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Product Description
Tardiâ?TMs World War I masterpiece finally in English! World War I, that awful, gaping wound in the history of Europe, has long been an obsession of Jacques Tardiâ?TMs. (His very firstâ?"rejectedâ?"comics story dealt with the subject, as does his most recent work, the two-volume Putain de Guerre.) But It Was the War of the Trenches is Tardiâ?TMs defining, masterful statement on the subject, a graphic novel that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Erich Maria Remarqueâ?TMs All Quiet on the Western Front and Ernest Hemingwayâ?TMs A Farewell to Arms. Tardi is not interested in the national politics, the strategies, or the battles. Like Remarque, he focuses on the day to day of the grunts in the trenches, and, with icy, controlled fury and disgust, with sardonic yet deeply sympathetic narration, he brings that existence alive as no one has before or since. Yet he also delves deeply into the underlying causes of the war, the madness, the cynical political exploitation of patriotism. And in a...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Yossarian
Format:Hardcover
Dark and very grim, but beautifully drawn by one of the greats of franco-belgian comics. His clear-line style is very unique and the use of grey tone is impressive too, it reminds me of the tone work in the excellent `Bloody Streets of Paris'.
A collection of powerful short vignettes rather than just one story, all held together by the theme of the atrocities of trench warfare. The book illustrates how expendable soldiers were at the front, and the inhuman conditions they endured.
This is the kind of book that breaks boundaries, i bet alot of people will be interested in this who don't usually read graphic novels or european comics.
This truly deserves its reputation as a classic - purchase with confidence.
A collection of powerful short vignettes rather than just one story, all held together by the theme of the atrocities of trench warfare. The book illustrates how expendable soldiers were at the front, and the inhuman conditions they endured.
This is the kind of book that breaks boundaries, i bet alot of people will be interested in this who don't usually read graphic novels or european comics.
This truly deserves its reputation as a classic - purchase with confidence.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By F. Marshall
Format:Hardcover
I have a strong interest in first world war history (and graphic novels too) but I have yet to see the brutality and horrors of life in the trenches portrayed so vividly in any other visual medium. Tardi works with actual testimony, and has a meticulous eye for detail. And he is also an outstanding artist - one of the best French graphic artists. Outstanding, and further evidence of the power of comics as a communications medium.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A highly recommended read for anyone who has an interest in WWI or graphic novels.
12 April 2011
By M. Rice
Format:Hardcover
Tardis book portrays life in the trenches with a series of short stories that make up a snapshot of the danger and hardship facing the average French soldier in the trenches.
The book describes the complete futility and removal of humanity facing those who took part in this bitter and merciless war. It was interesting to see this presented from a French perspective in an easily understood format such as a graphic novel, which Tardi has aimed to be as accurate as possible by consulting various historical experts, as well as basing parts of the story on his own grandfathers' experiences in WWI.
As far as comics go on the First World War, this can't be compared to the 'Charley's War' series (see Charley's War: 1 August-17 October 1916) which is an excellent introduction to the shocking brutalities of the First World War for a younger audience (and well worth a read), but both share the desire to educate the reader on what it would have been like to face the atrocities of trench warfare, the likes of which have never been seen before or since.
The author has also included some recommended reading and viewing at the end of the book, which I hope to investigate and further my knowledge and understanding of 'the war to end all wars'.
This was my first introduction to Tardi and I am keen to read his other titles on the strength of this book.
The book describes the complete futility and removal of humanity facing those who took part in this bitter and merciless war. It was interesting to see this presented from a French perspective in an easily understood format such as a graphic novel, which Tardi has aimed to be as accurate as possible by consulting various historical experts, as well as basing parts of the story on his own grandfathers' experiences in WWI.
As far as comics go on the First World War, this can't be compared to the 'Charley's War' series (see Charley's War: 1 August-17 October 1916) which is an excellent introduction to the shocking brutalities of the First World War for a younger audience (and well worth a read), but both share the desire to educate the reader on what it would have been like to face the atrocities of trench warfare, the likes of which have never been seen before or since.
The author has also included some recommended reading and viewing at the end of the book, which I hope to investigate and further my knowledge and understanding of 'the war to end all wars'.
This was my first introduction to Tardi and I am keen to read his other titles on the strength of this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A. Ross
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
In case you missed the memo, World War I was a nightmare of pointless suffering for millions upon millions of people. This beautifully produced (and translated) reprint of a 1993 French graphic collection takes you there via a loose collection of personal stories from the French trenches. There's no protagonist, no plot, no narrative, just, as the author writes in his foreword: "Nothing but a gigantic, anonymous scream of agony." Each of these "screams of agony" is the story of a French soldier and the madness he encounters at the front lines. There are about 8-10 stories, ranging from 2-15 pages each, and they march across the mind with relentless horror. Tardi drew heavily upon archival photos and research in drafting these stories, and it certainly shows both in the detail and emotional truth of the images. In another part of the preface the author wrote, "The only thing that interests me is man and his suffering, and it fills me with rage." and that rage comes across very directly. This is not a book to be read for fun, but to be studied in conjunction with other seminal works on World War I such as Goodbye to All That, Paths of Glory, and many many more books and films (which are listed in the excellent bibliography in the rear of the book). The book occupies the uneasy but vital space between pure documentary footage, memoir, and fiction, and could be an excellent teaching tool for the classroom.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By P. Rö
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The drawings are excellent, but the stories are the same as all the other stories about the first world war: Men stuck in trenches waiting for the war to end. But they all ends up dead or crippeled. I could not find any new angles on this damned war. Not much of tardi's usual black huomor. Just sad.
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