Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy [Paperback]

i own both recent books (the other being "between a rock and a hard place"?) . all things are subjective , however , i feel this is the better of the two graphic novels . that may put me in the minority , but i feel the story is simply more meaningful and so well told . the art is , well...masterful . see what you think ?

Joe Kubert wrote and drew "The Prophecy;" it is a riveting story with great literary quality. Kubert avoids being trite in presenting the horrors of war, and keeps well away from glorifying war, but at the same time, shows the need, during WWII for people to defend themselves against tyranny and torture. It is a poignant story, filled with suspicious resistance fighters, traumatized war victims and enemy soldiers, that Easy Company encounters on a grueling mission, wherein they traverse, on foot, war torn and contested lands to deliver an important Jewish religious dignitary.

There are religious overtones, without being pedantic. The march is an amazing journey, a quest. There is action, as well as drama, and the scene where Easy Company is captured by a platoon of Germans, but is ultimately saved by Rock, is gripping. The scene, and story is underscored by Easy's pure confidence in Rock.

There are wonderful poignant scenes as Bulldozer, a big, gruff soldier, adopts a puppy and carries it in his shirt throughout the trek. Bulldozer caring for this little dog is a great device, and though it is time-worn, Kubert uses it very well. Soldiers die in this story, on both sides, with Kubert neither sugar coating the drama, nor exploiting it to make banal statements. The plot moves at a good clip, but retains a moody, noir quality. The mission drives the soldiers, and it drives the story, and Kubert is able to bring the reader along, through the muck, the snow, the danger, and the moments of lightness. You feel like you've been on a journey after you've read it.

Kubert's line and figure work have always been among the best in comics. He makes a tremendous use of blacks, shadow and silouette. The dark, grim, unshaven faces of the men, the intensity in their eyes, is all deepened by Kubert's use of blacks. The art is spare, at times, with powerful imagery, in other places it's detailed, giving the reader a scaffold to explore.

The comic is well colored - by hand, rather than by computer, so the color does not have that cold technical quality. The shadings are far more subtle than in a computer colored comic, so Kubert's illustration work and use of chiascuro creates depth, rather than using bold colorings to create depth that plague so many modern computer colored comics.

The violence in the comic is never gratuitous or gorey, but is used to ramp up the action, and as a backdrop for Kubert's concepts. Kubert explores different themes, about the nature of humanity; the cold suspicion and calculated approach to violence that is necessary in oppressed people's, who must use unconventional means to defeat a stronger enemy. The plight of Jews during WWII as they battled against prejudice, at the same time battling Nazism, and the holocaust. Kubert explores the strength of leadership, what qualities make a good leader, and how a solid leader can get a group of people to achieve beyond their limitations.

Kubert also explores the nature of faith, the power of truth, the importance one person can have in the fight for a cause. He explores the nature of respect for such people, and for faith, but still leaves the reader at the end to make her or his own conclusions.

I cannot recommend this work enough. And I was not much of a fan of war comics, but I have to say "The Prophecy" piqued my interest, and I have looked for more of Kubert's war work because of it. I came to Kubert through Tarzan and Tor, and some of his westerns, so "The Prophecy" really opened my mind to war comics as a valuable form, if handled well.

In 2003, Joe Kubert collaborated with co-writer Brian Azzarello on the superb graphic novel SGT. ROCK: BETWEEN HELL AND A HARD PLACE. For Kubert, it was a beautiful and welcome return to the character with which he is most closely associated, and I was left wanting more, more, more. I'm certain that Kubert had the best of intentions when he set out to fully write and illustrate SGT. ROCK: THE PROPHECY, but it is nowhere near the quality of the previous release. Never fear, the art is beautiful - at 80 years of age, Joe still has the touch. My concern is with the writing. Of course, THE PROPHECY couldn't read the same as its predecessor, as it was written not as a graphic novel, but as a six-issue limited series. Still, that's no reason for the problems present in this book.

The basic story features Sgt. Rock and the men of Easy Company on a mission to Lithuania in 1943. They are tasked with delivering a special item to Estonia, an item which could supposedly turn the tide of WWII; however, they quickly get more than they bargained for, and all the while running the line between the Germans and Russians. It's a pretty straightforward plot, but it's hampered by some major flaws with the writing. First, Azzarello should have been brought back on board as a co-writer. While Kubert is certainly an experienced writer, his dialogue and pacing in SGT. ROCK: THE PROPHECY are really rough. There's too much unnecessary talking, and the plot exposition is clumsy and repetitive. I can't see why Kubert thinks the reader would have such a hard time keeping track of what is going on. Sure, this was originally published as a monthly series, so some explanation and recap might be necessary, but there is such as thing as giving the reader too much help. Azzarello's assistance really could have smoothed this out. Even a little editorial control could have worked wonders.

Additionally, the story itself has too many holes and dead ends. It is revealed early on that the men of Easy Co. have no idea why they are parachuting into Lithuania, nor the purpose of their mission (cue clumsy plot exposition). When they finally arrive, Sgt. Rock admits that even HE doesn't know why they're there, trusting the entire mission to someone he's never met (cue MORE clumsy plot exposition). I could see Rock holding back a few details from his men, but to have the whole company parachute into unknown territory with no idea why? No way. The crew continues to take on more and more burdens as they head for an uncertain destination, and when they reach it, well... that's it. There's no explanation of how they affected anything. Easy Co. completes the mission, and onwards they go to more adventures. I understand the important message at the heart of Kubert's story, but the writing keeps it from making much of an impression.

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