When I first saw this project solicited in Diamond's Previews catalog, it struck me that it looked a lot like one of Garth Ennis's War Stories, albeit with a supernatural bent. Now that I've read the first issue, I'd have to say that Tomasi seems to have been heavily influenced by Ennis's convincing storytelling style. The characterization here is strong, but Tomasi also taps into archetypes when assembling his cast of title characters. The unflinching artwork really adds a great deal of impact and tension to the story; Snejbjerg's dark leanings certainly suit the subject matterhere. Overall, this is solid storytelling.
December 1944, somewhere in Belgium. A brigade of 36 U.S. soldiers passes the time in foxholes, waiting for reinforces and replacements to reach them. Before their allies can arrive, though, a number of other forces hit the scene. First, there's hunger. Next, there's a German regiment armed to the teeth, numbering about six times the Americans' roster. And then there's something else, falling from above, not just from the sky, but from beyond this mortal existence altogether.
Snejbjerg handles the supernatural aspects of this story just as adeptly as he does the gruesome ones. He captures the power and ruthlessness of the fallen angels incredibly well. His style here put me in mind of Steve Dillon's work. It's a fitting comparison that mirrors the one I made about the writing. Dillon collaborated with Garth Ennis often on supernatural stories in Hellblazer and Preacher, and Snejbjerg and Tomasi's collaboration overall is reminiscent.
I don't know if this is the comics writing debut for Peter Tomasi -- who's better known contributions to the industry have been as an editor -- but if it is, it's a good one. I have to wonder how many people are going to see it, though. This material seems perfect for DC's Vertigo imprint and the built-in audience that follows that mature-readers line. Instead, though, it's published under the small umbrella as Action Comics and H-E-R-O. It doesn't seem to be a good match from publishing and marketing standpoints.
Tomasi includes a small element here that's bound to draw super-hero readers into the book. One character, Simon, is a rabid super-hero comics fan, and his child-like excitement about the genre is something we super-hero fans can recognize in ourselves or our past. Simon is our gateway into an almost alien world of armed conflict and sacrifice, and it was wise to introduce him and his familiar obsession on the fourth page.
The smartest thing about this script is Tomasi's choice not to follow the easy path. At first, I expected this would just be about a random platoon encountering a divine force, but a more ambitious plot took me by surprise. Tomasi throws predestination, Nazis that aren't what they seem and earthly agents of Heaven at us, and it makes for a more complex and more compelling story. Ultimately, it seems clear that this is going to be about Private Chris Stavros's own journey of faith, and that's a wise focus. But I appreciate the grander plotting at work here as well.
