather than the contrived nature of cinema versions. Another inspired touch from the start was the way into many stories being the postcards the largely uneducated Charley sent home to his parents. Not wanting to upset his mother, these are understated descriptions of horrific events in everyday language. Early episodes see Charley making friends and coping with a terrifying new environment, astute personality-defining comedic touches splicing the combat.
Mills instituted a timeline from the start, and it’s with the first Somme battle that absolute realism becomes the storytelling priority. More-so than the Germans, we’re left in no doubt who Mills holds responsible for tens of thousands of senselessly sacrificed lives, his characterization of an upper class establishment and its complicit military hierarchy scathing. For all that, he never forgets that the priority was producing exciting episodes for young boys, and there’s a good story within each three page episode.
In recent memory the entirety of Charley’s World War I service has been published in uniform hardcover editions with accompanying background articles, and annotations from Mills, so why would you want these new editions? Because they’re better is the short answer. Steve White’s articles on aspects of World War I are absent, but the art reproduction is immensely improved. Titan didn’t have access to the original art, and did the best they could with the material available, but in some cases the results were so muddy apologies were provided in the books, although this difficulty diminished as the ten volumes continued. Also of note is that colour has been restored to pages originally serialized in that way. It is primitive, and a case could be made that for the art actually looking better in black and white, but these pages especially suffered from poor reproduction in previous editions. Furthermore, all remaining machine-lettered pages have had the lettering replaced for a uniform look. It’s a small touch, but signifies the overall care of the restoration.
February 14, 2024
Kerrankos sitä löytää itsensä innostumasta sotasarjiksen ääreltä! Charleyn sota on hämmentävän hyvä kuvatessaan elämää ensimmäisen maailmansodan juoksuhaudoissa, sarjakuvan ilmaisuvoima on näissä kohdissa parhaassa käytössään. Välillä seikkailullinen ote lähtee vähän liikaakin laukalle, mikä tiivistempoisessa tapahtumapyörityksessä tuntuu ajoittain pikkuisen liiankin epäuskottavalta, mutta onneksi paluu omaan mutaiseen koloon koittaa yleensä pian.
Sodanvastainen sanoma, monenkirjavat herkullisesti kuvatut ja todentuntuiset hahmot värittävät sarjakuvaa, joka kuitenkin kuvaa realistisella otteella länsirintaman tapahtumia. Onneksi tätä herkkua on suomennettu peräti kolmen paksun albumin verran, ei muuta kuin seuraavaan osaan kiinni!
Sodanvastainen sanoma, monenkirjavat herkullisesti kuvatut ja todentuntuiset hahmot värittävät sarjakuvaa, joka kuitenkin kuvaa realistisella otteella länsirintaman tapahtumia. Onneksi tätä herkkua on suomennettu peräti kolmen paksun albumin verran, ei muuta kuin seuraavaan osaan kiinni!
October 14, 2023
Essential reading. Should be the basis of the syllabus for British children's World War I history lessons. Easily digestible for such a difficult subject to read about.
No war glorification here. Establishment would not be happy. Good.
The writing is excellent; fact based stories that continually maintain interest with gripping characters in realistic scenarios. Very few artistic liberties taken. Merely the combining of multiple and disparate events to make singular fictional moments.
The artistry is so expressive that any other description from the likes of me feels unwanted and certainly unnecessary.
No war glorification here. Establishment would not be happy. Good.
The writing is excellent; fact based stories that continually maintain interest with gripping characters in realistic scenarios. Very few artistic liberties taken. Merely the combining of multiple and disparate events to make singular fictional moments.
The artistry is so expressive that any other description from the likes of me feels unwanted and certainly unnecessary.
September 6, 2020
The comic magnum opus that does away with they myths of World War 1 and presents the awful day to day live of those who served on the Western Front.
December 20, 2020
Unbelievable that this was a weekly series in a kids comic, brilliant, brutal and painfully honest
December 1, 2024
It's great to find Charley's War in 3 affordable paperbacks. You really get the sense you're reading the greatest ever war comic.
Better than Commando
As good as Jacques Tardi.
Incredible read
Better than Commando
As good as Jacques Tardi.
Incredible read
October 18, 2025
This is a masterpiece.
The artwork is a tremendous achievement, and the story is fantastic. Together, this tale captures the grim muddy horror of WWI as well as anything can.
The artwork is a tremendous achievement, and the story is fantastic. Together, this tale captures the grim muddy horror of WWI as well as anything can.
December 29, 2021
Pat Millsin käskirjoittama ja Joe Colquhounin piirtämä Charley's War on monin tavoin erilainen sotasarjakuva, jonka sodanvastaisuus oli ilmestymisajankohtanaan vielä nykyistäkin vallankumouksellisempaa. Sain vasta viimeiseksi käsiini kolmeen osaan kootun kokonaisuuden ensimmäisen osan, jossa Millsin käsikirjoitukset ehkä vielä vähän hakevat suuntaansa, eikä auktoriteettikriittinen näkökulma ole vielä puhjennut täyteen kukoistukseensa. Erinomaiseen toiseen osaan verrattuna tässä on vielä turhan paljon rönsyjä, eivätkä etenkään kotirintamalle sijoittuvat episodit aivan yllä muiden tarinoiden tasolle.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews