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If you know anything of World War Two,or you want to know,this two-volume set is a must have to add to your library.No,there are no battles to see or learn about or long winded dissertations on this general or that leader.Instead it is a most pleasant excursion into what it is like to be in the military/battle from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier.Let's make it clear,the author of these "excursions" was first and foremost a soldier like every other,except he had a talent,a prediliction if you will,to see the humour in the world about him.Thankfully others saw his talents also and let him engage them and us with his comments on the human condition through his remarkable series of cartoons.This set is in two volumes and the first one contains an opening mini-bio of Mauldin by Todd Depastino, who also wrote a more detailed biography in "Life Up Front",a few years ago.This sets the tone and gives you a nice heads up on the man himself and what is to come.Volume one says it goes from 1940-1943 but technically it starts in 1938 and one cartoon from Mauldin's high school days.The material through to late 1940 are cartoons he did for "Arizona Highways".From then on it's miltary life all the way; basic training until shipping overseas in late 1943.Volume Two picks up where One left off in late 1943 where he is in North Africa.He then moves into Europe via Italy and France where it ends mid-to late 1945 as the troops re-enter civilian life.As the author points out in the beginning these cartoons are all the ones of this period that they have been able to find.There may be more that surface in the future and those will be included in any amended editions.What we have here however is an overwhelmingly fantastic and unique collection of cartoons that are not to be missed,with some extremely rare items conatined herein.Each volume measures 10"X8"x1 1/4".Each front and back cover are covered in khaki green with the feel of real material.Each one has printing designed to look military in appearance and Volume one features an embossed picture of one of Mauldins' most famous characters Willie on the cover,while Volume Two has his famous counterpart Joe.The big slipcase that both these volumes fit into are likewise khaki green with that same real material feel and military look and have embossed on the front cover both Willie and Joe.There were many writers and cartoonists throughout WW2 that brought home the realities of the serviceman and their struggles within and without that most terrible conflict.Bill Mauldin was a most notable standout in the cartoon dpeartment while his counterpart in the writing department could be said to be Ernie Pyle.Reading any of these men's works will give you more understanding of the realities of war than 100 volumes by anyone else.As an aside,Mauldin upon hearing of Pyle's death in the Pacific published a very poignant cartoon in his honour,which is reprinted in this set.Speaking of reprinting,I mentioned in my past review of the reprint edition of Mauldin's popular war time book "Up Front",that I found some of the cartoons reprinted in there to be less than accurate in detail when compared to the original volume(which I also possess).I said also that I was looking forward to seeing and comparing the original "Up Front" with THIS set to see if the accuracy was maintained here.And I can tell you that from what I can tell it happily has; it has passed the litmus test with flying colours.My comparison benchmark was a cartoon with Joe(Pg77,Vol#2) standing in front of a little girl readying for chow,with small pail in her hand looking up at him.The reprint "Up Front" took away the scratches and his bedraggled appearance thus reducing the punch and effect.The reprint in this set darkens the cartoon while thankfully keeping everything else as it should.The publishers,Fantagraphic books in Seattle,Washington,should be VERY proud of the job they have done here in their reprinting of Mauldin's historic works along with author Todd DePastino.The set is precious for its' historic value concerning both WW2 and the art of cartooning.It is a must have for all collectors of these genres and without reservations deserves an honoured place in their libraries.
As a child I remember seeing some reprinted in LIFE and LOOK magazine, and probably remember some from the Korean War as well. World War II as seen through the eyes of its most famous onsite chronicler, who used pencil and pen rather than videocamera. Bill Mauldin spoke for the GIs of the period in his sensitive and often biting cartoons that depicted the lives of the foot soldiers and conditions on the ground. So this is a fine and representative collection of that period -- a visual journal, if you will. Interesting reading and looking at.
Volume 1 shows his early amateur efforts at political comment and stateside camp life. 2 are perfected, thanks to his own critical nature and his readily apparent personal motivation to excel at his craft. Volume 2 shows the mature Mauldin, battle experienced, and champion of the enlisted foot soldier. His drawing and scripts in Vol. The few editorials by him and a minimum of footnotes give insight into his non-conformist chip-on-the-shoulder attitude, but his cartoons show such empathy for the enlisted infantryman that fortunately wise commanders (not George Patton)understood the morale benefit to allowing him great latitude in criticizing the officer corps and civilian leadership. This set cries out for a second collection, his work after his long delayed return to political cartooning.
Willie & Joe: The WWII Years collection is a must for any history fans. Mauldin had a sense of humor that made the men in uniform come alive.
There's no better way to wrap up a reading of World War II histories than to peruse the vivid combat art (and satire) of Bill Mauldin. But his stuff stands on its own after more than 60 years. This edition takes you from his training camp to VE Day and slightly beyond. I was hoping for more explanations of each cartoon, but unfortunately even the names of some of the publications have disappeared. Priceless.
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