Putain de guerre! 1914-1919 (Goddamn This War! 1914-1919 ) by Jacques Tardi is published in French by Casterman. And for once you are in luck: Fantagraphics have published this OGN in English, so run to the shop now to read this masterpiece of historical fiction. Told from the point of view of a lone soldier parading through an endless array of horrific theatres of war, the artist’s straightforward narrative monologue and intuitive linework capture the essence of the senselessness and horror that was bestowed upon the common soldier. Putain de Guerre! looks to be Tardi’s final word on WWI. I prefer Tardi’s art in black and white though, and was not as taken with the coloring to be honest it comes off as artificial, especially on the bright paper on which the book is printed. The bright coloring uses a sort of washed-out look and utilises more and more graytones the longer the war goes on, with occasional bright splashes of red when the horror of warfare strikes. This approach gives a solid footing to the horrific proceedings the graphic novel chronicles. The figurework is deceptively cartoony, with figures parading around in quite loose but still realistic renderings of backgrounds, military vehicles and armory and uniforms. Historian Jean-Pierre Verney once more collaborates with Tardi to ensure historical accuracy, and the OGN that ensued is one of a horrific beauty.ĭrawn in his trademark style but with a looser line, this is Tardi at his roughest and most beautiful. This obsession goes back to his grandfather, who fought in the war, and the horrific stories his grandmother used to recount to a young Tardi about his experience, since the man himself was too shell-shocked to relive those experiences orally.

Originally published as serial chapters (one for each year of the war) in a newspaper-size tabloid format, the work sees Tardi once more stir up his demons about WWI. The cycle that started with C’était la Guerre des Tranchées ( It Was the War of the Trenches 1914-1918) finally reaches its conclusion with Putain de Guerre (published in English by Fantagraphics as Goddamn This War 1914-1919). In Putain de Guerre! (‘ Fucking War!’), he describes one lone soldier’s tour of duty from the beginning of the war to its end, in one long horrific monologue.

Legendary French artist Jacques Tardi’s obsession with World War I is drenched in the blood and horror that is visited upon the common soldier.

Goddamn This War! by Jacques Tardi