Lecturas: White Death, by Robbie Morrison and Charlie Adlard
Later I will find out that the artist was the man who will got worldwide recognition with the Walking Dead. But until then, for me, it was just another name on the book cover.
How I got to this book? This is a war story, so I was initially reluctant to pick it. But the cover immediately reminded me of El Eternauta': a landmark in Argentinian comic history in which Buenos Aires city (and the world) is victim of a full-scale alien attack. The aliens' first move was a fluorescent snow that fell from the sky, killing anyone who exposed him/herself to direct contact. Hence the use of that "scuba diver" suit from the cover. The story is worth a review for english readers, and I promise to write mine. White Death's title and cover art immediately resembled an old favourite in my mind, and that's how it ended up in my bookshelf.
But this story is the story of another war, of the Trentino front in WWI, somewhere in the Alps. My 2014 edition includes two prologues. Morrison takes the opportunity to tell the story of a double funeral in 2013. The deceased were two Austrian males, probably aged 18. But they've been trapped and frozen in ice for nearly 100 years. They were Austrian-Hungarian soldiers from WWI. Then, he adds some additional information that helps to recreate a context for the story. I have to say that Morrison's prologue was inspiring and helpful to place the story in context but also arouses suspicion on how unclear the plot unveiled for me in the first pages.
From the very beginning, we know there will be a lot of front-line action. The shades of gray for this story sets a tone, but it doesn't take long to realize that is nearly impossible to identify the characters and understand some frames. The style itself forbids it. Even though I liked the technique, generally speaking, more clarity would've been of great help. It is a great challenge to create identifiable characters when they all dress the same and are coated in snow and dirt. That is what war is, killings are just a statistic, it's hard to tell real differences between soldiers from each side of the front, and we get that impression with some really dismal pictures.
The 97th Bersaglieri is a small band in the Trentino front. And I like the idea of keeping a story in a smaller scope, and don't try to embrace all aspects of war. A similar thing was done in one of my favourite novels, For Whom the Bell Tolls. That been said, there's a risk with that. The scene with the prostitutes has to be my least favourite. I get it, it is a highlight in a soldier's time serving the front. But it doesn't seem to be very relevant to the story. Even though I couldn't resist and I googled more information on sheepskin condoms, it felt a bit unconnected: and, perhaps soldiers' emotions during war is something that could have been better explored. Instead, we have this character falling in love with a prostitute just to mechanically use and then dispose of her in the following encounter. From what've seen, that could've been also the story of a sexually aroused teenager.
The ending and climax is interesting and exposes some of the contradicting character of the war. While the story had its ups and downs, it has its moments. And we shouldn't forget that war is a complex topic; furthermore, there's so much written that there's a very wide spectrum. This book is sitting somewhere in the middle for me. While rereading the book takes away that first impression, it might allow us to the throught the snow and add some clarity. Read the book, and see which feeling are dug up from the story.
Title: White Death
Author: Robbie Morrison (writer), Charlie Adlard (artist)
Publisher: Image
Year: 2014 (originally published in 2002)
***
How I got to this book? This is a war story, so I was initially reluctant to pick it. But the cover immediately reminded me of El Eternauta': a landmark in Argentinian comic history in which Buenos Aires city (and the world) is victim of a full-scale alien attack. The aliens' first move was a fluorescent snow that fell from the sky, killing anyone who exposed him/herself to direct contact. Hence the use of that "scuba diver" suit from the cover. The story is worth a review for english readers, and I promise to write mine. White Death's title and cover art immediately resembled an old favourite in my mind, and that's how it ended up in my bookshelf.
***
But this story is the story of another war, of the Trentino front in WWI, somewhere in the Alps. My 2014 edition includes two prologues. Morrison takes the opportunity to tell the story of a double funeral in 2013. The deceased were two Austrian males, probably aged 18. But they've been trapped and frozen in ice for nearly 100 years. They were Austrian-Hungarian soldiers from WWI. Then, he adds some additional information that helps to recreate a context for the story. I have to say that Morrison's prologue was inspiring and helpful to place the story in context but also arouses suspicion on how unclear the plot unveiled for me in the first pages.
From the very beginning, we know there will be a lot of front-line action. The shades of gray for this story sets a tone, but it doesn't take long to realize that is nearly impossible to identify the characters and understand some frames. The style itself forbids it. Even though I liked the technique, generally speaking, more clarity would've been of great help. It is a great challenge to create identifiable characters when they all dress the same and are coated in snow and dirt. That is what war is, killings are just a statistic, it's hard to tell real differences between soldiers from each side of the front, and we get that impression with some really dismal pictures.
The 97th Bersaglieri is a small band in the Trentino front. And I like the idea of keeping a story in a smaller scope, and don't try to embrace all aspects of war. A similar thing was done in one of my favourite novels, For Whom the Bell Tolls. That been said, there's a risk with that. The scene with the prostitutes has to be my least favourite. I get it, it is a highlight in a soldier's time serving the front. But it doesn't seem to be very relevant to the story. Even though I couldn't resist and I googled more information on sheepskin condoms, it felt a bit unconnected: and, perhaps soldiers' emotions during war is something that could have been better explored. Instead, we have this character falling in love with a prostitute just to mechanically use and then dispose of her in the following encounter. From what've seen, that could've been also the story of a sexually aroused teenager.
The ending and climax is interesting and exposes some of the contradicting character of the war. While the story had its ups and downs, it has its moments. And we shouldn't forget that war is a complex topic; furthermore, there's so much written that there's a very wide spectrum. This book is sitting somewhere in the middle for me. While rereading the book takes away that first impression, it might allow us to the throught the snow and add some clarity. Read the book, and see which feeling are dug up from the story.
Title: White Death
Author: Robbie Morrison (writer), Charlie Adlard (artist)
Publisher: Image
Year: 2014 (originally published in 2002)
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