The Virgin Read: As Surprised As You, Dearest Billy

Battlefields: Dear Billy # 1
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Peter Snejberg & Rob Steen
Published by Dynamite

There is one word that comes immediately to my mind to describe this comic, and that word is poignant.  That first picture is a stark one, and if ever a picture was worth a thousand words, this one is.  Or even just worth the horror of one word: rape.  Spoken in silence. 

I enjoyed reading this comic.  I liked that it was told in a solidly linear fashion.  That's not to say that it doesn’t jump a bit in time, but when it does it’s in the context of a story being told in the present.   It has been a while since I’ve read a comic that just seems to naturally pour forth a story.  But for you to understand why I, your Virgin Reader, liked this comic book, I think I’ve got to confess a number of things.  And this is confession, so yes: that means some of these may not be things you want to know.  That's how true confession works, by the way:  if all you do is tell happy secrets, than all you've done is recreate the script to Say Anything and pretended that was you being an adult.  Confession hurts...or it should, at least. 

Confession #1:
I LOVE historical fiction, social history, and all those historically based mini-series.

Yep.  I watched all seven parts of John Adams.  I still remember watching North and South and I believe this whole love affair began way back when I watched Roots with my family.  In some instances I enjoy what I’m learning.  But that's only a part of it--the love comes from being transported to a time and/or place and seeing it brought to life before me, so that I can see what they were wearing, how they were behaving, how they were living.  For instance, I loved in John Adams when George Washington referred to trouble with his wooden teeth.  Remember that from third grade?  Washington actually had wooden teeth. The President!  Tooth decay was one hell of an issue back then, huh?  On a daily basis, wood, in your mouth, chewing your food...weird.

Okay, I made my point, right?  I love this stuff.  Here in Dear Billy, I'm being transported to a war, dumped into a situation that I can’t even imagine--that's really cool.  Best of all, these two people, our main characters, have survived horrific circumstances.  There's something to them, I'm not questioning "Why are these people my tour guides for this trip?"  Knowing that--knowing them, so quickly--makes visiting this piece of horrible history a little more enjoyable.  And this comic answers for me a question I'll always have--what was it like during World War II?  What was it like to be with people like this, people of such high character?  What was it like to fall in love with someone who was fighting in the war?  To be fighting one of your own, at the same time?

Confession #2:
Billy Don’t Be a Hero was my favorite song at age 3, and I still love it.

So, you know, obviously the title of this comic, Dear Billy intrigued me.  (Yes, I know now that “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” was a song written in protest of the war.)  Whatever it was , it did its thing on my three-year-old self.  I cried every time I heard it.  I loved that song for the story.  I loved how much Billy’s fiance loved him.  I remember barely understanding why she would say “Billy, keep your hand low” (oh, oh…). But you'd follow the whole thing until the end, when the music changed tempo: “I heard his fiance got a letter, that told how Billy died that day. The letter said that ‘he was a hero” – she ‘should be proud he died that way.’  I heard she threw the letter….away.”  Oh.  Oh god, that still gets me.  Look, I've said it before, and when it hits me, I'll say it every time: I’m a sucker for story.  Even in movies, the acting can suck, but if I dig the story or the time it’s transporting me to, then I still love it, it's that simple, I'm sorry if you don't share it, but that's me, it's that simple.  And right here?  A comic book about Billy the fighter pilot of WWII, and his love-interest Nurse.  And his love interest is the lead character?  How could I NOT like this comic book?  (How can YOU not like it?  I mean, I don't want to start a fight, but really:  if you don't like this thing...why?  I can't see that happening.)

Confession #3:
I love the hits of Barry Manilow.

This has nothing to do with anything…but since I’m confessing, and I was just talking about music. I figured I’d let this one out since I just saw him on television.  If I didn’t have a wedding to go to on Valentine’s Day – I’d drag my husband (or my husbands body, because he made it clear that was the only option) to the Nassau Colosseum to see Barry.  Totally.  No, I don't know how much tickets are.  It doesn't matter.

Confession #4:
I identify with stories written from a female’s point of view.

All right, it’s not much of a confession.  But I need to stick to my framework here, and I’ve got something to say.  I like this character.  I like that, yes, she’s apparently strong.  But I love that she is human (at least, so far), and flawed.   I love that she admits that she’d become a nurse, not to “serve or save” but to see the world.  She knew she’d get to see the East that way, so sure:  be a nurse.  Whatever.  Now she’s survived something horrific, and serving others is what leads her to Billy and to whatever will happen next to lend itself to this romantic cover of the two kissing in front of a full moon.  But that--that human aspect--that's the cool part.  She’s not some crazy super hero chick who is all boobs and butt and bitchiness.  And she’s not just another guy walking around dressed up inside a drawing of a girl.  She’s a woman.  As complex and flawed as any human, man or woman can be.  I like that.  I like that a whole lot.

Confession #5:
I loved British accents until I worked on a cruise ship.

One of the few things I had a problem with was some of the comic's British lingo.  It felt a little over the top.  It seemed almost stereotypical, to a point that a British person might even feel offended--like "Oi, we don't all talk that way, bugger me Richard, Bob's your uncle!"  Of course, then I realized that my judgment?  It's a little clouded.  I, like most Americans at one time or another, once loved the British accent.  I wanted to be around people who had them.   I thought any guy who had one was automatically hot, despite his horrible teeth and paste-like flesh.  But then--oh, then--I worked on a cruise ship. It was one of the smallest ships in the Carnival Fleet (the T.S.S. Carnivale), and although the entertainment was American, most of the other staff was British.  The beauty salon and spa, the casino, the duty free shop, the doctor and even the exterminator were all British.  And that was really cool, because they were mostly guys, and they had accents, and...I don't know, fill it in, you creep.  And this one chap, whose name escaped me, asked me "out.”  (We were on a ship, so there really wasn’t anywhere to go, but the motions never change.)  Nevertheless…he asked me out.   I said yes.  And either the day before or the day after our date, I saw him up on deck, lying out in the sun.  His commitment to that act was the first thing to put me off--that whole.  Ugh.  Second thing was what I refer to as, the Wienie Bikini.  (What some call "The Banana Hammock.") 

Yeah. Yikes.  Speedo time.  High cut, tiny, speedo.  And like that:  poof.  There goes a dream.  I wasn’t just turned off to him by this.  I was turned off everything related to British men.  Seriously.  So….that may have some bearing on why I found some of the language in this comic a little silly and repellent. That’s all I’m sayin’.  Does this make me a horrible person?  No.  I mean, it's not a mark in my favor, but...

Confession #6:
I love the book Forever by Peter Hamill!

What has this to do with anything, you ask?  Well, that book started off as just another, well, work of historical fiction.  I loved it from the beginning--and then suddenly it turned magical.  The horse could fly. The main character stayed alive for over several hundred years.  At the first moment when it changed into that, I didn’t like it, but I got used to the convention of magic being used in the story, and I loved it.

In this comic book, I don’t really think that either of these characters could have truly survived what happened to them.  She was shot up by machine gun fire.  He was stabbed 19 times with bayonets.  And both of them were left for hours.  Clearly, yes, the fact that they both suffered such atrocities is what will be part of their bond.  But I detect, too, the opening, possibly, maybe (hopefully?) for a little magic in the story.  Not super hero powers or that kind of thing.  But just a little bit of magic, the kind of magic we all experience a little bit of when we find our mate.

Confession #7:
I’m not wearing a bra right now.

Just thought I’d spice up the review for all those who google searched “Virgin” and ended up here, which from what I've heard?  Happens a lot.  Let your imagination run wild!  (Yeah….like that person even read 2 words of this review!)

To wrap up, let me just mention that I loved the art.  Subtle moments of thought and connection are illustrated, and yet the comic book still looks like a comic.  The drawing of all the dead bodies inside the aid station is so well done.  The positioning of the bodies showing them flopped and bent in ways that would not be comfortable if a person was alive was the surest way that I knew every single soldier was dead, immediately.  I loved, too, that the whole picture is soaked red ink.  The meaning is clear.  We know they are all gone, and that Billy was alone.

So my final confession?  I have to know what happens next.  I want to see what she does in that Japanese soldier’s hospital room, and I want to know if Billy will be okay and if they’ll see each other again....because, of course, I want them to!  “Billy, don’t be a hero….”

