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REVIEW: Children of the Grave GN (Full Color Edition)
Children of the Grave GN (Full Color Edition)
Review by Dave Baxter, posted January 27, 2008
Words: Tom Waltz
Pencils: Casey Maloney
Inks: Casey Maloney
Colors: Jon Alderink
Publisher: IDW Publishing/Charlie Foxtrot Entertainment
Price: $19.99
When Children of the Grave first hit in 2003, a four-issue black-and-white mini from a new “publisher” (read: the writer) called Shooting Star Comics, it was met with a louder rumble of interest than most books receive after years of self-publication. The reason for the attention was self-evident: the art was good, which meant the ads were good (and the creators shelled out some serious cash to procure prominent placement inside Diamond’s Previews, month after month), and the subject matter was compelling—war in the Middle East spiced by an obvious though ingeniously undefined horror element, hinted at by both the zombie children sprinkled about the advertisements and, of course, the book’s title itself. Undead kids, war in an inhospitable land, an army unit of American protagonists…but…what exactly was it all about?
No one quite knew, but war and supernatural horror coupled by above-average art and a kick-ass title were enough to convince a small army of retailers to give the book a shot. Needless to say, the damn thing sold like hotcakes, at least for a black-and-white indy of the time, and both Waltz and Maloney were noticed by the industry at large. Fast forward to today and Waltz is now an editor at IDW Publishing, with Maloney still his co-patriot in crime on Gene Simmons’ Zipper and the occasional short showcased in the same imprint’s House of Horrors. What better way for IDW to celebrate the mainstream success of these two rising stars (now under their employ) than by giving their inaugural work a pro graphic novel collection? Well, one better way: give it a second, full color collection soon after!
In partnership with Charlie Foxtrot Entertainment—a new company dedicated to creating military fiction that honors and respects the spirit of the U.S. armed forces—Waltz and Maloney’s little self-published masterpiece is now saturated in glorious, foreboding, and haunting hues by CFE’s own Jon Alderink. This new edition also includes the never before collected eight-page short (Waltz and Maloney’s first collaboration) “Ghosts of the Past”, starring the super-powered vigilante Catalyst, a costumed man with a veteran’s past. Between this and the main story looking more eye-catching than ever, Children of the Grave is well worth the repeat purchase. Just look for the incredibly apt Ashley Wood cover and you’ll know you’re gripping the right one.
Though what about the story itself? Tom Waltz is a writer in the same camp (and situation) as Christos N. Gage, Keith Giffen, and Beau Smith; he’s a phenomenal writer, but not flashy, rarely ever controversial, and therefore forever underrated. His plotting is natural, and in that sense, unpredictable. Characters and actions move to the beat of the needs of the characters and the story’s elements. There’s never a feeling that it all gets away from Waltz, but neither does it feel constrained or contrived. Even more impressive, he’s is one of the very, very few number of living individuals that can write a serious, contemporary war comic and not have it sound cliché, pat, or outright silly.
There are writers skilled in crafting blackly humorous war stories (Garth Ennis), or the period war fable (Ennis again, and Jason Aaron), and there’re uncountable number of campier, old-school flavored war comics like G.I. Joe, Specwar, Lost Squad, and G.I. Spy. But few can write a straight-up, real life war story with believable characters, believable events, and even toss in unbelievable ingredients and yet have such surrealism enhance the solemnity of the story’s core. The horror in Children of the Grave is real; but it’s small; but it’s also essential. The characters on both side of the battle’s divide are treated with an intelligent care, and yet the story is still largely and adventurous one, high in action and high in dramatic effect.
The breakdown: a three-man U.S. army unit is sent to investigate rumors that one Colonel Akbar Assan, a ruthless Stinwanese military leader, has been murdering Kilwanese
children en masse. But the Americans find only empty child-sized graves, though this bizarre find is sufficient, it seems, for the U.S. brass to send new orders: find and assassinate the Colonel. What follows is a slow and almost Western-style movement through desert landscapes, gunfights and moments of unreal horror abounding. Though the book is far from slow. It’s difficult to describe Waltz’s unique blend of careful character study and pulp friction-fast activity without it sounding contradictory, but somehow, Waltz does utilize both, and he does it well.
For example, in one scene near the end, one of the three American soldiers has an at-length conversation with his dead mother—a dense, tug-at-the-ol’-heartstrings bit—and then he leaps from out behind his makeshift cover, a gun in each hand blazing, and shouts: “For my mama you mother f***ers!” That’s about as classic an 80’s action-hero line as it gets, but it works. That moment is, by and large, worth the price of admission alone.
And lest I get too caught up in super-sizing Waltz’s ego, the art by Casey Maloney, still today, after all these years, stands as extraordinary, especially for what was originally an independent release. The characters are tough-as-nails, natural heroes and villains, while maintaining a sincere humanity rarely encountered inside comics. The details are real, the expressions, the body language, the composition (again I refer to the “For my mama you…!” moment, as Maloney’s rendition of it is exquisite). The horror is properly disturbing and the soft-spoken moments nuanced. To put it succinctly, he’s a gifted man, and he manages Waltz’s scripts gorgeously.
This full-color Children of the Grave graphic novel is just the first IDW/Charlie Foxtrot team-up, with two more original GN’s to come: Finding Peace and City of Fire. If either of those is half what Children proved to be, CFE may just become the mainstream military-focused entertainment group we thought we’d never actually see: a trustworthy, high-quality one. I know I’ll be keeping my eye on them after this.
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