Fascinating Fantastical Alternate History, With a Few Problems

books:


	• So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms (Arrowsmith, Book 1) Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco Wildstorm, 2004 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Fascinating Fantastical Alternate History, With a Few Problems

Busiek is one of the great masters of the comics medium - the writer of Marvels as well as Astro City, he can incisively dissect the superhero genre and make art out of it at the same time; his recent work on Dark Horse's Conan series is not to be missed either. In Arrowsmith, Busiek takes a look at World War I and puts a Harry Turtledove twist to it - what if the Triple Entente and the Allied Powers had magic in their arsenol as well as Maxim guns and mustard gas?

From this concept comes So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms, a tale of an alternate earth where the territorial lines are drawn differently - the U.S. is called "Columbia," and much of North American seems to have remained in the hands of the Spanish; across the Atlantic, Europe is separated into the linenesses of its pre-modern feudal states and empires. However, their alliances have remained the same. With the war already in full swing (and the armies enlisting everything from trolls to zombies to werewolves to giants to fight alongside the human combatants) a young Columbian enlists with a magical fighter squad in Europe to help stem the tide of slaughter. However, as young Arrowsmith soon discovers, war is never black and white.

The real fun of Arrowsmith is in how Busiek takes the familiar conventions of World War I and reinterprets them with a modern fantasy bent - this is similar to a "steampunk" concept in a way, but not overly so. A modern war in which sorceries are used side-by-side with bayonets is an intriguing idea. However, while this is an interesting romp, the tale lacks the pop and impact that it might have had - the real connection we make is not with any of the characters but with this brave new world that Busiek has created (more's the pity). However, there are certain parts (most especially the chilling realization that overtakes the reader at the end of Chapter Two) that truly strike deep. Carlos Pacheco's art is fully up to the task of putting Busiek's story on paper (although his style comes a bit too close to charicature for me), and the inking and coloring are well done. Overall, comic fans looking for a little something different, or WWI/alternate history buffs looking to expand their horizons, would do well to give Arrowsmith a try. I'm just disappointed that more volumes haven't yet come out...

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Exceptional historical fantasy novel

The high concept is easy and powerful: what if World War 1 was fought with magic and not science. Oceanliners become powered by magic instead of steam, werewolves and vampires stalk the battelfields, and wizards concoct new more dangerous spells in a desperate attempt to gain advantage. Everything familiar becomes new. If that isn't enough, the writer and artist create a compelling buildingsroman as nascent hero Fletcher Arrowsmith learns how fleeting human life and its aspirations can be during war. It's exciting. It's vibrant. It's exceptionally made by a great writer and artist. This is the bee's knees for a graphic novel. I hope more books are produced in the near future.

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When will we ever learn?

It may be the same old story of how an innocent learns the horrors of war, but no matter how many times we're told the tale, we are no closer to fixing one of the myriad problems of the human condition. But that's not through any lack of effort on the parts of Messrs. Busiek, Pacheco, et al. Brilliantly imagined and illuminated, the characters are retheal in their responses to war's insanity, culminating in a primal compulsion to reassert the validity of life. The magic tech is intriguing and lovingly realized in charming ways. Those who enjoy Busiek's other work, especially the ASTRO CITY oeuvre, will find much to love here as will readers of Linda Medley, Peter David, the BIG BANG comics, even the alternative history fantasies of Harry Turtledove and Guy Gavriel Kay.

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What Graphic Novels Ought To Be

Apart from my love for Carlos Pacheco's art, I see Arrowsmith as a step in the right direction when it comes to the graphic novel form. Where on one end we get the pamphlet superhero compilations, and on the other end we get the artsy fare, Arrowsmith sought to tell a sci-fi fantasy war story that's obviously well-researched and cleanly structured. And one that could stand on its own.

I agree with one reviewer, though, about that odd sex scene towards the end, as well as the way the climax played out, hence my four stars. Busiek should have gone to the hilt with that part. With the richness of the milieu and the manner the previous battles were played out, that climactic scene ought to have pulled no punches.

Still, bravo in my book overall!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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