issue #1 cover
Titan Comics is bringing back a classic as the first issue of Joe Haldeman’s six-part The Forever War series hits the shelves once again at your favorite comic store on Wednesday, February 15th, 2017.
The first novelized publication of the story was January 1975 from St. Martin’s Press and printed by a number of other publishers over the years. The Forever War went on to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards trifecta.
Beyond the book rendition and even a short stint on the Chicago theatrical stage (we’re still waiting for that big screen version), the story was eventually published as a graphic novel by Dutch publisher Dupuis with artwork by Marvano (Mark van Oppen) under the title De Eeuwige Oorlog; it was later translated for visual consumption in the United States by NBM Publishing.
Perhaps the most noted piece of work by the talented Belgian artist Marvano, The Forever War is still as visually stimulating as Haldeman’s classic war tale is culturally compelling. By reintroducing this stunning rendition, Titan Comics is allowing younger fans to enjoy the same artwork and storytelling that many (of us) older fans grew up on.
William Mandella is a member of an elite tactical team known as the United States Exploratory Force. This first-person account not only looks at the horrors of war, but the often-questioned practicality of warfare and the blind submission of subordinate soldiers to a higher command. Author Haldeman’s experience as a soldier in the Vietnam War played an obvious role in the graphic details of such a moving tale, but it is through Marvano’s artistic interpretation that readers get the full impact of future space travel and battling alien beings from the confines of bulky space suits.
The Forever War begins near the end of Mandella’s treacherous experience of military basic training, relying heavily on critical elements of backstory to get the reader caught up to speed. Spanning what equates to almost ten chapters of the original novelization, the first issue is a fast-paced introduction to a series that will progress over a total of six issues.
Until this story is made into a live action film, fans are left to rely on the timeless imagery of Marvano to tell the tale of Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War. This is a good thing.
