I’m thinking about a lot of endings. I lost my home about six years ago, shortly before many people were killed by the pandemic. The last few years have taught us a lot about how quickly we can lose everything. As I became a father, more fears are introduced to me. I don’t want to lose it. So, yeah, I have a lot to think about the ending. That’s why W. Maxwell Prince’s Swan Song was one of my favourite manga of 2024. Why am I strangely revitalized when someone tries to tell the “final” story for a beloved superhero, and why do you think I’ve read this much?
The War was originally featured on the Boom page by the creative team of Garth Ennis and Becky Cloonan! Studios’ epic anthology series Hello Darkness. This first issue collects the first three chapters of the story that follows a group of friends navigating the very familiar political landscape, exploring the quick, slippery slopes that lead to the disappearance of the nuclear weapon. These are people who do their best to survive in their own scary ways, but are inevitably not fully prepared for the ugliness that the ultimate World War I brings. This is the story of people who don’t know as much as they thought they thought, people who are always trying to understand what they are, and who can’t do one damn thing to change the outcome.
Garth Ennis is known for his nihilistic work, but this could certainly be a creepy comic from a decade. War made me feel like shit. It may also be the best comic book I’ve read this year.
The dialogue feels natural and realistic, with the characters trying to debate the inevitability of war and speculate on what the next move should be. Cloonan’s characters are top notch overall, making these dialogues feel engaging and realistic. Body language elegantly conveys so many emotions for us, even when some characters start to shut down and refuse to talk to each other. And without ruining anything, the final page is absolutely plagued. Cloonan shows a terrifying new take on scenes you think you’ve seen before in speculative fiction.
From what I understand, the plan for this new series is to republish the chapters featured on the Hello Darkness page and continue the story from there. I would like to know if any of the future issues deviate from those previously published. The original conclusion, published in Hello Darkness, is not to my liking, but rather a bit off the gut punching realism of the first few articles, pushing things into the shocking realm of values on the final page. But again, it’s still a sparkling optimism within me, and I hope that this isn’t how scary it is. I’m thinking about a lot of endings, but I hope there’s still time to change this, either on or off the page.
As it stands, fans of Ennis and Clounan’s previous work owes themselves to check on the war if they aren’t there yet. Be prepared to place the pit on your stomach and place your books. The end, man.
“War” #1 Review: A Comic that Makes You Feel Disgusting for 10 Years
War #1
Relentlessly raw and realistic, “The War” is an incredible piece from two of the industry’s greatest talents that have been feeling bad for a decade.
Realistic and honest dialogue and plot
Not only is it terrifyingly dark, but it also takes a moment to show the beauty of the relationship between these characters
The artwork is spectacular, with persuasive character acting and truly terrifying images of the final page
