Synopses & Reviews
Blazing Combatwas an American war-comics magazine published by Warren Publishing from 1965 to 1966. Written and edited by Archie Goodwin, with artwork by such industry notables as Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Russ Heath, Reed Crandall, and Wally Wood, it featured war stories in both contemporary and period settings, unified by a humanistic theme of the personal costs of war, rather than by traditional men's adventure motifs. As one letter-writer in the third issue put it, “Do you seriously expect to make money with a war magazine that publishes nothing but anti-war stories?”
While most stories took place during World War II, they ranged in settings from the 18th century to the present-day. Some dealt with historical figures, such as Revolutionary War general Benedict Arnold and his pre-traitorous victory at the battle of Saratoga, while “Foragers” focused on a fictional soldier in General William T. Sherman’s devastating March to the Sea during the American Civil War. “Holding Action,” set on the last day of the Korean War, ended with a gung-ho young soldier, unwilling to quit, being escorted over his protests into a medical vehicle.
What proved to be the most controversial were stories set during the then-contemporary Vietnam War, particularly the classic short “Landscape,” which follows the thoughts of a Vietnamese peasant rice-farmer devoid of ideology, who nonetheless pays the ultimate price simply for living where he does. While writer Goodwin evenhandedly portrays the North Vietnamese Army’s brutal summary executions of village officials, and a well-meaning U.S. Army fatally bludgeoning its way through the village in a counterattack, the story caused key distributors to stop selling the title.
Fantagraphics is proud to present a deluxe, hardcover edition, magnificently printed and bound, of these stories, superbly reproduced from the original printer's film negatives.
Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award: (Best Archival Collection/Project: Comic Books).
Review
"This book is why Fantagraphics is one of the best and most important comic publishers in the business today. ... This is a brilliant collection of stories that should be required reading. Intelligent, gripping stories and fantastic art!
Review
"For lovers of great art, lovingly rendered in black and white and gray ink wash..., this is as good as it gets... This is one collection of war comics that even those not inclined to care about the genre can appreciate, and now it’s more affordable than ever." Mania
Review
"[T]he artistry on display is… mind-boggling, particularly in the case of Crandall, Heath and Severin… The creators clearly had a real love for this kind of material, so much so that I wish things had tipped slightly in their favor a bit more." Johnny Bacardi Popdose
Review
"I think it's healthy for adolescent boys to have access to well-written, well-drawn comics about war, as long as the comics in question constantly pound home the message that war is futile, stupid and contemptible." Josh West Comicsphere
Review
"[A]n amazing collection of… stories… written by the outstanding Archie Goodwin… throw in some of the most amazing art, all of it sharply and expertly reproduced, and you’ve got some real dynamite here. ... And there’s fantastic bonus features." Douglas Wolk TIME/Techland - "Ten Comics That Should Run Forever"
Review
"[A]mong the high points of 1960s comics, and this handsome collection is one of the most welcome reprint volumes of the last few years." Tom McLean Bags and Boards
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"Like many of the best reprint projects... this republication of the four-issue Warren war magazine features work that you can't easily buy anywhere else, is historically significant and offers its buyers a lot of very good comics... Blazing Combat is simply a handsome, well-presented selection of very good comics that for having them around we're all a bit richer as comics readers. I'm glad it's here." Robert Martin The Comics Journal
Review
"[One of] the... best collections of 2009..., bringing all the issues of Warren magazine's short-lived war comic under one cover, written (mostly) by Archie Goodwin and drawn by some of the finest artists of the '60s..." Tom Spurgeon The Comics Reporter
Review
"There was a time when War Comics told War Fact. They showed us the blood, death, camaraderie and horror. [Blazing Combat] did just that and didn't hold back." Chris Marshall Collected Comics Library
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"Probably the best war comic ever published." Chris Marshall Forbidden Planet International
Review
"...Jacques Tardi returns to the world of guns, crime, betrayal and bloodshed with this stunning, grisly, and remarkably faithful interpretation of Manchette's last completed crime thriller." Josh West
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"...[T]here was a time when a [war] comic mag got down right truthful.... was an anthology comic that showed the very dark and very real side of war.... It's a who's-who of monster talent..." Comicsphere
Synopsis
Blazing Combat ended after its fourth issue when military post exchanges refused to sell the title due to their perception that it was an anti-war comic. Their hostility was fueled by the depiction of the then-current Vietnam War, especially a story entitled Landscape, which follows the thoughts of a simple Vietnamese peasant rice-farmer who pays the ultimate price simply for living where he does and which was considered anti-war agit-prop by the more hawkish members of the business community. Writer Archie Goodwin and the original publisher James Warren discuss the death ofBlazing Combat and market censorship as well as the creative gestation of the series in exclusive interviews. Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award: (Best Archival Collection/Project: Comic Books). "
Synopsis
A comic-book classic with timely resonance:
Blazing Combat was an American war-comics magazine published by Warren Publishing from 1965 to 1966. Written and edited by Archie Goodwin, with artwork by such industry notables as Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Russ Heath, Reed Crandall, and Wally Wood, it featured war stories in both contemporary and period settings, unified by a humanistic theme of the personal costs of war, rather than by traditional men's adventure motifs. What proved to be the most controversial were stories set during the then-contemporary Vietnam War; one such story caused key distributors to stop selling the title. Fantagraphics is proud to present a softcover edition of the sold-out hardcover, magnificently printed and bound, of these stories, superbly reproduced from the original printer's film negatives.
Synopsis
The legendary anti-war comic, now in paperback.
Synopsis
Written by Archie Goodwin and drawn by such luminaries as Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, John Severin, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Russ Heath, Reed Crandall, and Gene Colan, was originally published by independent comics publisher James Warren in 1965 and '66. Following in the tradition of Harvey Kurtzman's and , Goodwin's stories reflected the human realities and personal costs of war rather than exploiting the cliche´s of the traditional men's adventure genre. They were among the best comics stories about war ever published. ended after its fourth issue when military post exchanges refused to sell the title due to their perception that it was an anti-war comic. Their hostility was fueled by the depiction of the then-current Vietnam War, especially a story entitled "Landscape," which follows the thoughts of a simple Vietnamese peasant rice-farmer who pays the ultimate price simply for living where he does--and which was considered anti-war agit-prop by the more hawkish members of the business community. Writer Archie Goodwin and the original publisher James Warren discuss the death of and market censorship as well as the creative gestation of the series in exclusive interviews. Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award: (Best Archival Collection/Project: Comic Books).
Synopsis
Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award: the legendary anti-war comic.
About the Author
Archie Goodwin was an important comic book writer and editor for Warren, DC, and Marvel. He was born in 1937 and died in 1998.