Reviews of graphic novels and comic book collections every Tuesday and Thursday.


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White Death by Rob Morrison
Set along the mountains of Italy during World War I, White Death (2002, AiT/Planet Lar, Amazon listing) provides a new twist on the war story while still providing many of the familiar tropes. WWI is rarely discussed in comics so for that fact alone, this book is worth picking up, but Charlie Adlard's charcoal and chalk sketches on gray paper sets the mood.

The title of the book refers to avalanches caused by soldiers to defeat their enemies high among the Trentino mountain range. The narrative revolves around the conflict between two soldiers over the use of nature for war. Conflict between soldiers on the same side is a familiar theme (see Platoon), but it remains interesting here. Author Rob Morrison has obviously done his research for the book, but gives the book life and humanity through the characterizations and set pieces.

There are some moments in which Morrison could have provided a bit more detail in the storytelling as there are moments in which the reader is left confused. Adlard's art doesn't always help matters as it can be easy to misidentify characters. It could be that I needed to read closer, but it was happening often enough that I was forced to reread sections to get the meaning and even then I was guessing. Chalk it up to the haze of war.

White Death 3 stars (out of 5)
posted by Sean McGurr at 8:00 AM