-Nina Stone, 2009

Comments

[Richard]

Great review. This was really a fantastic book.

[Kenny]

OK, I'm going to see your confessions and raise your pot by contributing my embarrassing confessions:

1) I'm a true virgin. Virgin as in "I've never had sex." People can draw whatever conclusion they want, I don't care. I'm saving myself for marriage. Believe it, don't believe it, don't care.

2) I'm smarter than I let on, but not as smart as I secretly think I am.

3) I still care about the welfare and happiness of every woman I've ever dated.

4) I honestly didn't care about my appearance in high school. I used to have shaggy 70's hair, big glasses, and I wore superhero t-shirts.

5) I'm a sucker for Neal Diamond written songs. I'll sing along to them with as much gusto as I can every time I hear them.

6) I like professional wrestling. I know it's juvenile and superficially silly, but I enjoy the drama and I enjoy watching young people pursue a foolish dream with passion.

There! Whew! That felt better! I'm sure some babymen haters will take that info and reply to everything I say on-line with, "Your opinion doesn't matter because you admitted you're a virgin!" Hey, have at it guys.

[Matthew J. Brady]

Hey, Nina, have I mentioned that I really, really like your writing? Because this is a great example of how good you are; funny, insightful, and perfectly fitting with the spirit of the site. I always say this, but keep it up.

Me, I'm looking forward to reading this at some point (along with Night Witches, which I assume Tucker has informed you about), because I love Garth Ennis' war comics. Now you've just got me more excited about it. And in case you didn't know already, Ennis is Irish, so his use of British slang is at least partly authentic, but probably also partly a bit jokily stereotypical. It's kind of one of his standard things.

[Matthew J. Brady]

Hmm, typepad apparently ate my comment, but I was giving mad props to Nina for some good writing. Well done, ma'am.

And I also expressed excitement at eventually reading this comic, because I love Garth Ennis war comics. And if Tucker hasn't told you about Night Witches, you might be interested in that one too. Also, Garth Ennis gets some leeway on British accents because he's Irish, and I think he uses them half-authentically, and half-jokingly. That's sort of one of his things.

Damn, I hate trying to re-type comments from memory. It sounded better the first time.

[Matthew J. Brady]

Well, now I look silly.

[Kenny]

That's because you are silly, Matt! You and your "This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher!" How dare you disclose when someone sends you something to review? lol

Now I feel silly about my confessions! I was just trying to play along with the spirit of the review, but it looks like I'm the only one!

[janna]

Good review, Nina!

You have a point about the dialog. I just dismissed it as dated because slang changes over the decades. But it could be “Mayberry Syndrome”, where the dialog is a little over the top for comedic purposes. Also Billy’s dialog could be annoyingly cheerful to cover up how messed up he is.

Well I better confess something to stick with the theme: My mom gave me money to buy food, because I’m really broke at the moment, and I used it to buy stocks in various financial organizations.

[david brothers]

I just finished this one, and I pretty much agree with you wholeheartedly. Ennis is at his best when he's doing character stuff.

[nina]

Hey Matt, Kenny and Janna -- I just want to thank ya'll for all the comments and compliments. It means a lot to me.

Kenny, I love that you "ante upped" with confessions of your own. And the actual confessions are fantastic. Your honesty is impressive.

Janna -- I think you're confession is really interesting. I mean, I think your parents might even be proud of you for that one.

And anyone else want to join the confession game? Come on! It'll make you feel good....
:)

[nina]

Oh David! I didn't mean to leave you out of the Thank You. I'd accidentally deleted your name in my attempt to edit my comments.
So, a personal thank you to you for reading and commenting. !!

[Matthew J. Brady]

Sorry, Kenny, I couldn't think of any good confessions. How about, "I'm not wearing a bra right now either"?

[Ben Stone]

Hmmm.

I confess that I have exaggerated so many of my stories that I don't have any idea what the truth to these stories even is. Like when Tucker and I fed pepper and various spices to an infant that we were babysitting. Did I do it? Did tucker do it? Did it even happen?

[Tucker Stone]

Best comment ever, ben stone.

[nina]

So, what about the microwaved cat?
Or the "euthanized" hamster?
Any possibility that any part of those stories aren't true?

(Please, God, please, let those stories not be true....)

:)