Today I purchased a copy of Warren Ellis’s Crécy at the local comic book store. Wow! What a great story! I've already been quite a fan of Warren Ellis. Planetary, Transmetropolitan and Ministry of Space are some of my favorite works of his.
In Crécy he tells the story of a 12,000 man English army decimating a 30,000 man army of French soldiers and Italian mercenarys at the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years War. The story is narrated by an English Longbowman who breaks down the "third wall" by speaking directly to the reader. I know, it sounds strange, but trust me when I say it works really well and is a very effective story telling device. Salty language of the period and fascinating tidbits about warfare in that era combine to provide a very entertaining and informative read about this battle that actually happened and, in the minds of many historians, completely changed the way war was waged after that.
The artwork of Raulo Caceres is absolutely lush and detailed and really creates an immersive atmosphere in which allows the reader to get a sense of the muck and misery that the characters have to put up with. His work is absolutely brilliant and I look forward to discovering more of his work.
Crécy is a one-off edition, a short graphic novel that I cannot recommend highly enough. If you do pick this up, don't rush through it, take your time and enjoy every bit of it. However, don't pick this one up for the kids, there are depictions of graphic warfare and quite a bit of cursing that may offend some, however there isn't really anything here that one couldn't see in an "R" rated movie.
Crécy should be available at most comic book stores, although you can most likely purchase it online if you can't find a copy locally.
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