A Deserter’s Tale

By John Freeman on November 12, 2007

Battle‘s acclaimed Charley’s War continues at Titan Books with the timely release of a fourth collection of the World War One tale.

Written by Pat Mills, drawn by the legendary Joe Colquhoun, Blue’s Story continues the critically-acclaimed thrilling, horrifying and blackly comic story of World War One soldier Charley Bourne.

Home from the war thanks to an injury, Charley escapes from a terrifying air-raid, only to run into a deserter from the Foreign Legion – who tells him of the awful siege of Fort Vaux, even as both men run for their lives from the Military Police.

Rich in the detailed minutiae of the terror-punctuated existence of a Tommy, this fourth volume features a brand new introduction by Whitbread prize nominee Tariq Goddard, commentary by Pat Mills, plus an exclusive bonus feature on the Battle of Verdun.

The book is out now in the US ($19.95) and the UK (£14.99).

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “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.