Empire Falls: Battle of Midway TP Steve White Richard Elson 1st pr Graphic History w/ Poster

Description

The Empire Falls: Battle of Midway (Graphic History) Paperback
by Steve White (Author), Richard Elson (Illustrator), Gary Erskine (Illustrator)

One of the most important naval battles in history, Midway marked a crucial turning point in the war in the Pacific. With a fleet that had dominated this theater since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese anticipated certain victory against the US forces. Outgunned and under strength, the US Navy nevertheless had superior intelligence that cracked the code well before the battle’s onset: the Japanese ambush did not come as a surprise. From July 4-7, 1942, the US dealt a devastating blow to the Imperial Japanese Fleet, sinking four irreplaceable aircraft carriers, and clearing the way for the island-hopping US counterattack. Characterized by espionage, daring, luck, and extreme heroism on both sides, the story of Midway is vividly retold in compelling graphic novel format. This book also includes eight pages of authoritative information, placing the battle in its historical context, describing the key players, and its build-up and aftermath.

Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

In October 2006 Osprey Publishing unveilied its ‘Graphic History’ line of historical comics. The first releases dealt with the battles of Gettysburg, Iwo Jima, Antietam, Shiloh and this volume.

It starts out with a good map and has four pages of text telling the history and context. Then the action begins.

This book shows and tells about the Battle of Midway. It shows the problems when aerial recon and communication are incorrect, it shows some mechanical misfunctions, and it shows how the enemy can be deceived. It shows sneak attacks, too. It really does a good job showing how fast and confusing battle is.

All of the planes are drawn very well. The book shows how the Japanese carrier Kaga was finally destroyed, and then shows the destruction of Akagi. Detailed look at this critical battle – the art is gritty and fits well with the narrative.

The Japanese empire does, indeed, fall in meticulous fashion. Writer Steve White covers the mostly six-panel pages with scrupulous narration. The story unfolds to the timeline often delineating the details by the minute.

The book begins with a prose introduction. The comic story reads like a novel relying on one form of story telling –– narration –– sprinkled with an average of one dialogue bubble per page.

For history aficionados the story is straight and uncluttered with no bothersome storytelling to the point the art adds nothing to the story that is not well covered in the text. From a historian’s perspective, this may be advantageous as it strips away any bias to allow for the history of the event to shine through.

THE EMPIRE FALLS is a fact-filled timeline of the Battle of Midway, down to the minute. Tactical information, a glossary, an introduction and an afterward provide an accurate picture of the battle that changed the war. It is perfectly at home in a history class as well as in the hands of the unquenchable history student.

Near mint, 1st print