Arrowsmith vol. 2: Behind Enemy Lines

Vol. 1 of “Arrowsmith” was a well-done melding of high fantasy and World War I tropes.  Predictable as Fletcher Arrowsmith’s introductions to the horrors of the Great War were, they still felt fresh thanks to the smart worldbuilding from writer Kurt Busiek and slick art from Carlos Pacheco.  Vol. 2 continues the fine work from both creators as we get another spin on a familiar war story:  The top-secret mission undertaken behind enemy lines.  Fletcher’s latest mission appears to go quite terribly as he winds up captured and sent to an enemy prison camp.  Appearances can be deceiving as this was all part of Albion’s plan to connect him with one of their agents on a secret mission that involves working with the rock trolls.  Seasoned as he is to what men and monsters are capable of during wartime, Fletcher soon finds out that he has a lot to learn about the world itself and the magic that flows through it.

“Behind Enemy Lines” is an easy recommendation to anyone who read and enjoyed the first volume, with one major caveat.  Pacheco’s art is still very much on form as his storytelling is clear and he’s more than capable of managing this fusion of fantasy and WWI-era stylization.  Busiek’s work is even more impressive than before as he continues the trend of solid worldbuilding that keeps the familiar war story tropes feeling fresh while making this into a more fully-realized fantasy world.  There’s a lot of exposition to that end, but it goes down smooth as there’s always a feeling that it’s here only to further the advancement of the main plot, which takes on a more epic scale by the volume’s end.

Unfortunately, that leads into the major caveat I mentioned and it’s a tragic one.  This would be the fact that Carlos Pacheco recently announced his retirement from the comics industry due to complications from ALS.  I’ve enjoyed seeing his work for literal decades – since “Excalibur” back in the 90’s – so it’s sad to see his career cut short like this.  Making it worse is the fact that his retirement means that a follow-up volume to “Arrowsmith” is likely going to be a long way off as a result.  That’s disappointing, but it’s no reason to not read either of the volumes that are out now.  I can’t think of a better way to show your appreciation for Pacheco’s work than to pick up both volumes and immerse yourself in the well-told story that he and Busiek have delivered so far.