Crecy by Warren Ellis
Chris’s Invincible Super-Blog -- The Week In Ink: July 25, 2007
Chris Sims writes amazing comic reviews every week, focusing espcially on good writing, humor and people being kicked in the face. And those are three things I really can't argue about. I'm going to state here for the record that I think he has the second best reviews on the internet, after only my boys at the Savage Critic.
Here he reviews the new prestige Warren Ellis book, Crecy, which I finished last night.
Here is what Sims says:
Crecy: If you’ve ever been reading the Wikipedia entry on the Battle of Crecy and found yourself wishing that it had more pictures and swearing, then brother, have I got a deal for you.
No, really: That’s exactly what this is. Ellis takes all the facts about an incredibly fascinating historical battle that marked the end of chivalry, mixes in a narrator with a contemporary viewpoint and a mouth like a sailor, and while that’s a recipie that could easily go wrong, it all comes off as breezy, informative, and, well, fun. That’s an odd adjective to apply here, seeing as it’s about brutal, filth-encrusted medieval warfare, but it reads like Ellis stripping things down and rebuilding them as the textbook he always wanted as a kid: One that didn’t shy away from the bad words and worse deeds, with a sharp focus on gallows humor and spite. Throw in the fact that it’s only $6.99, and you’ve got a nice way to knock out a lunch hour, assuming, of course, that you don’t mind reading about people getting stabbed in the face while you eat.
It's more than just a wikipedia entry given life I'd say. It's the flipside to 300. It isn't about legends and immortality and honor and freedom, it's about a few thousand men who do evil things to France because they are tired of being fucked with. It's really the perfect compliment to 300.
I would absolutely love to see more comics take on histprical topics like this. Where is my Harper's Ferry book? Where is my Shea's Rebellion book? Fuck jetpacks, I want some honest context for my historical knowledge.