We looked at J for Jenny some time back, and I mentioned I'd be keeping an eye out for Archangels, but instead I found two others! Today we have from 2003, War Story: Condors, written by Garth Ennis, art by Carlos Ezquerra.
This one is set during the third year of the Spanish Civil War, a historical period I remember getting exactly zero coverage in any history classes I've ever taken. (I've never been a history major, but still.) During a battle, four soldiers separated from their units take shelter from the shelling in a foxhole: a German pilot, an Irish fascist, an English socialist, and a Spanish Republican. Without weapons, or knowing which side was even winning, they're left with an uneasy truce; and pass the time with their stories.
The German, growing up in brutal poverty post-World War I, had no desire to become a soldier after his father was left an armless wreck; but takes to flying, something only possible for him in the "new Germany." Apolitical, he turns a blind eye to Hitler and Germany's atrocities, only wanting to fly: to his credit, he does seem to fight as fairly as he could. The Englishman had lost his father in WWI, and swore if he ever went to war, it would be for something good: he takes to Marxism, and finds that being a soldier "...is not a million miles away from socialism."
The Irishman, a murderous triggerman, might have the most interesting story: he was part of the Irish Brigade, volunteers fighting for the church and against communism. They were not the most effective fighting force in history, and are not remembered fondly. The Spaniard was a survivor of Guernica, when the Luftwaffe bombed the city. Historical accounts vary, but the rendition here is terrifying. He describes the other three as vultures in his country, or condors.
Later that night, when the shelling stops, the men go their separate ways, with the Spaniard noting "I guarantee you this: not one of us has learned a single thing today." They can't even change each others' minds, let alone change the world. Each takes off running...except the Irishman, who grabs a gun and hops back in the hole. Another bad decision in a lifetime full of them. (Ennis has taken the piss out of the Irish many, many times over the course of his career.) The story ends with an accounting of the men's fates, which are about as bleak as you'd expect. This one felt dark, even for Ennis; and also features the 10th Annual Wizard Fan Award ballot, which seems about as out of place as a porn star in a convent.
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