Okay, so we are moving along with the story arc, progressing to the point of greatest tension. In my lit classes, we’re calling this the _rising action_.
Three things caught my attention in this issue:
1) the P-47s. All I can say is…NICE! I really didn’t expect to see the narrative shift to the air, with the 4.5 Thunderbolt pages. This was the highlight of the issue for me, though I wondered if formations of aircraft really fly that close together (in comics they do, of course). There are several wonderfully rendered images here, but the most interesting to me was the ground up view of one clipping its wing (see image here). “Johnny” is lost in an effort to resupply the Lost Battalion.
2) This issue also felt a little like 1970s disaster-style movies in that there were many, many people involved in the main narrative and a good deal going on. Indeed, there are the thunderbolts, the introduction of several 441st members, including a medic who is introduced as a selfless hero, who is later blown to bits (much like Skip Muck in episode 7 of Band of Brothers), the German sniper’s Horrido call (see this for an explanation), a tank attack on the Lost Battalion, and some big boy philosophy from the guys in the 441st about combat and their role in the Army as sons of a displaced people. Tucci played the family honor card…hard.
But then, this is what I like about comics: the chance for character exposition is there and Tucci took it. Even if it came off as a little over done, he took a shot and was able to show a little about a group of guys who went through the shit together, had crazy-high combat casualty numbers, and still forged ahead. You can’t fault the writer for taking the shot (better than no shot: think of the movie Terminator Salvation where John Conner is interrogating one of his imprisoned colleagues:
“Why?”
“Because!”
“Okay. Let her go.” (Are you kidding?)
3) I’ve been waiting for an appearance of Lili Marlene, and Tucci didn’t disappoint here. At the end, we have Germans singing with American harmonica accompaniment. I saw that one coming.
In the end, there is much to like in this SGT. Rock series. Reviews of issue 5 and 6 are forthcoming.
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