Towards the climax of the issue, a scene depicts two rockets being launched either side of Mandella’s base. There are parts of the book where this ‘over-panelling’ is more effective, fortunately. Marvano uses newscaster storytelling to inform the reader of world’s past events – much like the classic western comic “The Dark Knight Returns.” When used here, however, it feels unoriginal and clutters the page with a generous number of panels. There’s a few slower scenes here too, unfortunately, that feel like unavoidable products of the era. The overall diversity of race with the story cast seems to lend to Marvano’s influences as an artist too – we see hints of Katsuhiro Otomo (“Akira”) as much as we do Moebius (“The Incal”). There are some fun classroom sequences to begin with, showcasing Marvano’s excellent, realistic character work. The sequence happens with minimal dialogue, and is a great way to open up the issue.įrom here, however, the pacing overall become a little slower and unpleasant as we’re filled in on the setting and backstory of the world. Marvano draws an eerily beautiful scene in which Bovanovitch’s headless body is floating away into the dark void of space, her bloody streaming through space in a rich, delicate pattern. The initial sequence introduces us to protagonist William Mandella and his crew, yet we’re immediately thrown a harrowing scene in which crewmate Bovanovitch is decapitated by a friendly explosion. There are great moments within this issue that wouldn’t suggest prose adaptation – Marvano has given us a masterclass here in visual storytelling that some modern creators still struggle to grasp. A lot of the story elements, from xenophobia to cold reality of war, are just as relevant today, almost to the point where one could say Haldeman provided a fictional 21st century not unlike our own. Haldeman gives us a great analogue of his experiences in the Vietnam War through the lens of an intergalactic race war. The original story is a classic sci-fi, with a lot of grounded elements to balance it out. Storywise, if you’ve read the original novel, you’ll obviously know what’s going down. It’s a remarkable feat to have a comic that is almost 30 years old feel as fresh as something written today, and Marvano, as a creator and adaptor, has done just that. Although the art and storytelling may not comfortably fit in with most modern comics, it certainly didn’t feel like a slog to read or to look at. An epic SF war story spanning space and time, The Forever War explores one soldier’s experience caught up in the brutal machinery of a war that reaches across the stars.įirstly, the thing I found most interesting about this series is that I only realised it was a product of the ‘80s until about halfway through. The visionary Hugo and Nebula Award-winning SF tale by Joe Haldeman is beautifully realised in full color by the legendary artist Marvano.
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