Graphic novel about World War 2

So It Goes

I have a nephew interested in WW2 and I'd like to get him a graphic novel on that subject.

I'm aware of Maus but looking for something maybe more about the general events/battles if anyone has thoughts!

He's middle school age.

Iruka

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613678-showa-1944-1953

I've been planning to pick up this series for ages, and havent had a chance to. I've heard almost exclusively stellar things about it.

I'm not sure if you are looking for the war from a japanese perspective, so that might be difficult for a middle school age kid to deal with, and major caveats: since I havent read it I cannot speak to its appropriateness or content for the age range.

I've not really encountered a ton of comics that are about the era rather than loosely set in it as a backdrop for superheros and shit, I'll be taking note of what people recommend in this thread myself.

Skeith

http://www.pacifichistoricparksbookstore.org/journey-of-heroes-graphic-novel.html

This deals with the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regiment. It's only around 30 pages, but I'm not sure how much information students on the Mainland get about these guys (Japanese Americans who served in the war).

knitdan

There's an old DC title, Sgt. Rock. May have even gotten a recent reboot, although I don't know if it's age-appropriate. What little I've seen dealt with "small squad on an impossible mission" type stuff rather than the big picture.

Kruite

Does it need to be a graphic novel?

Band of Brothers, and A Helmet for my pillow were good books on the Europe and pacific theatres specifically.

kaliyama

I second getting an actual book.

Kruite

If you need a visual reference there was a really good illustrated book I had on the major battles of the European theatre. It will help peak his interested and give him a frame of reference when reading about the war; I need to see my parents library and look for it...

LaOs

So It Goes wrote: »

I have a nephew interested in WW2 and I'd like to get him a graphic novel on that subject.

I'm aware of Maus but looking for something maybe more about the general events/battles if anyone has thoughts!

He's middle school age.

Peter Panzerfaust for a mix of WWII and the Peter Pan tale, maybe?

Might not be what you're looking for, though.

TexiKen

Joe Kubert's Sgt. Rock series might be more GI Joe than you want, but there were two stand alone graphic novels he did later on in his life that were more realistic:

The Prophecy, which is very good and about Easy Company having to rescue a jewish man from Lithuania in order to shed light to the Allies on the holocaust (this was apparently based on a true story).

Between Hell & a Hard Place, much more gray in approach and is about german POWs being killed while under Easy's authority and the whole fog of war/who are the good guys type thing (it was co-written with Brian Azzarello who is 50/50 with me so your mileage may vary)

Kruite

Great Battles of World War II
by John MacDonald (Author)
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Battles-World-War-II/dp/0785830979

This looks like the one I'm thinking of.

Other good books on the western theatre are the 3 by Rick Atkinson

The Day of Battle (Sicily and Italian campaigns; not many people know about this part of the war. May want to wait until he's older as this covers some of the worst battles outside the Pacific Theatre)

An Army At Dawn (African Campaign. A good read to destroy the rose colored glasses of American propaganda.)

The Guns At Last Night (Western Europe: Have not read this one, but considering his other two works I assume its good)

So It Goes

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Echo

Eh, might as well throw this into the mix. It's only tangentially about WW2 in that it starts during that era, but I really enjoyed David Brin's The Life Eaters.

kaliyama

Echo wrote: »

Eh, might as well throw this into the mix. It's only tangentially about WW2 in that it starts during that era, but I really enjoyed David Brin's The Life Eaters.

Seems like junior should learn actual history before sci-if alternate history, no?

Bogart

Garth Ennis had an occasional series called War Stories that was usually about WWII but sometimes veered into other wars. The issues were all self-contained stories with a different artist (one was about a panzer crew retreating from Russia, one was about a platoon of GIs relaxing in a liberated chateaux, one was about a convoy escort ship, etc). The collected editions are worth picking up.

Garth Ennis has done quite a few limited series about WWII, and I don't remember reading a duff one.

Prisca

Another nomination for Garth Ennis' Battlefields and War Stories series.

WiseManTobes

Peter Panzerfaust is about Peter Pan and the lost boys if they were soldiers in WW2 it's really good ( has been coming out a little slow lately, but there's a full volume 1 available)
edit: added image

V1m

So It Goes wrote: »

I have a nephew interested in WW2 and I'd like to get him a graphic novel on that subject.

I'm aware of Maus but looking for something maybe more about the general events/battles if anyone has thoughts!

He's middle school age.

Probably too young for Spike Milligan war diaries, alas, but you might enjoy them.

DaMoonRulz

I read Raspberry One in middle school