DARKIE’S MOB: THE SECRET WAR OF JOE DARKIE
TITAN BOOKS
Written by John Wagner
Art by Mike Western
Introduction by Garth Ennis
ISBN: 9781848564428
$22.95
REVIEWER: Sebastian Piccione
This hardcover volume of Wagner & Western’s WWII saga, DARKIE’S MOB, collects the entire series of strips from the British BATTLE PICTURES magazine from 1976. It’s hard stuff, I’ll tell you that right off. It doesn’t romanticize
war, in fact, if anything it depicts the utter horror and desperation of it.
Our story revolves around a group of British soldiers, fighting the Japanese, who are as good as dead until the mysterious Captain Joe Darkie shows up and assumes command. Darkie proceeds to redefine “tough love” as he turns these men into a savage group of guerilla warriors. For Darkie, the war with the Japanese is a personal one. I won’t tell you why Darkie is as he is, and does what he does, but suffice it to say, by the end of the book you will understand, if not fully condone, the zealous, single minded, fervor with which Darkie combats his enemies.
Captivatingly written by JUDGE DREDD co-creator John Wagner, and brilliantly illustrated by British legend Mike Western, this psychological war story is a welcome addition to any graphic novel library.
5 out of 5 stars.
