Titan Comics 2015
Written by Garth Ennis
Illustrated by Keith Burns
Coloured by Jason Worde
Lettered by Ron Steen
Meet Tony Iverson a man who flew to England in order to have a plane he purchased restored to it’s former glory. One P7089 is nothing but an empty shell a skeleton in a warehouse ready to be restored. The Hurricane, the type of plane, has a unique history well this one does anyway and as part of the restoration service Tony learns only a smidgen of it. There is a mystery surrounding this plane and it’s one Tony wants to learn so he’s going to do his best to uncover it.
Keith and Jason do an absolute magnificent job on the interiors here. From the hanger where we see the skeletal frame through the present and Tony’s journey the past as a first hand account of the plane’s history is revealed it’s all just breathtaking. There are a few really standout pages where history is showcased that are truly wondrous to behold. Aside from the beginning and the Hurri there’s also the statue in Russia in the snow that is will impress.
Now i’m not a huge war guy I don’t know much about the aircraft’s they flew in any World War nor am I well versed in the intricacies of how troops were lent to different countries and that jazz. So reading this was something of an education for me but even better is the fact that I think it’s an education for Tony as well. This story isn’t like those you’ve heard in the past and likely it’s an anomaly but those tend to be the best don’t they?
Arriving in the Soviet Union with Lyudmila as his guide they go to meet Rodimitz. He’s an eccentric old coot that’s for sure but ya know what at his age he’s allowed to be. It seems Rodimitz was Chief Mechanic for the squadron the Hurri flew with and well this is really his story to tell. He starts his story not with glory but of war and the pain and hardship it causes just to emphasize just how the rigors of war worked. It’s effective and doesn’t paint a pretty picture but this was World War II nothing about it was pretty.
The Germans always seemed to be in the sky ever lurking and striking above Stalingrad. I will say throughout all this when we finally see the Hurricane in action it’s beautiful more so compared to the other aeroplanes. Garth can tell a War story like no other it’s almost as if they are in his blood a part of him aching to be told to the world to remind us what it was like, not glorified but full of grief, anguish and yes some successes. For every win there’s at least one loss to balance it out and it’s a stark reminder.
As we go towards the end of the issue and the tale is being told Rodimitz reveals a few things that should be very surprising and to Tony are. Yes I know this is a reboot but how many of us were ever familiar with the original material? It was a British comic and featured a aeroplane squadron based in Russia and it was made during the Cold War not something that would be immediately well known all things considered. Garth’s ability to tell a story in this genre is pretty much unrivaled and this resurrection of a character, a war and a mystery is one that promises to be utterly captivating.
Gritty, honest and brutal this story promises to engage the reader and keep them on the edge.