Review by John Freeman
The latest graphic novel from Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano could not have arrived at a more apposite time….
The Book: WAR is set in an unnamed city in an unnamed country. It tells the story of Kat, a fourteen-year-old graffiti artist who finds her life turned upside down when her home city is invaded. When her father is taken and held without charge by the invading forces, Kat chooses not to flee with her mother and little sister, instead sneaking off to remain in the city and try to rescue her dad. Also featured is Adam, a young conscript who struggles to understand why he is being made to fight.
WAR includes additional content that puts the main story into a wider context, including illustrated comic-style interviews with refugees.
The Review: WAR is the latest graphic novel from Eoin Colfer, previously Irish Children’s Laureate, and writer Andrew Donkin and artist Giovanni Rigano, the team behind the incredibly moving graphic novel Illegal, the thought provoking examination of environmental issues, Global, and the bestselling Artemis Fowl graphic novels.
Together, this trio of hugely talented creators have rounded off this loose trilogy of brilliant graphic novels with, perhaps, their most powerful story of the three; one that is certainly more character driven, told against the setting of a fictional European war that will resonate with many. WAR is not only told well, its central character, Kat, battling the odds not only to survive in an occupied, locked down city, but trying to rescue her father from incarceration, too.
While Italian artist Giovanni Rigano delivered brilliant work on ILLEGAL and GLOBAL, his work on this book is, I think, some of the best on the three, complementing a story that brings home, just as did the other adventures, the very personal impact conflict has on those at its centre. There are poignant moments, for example, when Kat encounters others trying to find their way through an awful situation; and tense scenes too, for example, when she’s under threat of capture, running for her life through near lightless and dangerous tunnels under the bombed city.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a young soldier struggles to come to terms with his situation as invader, unaware he will soon encounter one of the city’s inhabitants who will change his view of them, forever…
I read WAR in one sitting, having so much enjoyed Colfer, Donkin and Rigano’s previous two books in this series, which have both, deservedly, earned plenty of acclaim and appreciation. Delivering as it does a very relevant reflection and observations on current times in Europe, and beyond, for many, WAR, I’m sure, will be no different.
This is a superb graphic novel, fully deserving your attention. Do give it some.
John Freeman
• WAR by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano, published by Hodder Children’s Books, is available from all good bookshops |ISBN: 978-1444973976 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | Buy it from Gosh! Comics (ukBookshop Affiliate Link)
About the Authors
Eoin Colfer is the author of the bestselling, award-winning Artemis Fowl series, and has sold over twenty million books worldwide.
Andrew Donkin has written over sixty books and graphic novels, including Illegal and Global with Eoin Colfer and Batman for DC Comics.
Giovanni Rigano is an Italian artist and illustrator born in Cantù, Italy. He is most well known for his role in the creation of the Artemis Fowl graphic novels, the first of which came out in 2007. Giovanni has also created graphic novels for Disney books, including The Incredibles and Pirates of the Caribbean. In 2012, Giovanni also illustrated Eoin Colfer’s book The Supernaturalist which was also released as a graphic novel. He was also artist on ILLEGAL and GLOBAL by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics - Current British Publishers, British Comics - Graphic Novels, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Reviews
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