Raulo Cáceres

This is unlike any comic I can remember reading. It's basically a first-person monologue in comics form which was unsettling at first. But once I got used to it, I never thought about it again. The narrator, a 13th-century longbowman, walks us through the battle of Crécy, one of the first battles where longbowmen dominated over crossbows and calvary, and it's effects. The story, in typical Warren Ellis fashion, is unflinching, brutal, profane, but still Romantic. The art, by Raulo Caceres is lush black and white, and evokes the look of medieval woodcuts at times. Ellis brings a great deal of research to bear over a very short narrative and he does while providing the reader with a great deal of characterization and action. No easy feat.… (more)

Warren Ellis' Crécy takes the reader into the field on the side of the English during the Battle of Crécy (1346) in the Hundred Years' War. The narrator, an English long-bowman named William of Stonham, discusses many aspects of war and tactics with the reader during the English trek to Crécy. He briefly mentions the differences between the various English folk (Welsh, Cornish, Iceni, etc.) and his xenophobia is apparent. More interesting, however, is his education on warfare - how the long-bowmen came to be and their tools, methods and tactics. After all, the Battle of Crécy was one of the most important battles that revolutionized warfare.

Crécy is interesting, educational, humorous, and - perhaps most important - very gripping. Ellis has written a wonderful graphic novel and Raulo Caceres' illustrations are exactly what one would expect for the time period. Caceres is able to bring detailed, well-drawn illustrations to the story without being fancy. However, with how well-written and illustrated Crécy is, many readers may be left wanting as it is a very short volume (48 pages). But for a measly $6.99, this volume can't be beat.… (more)