Aces High: The 10 Best Air Ace Picture Library Comic Books Ever! - Softcover

Holland, Steve

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853757039 ISBN 13: 9781853757037

Publisher: Prion, 2010

Synopsis

First launched in 1958, the War Picture Library produced numerous battle stories, but perhaps their most popular were those featuring the adventures of the warriors of the air. The flyers were seen as the glamour boys of World War II—they handled the most sophisticated and technically advanced combat machines ever invented—and there was almost limitless scope to develop stories based around their exploits. The machines they flew—including fighters such as Spitfires, Hurricanes, Messerschmitts, Mustangs, and Zeros—were lovingly recreated by the finest artists. The 10 stories featured in this exciting collection include tales of a flak-blasted night sky over Germany and a twisting and turning Typhoon with a Focke-Wulf in its sights. The included images are reproduced 25 percent larger than in their original published form.

About this title

About the Author

Steve Holland is the author of more than a dozen books relating to comics and pulp culture, including Sci-Fi Art and The Trials of Hank Janson, nominated for the Silver Dagger Award by the Crime Writers Association.

From Publishers Weekly

With 10 tales of aerial derring-do spread across some 650 pages, Holland's compilation of Air Ace Picture Library comics will be a diverting read for aeronautics and history buffs or any fan of war comics. Originally published between 1960 and 1970, just as the sons and nephews of WWII veterans were hitting adolescence, Air Ace revisited the can-do spirit that kept Britain's pilots flying high despite the Axis onslaught. Although these selections cover different campaigns, aircraft, and military branches, the stories--which sport titles like "Fighter, Fighter!" "Whirlwind in the Sky," and "Teeth of Battle"--will all seem familiar to anyone who's seen Top Gun. A brash, talented young hotshot ignores his superiors and suffers one harrowing comeuppance after another until, having learned his lesson, he humbly embraces the team ethic and ends up saving the day. Rote narratives aside, the quality of the art and scripting varies widely from chapter to chapter, and although the artists are mentioned by name in Holland's introduction, there's no way of knowing who drew which pages. Luckily, even the worst-drawn panels include choice lines like, "You've got me all of a jelly!" and, "Bejabbers Sir! You're a real lad and make no mistake!" Tally ho, indeed.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Prion
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1853757039
• ISBN 13: 9781853757037
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 656