Comics Review: SARA by Garth Ennis

SARA Trade Paperback (TKO Studios, December 2018) Written by Garth Ennis (Punisher, Preacher, The Boys). Drawn by Steve Epting (Captain America, Velvet). Colored by Elizabeth Breitweiser (Batman, Outcast, Kill Or Be Killed). Letters by Rob Steen.  Collects Sara #1-6. www.tkopresents.com

   Among his many talents, Garth Ennis is a student of warfare, particularly the battles of World War II. He’s written many war comics for various publishers, of varying quality and interest. Sometimes his penchant for sharing details and specifics gets the best of him and bogs down the story. That is not the case with SARA, a compelling fictionalized account of female snipers used by Russia against the Nazi invasion. The character of Sara is loosely based on a famous female sniper credited with 300 kills.

   While the storyline follows the movements of a seven woman squad assigned to the cold Siberian frontlines the main focus is on Sara, whose family was killed by Nazis. That tragic event prompted her enlistment and determination to kill as many German soldiers as possible. 

   SARA is one of the debut books from TKO Studios, a new publisher bypassing the standard distribution model and selling directly to the public and comic shops. They also make their series available all at once, in either a boxed set of single issues or a trade paperback collection. The trade paperback is oversized, 1/2” wider and 1” taller than standard format. This provides for somewhat larger panels for better appreciation of the art, which in this case is exceptional. The books are also printed on matte paper, which reduces the normal glare from glossier pages. 

  The story jumps back and forth from past to present, revealing short insights into Sara’s character as well as the treatment of female snipers by the Soviet Army. In spite of their valuable contributions to the war effort, their accomplishments were downplayed, often uncredited, unless it would benefit the government propaganda. In spite of the frequent flashback scenes, the story moves forward at a rapid pace. As word of the sniper’s accomplishments circulates among the German troops, a Nazi expert sniper is dispatched to take Sara’s squad down.  The latter part of the book features a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game between Russian and German snipers. 

   Sara is rather impersonal and single-minded in her personal mission and this doesn’t create as empathetic a character as she could be.  I understand why Ennis decided to focus on the action upfront and share the more emotional issues through the short flashback scenes, the dialogue between the snipers, and occasional narration by Sara (done through captions).  However, I feel he missed an opportunity to tell an even more interesting story.  I’d like to know more about Sara rather than hinted at, as well as the other members of her squad. 

  However, this is a fascinating read that most will begin and go straight through to the ending. Worth the time spent.

RATING SYSTEM

 STORY: Suspenseful, sad, and tragic. 3 POINTS.

ART:    Steve Epting’s photo-realistic art style is perfect for this story. The winter combat scenes are amazing. 3 POINTS

COVER: Simple and effective. You know its’ a war comic as soon as you view the image of the solitary female sniper.  2 POINTS

READ AGAIN?  Of all of Ennis’ war comics output, I would recommend this over everything he’s done , including my former favorite - - “NIght Witches” (Russian women in air combat). 1 POINT.

RECOMMEND? War is always emotional, and comics provide a good outlet to tell compelling stories.  1 POINT

TOTAL RATING: 10 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 10 POINTS. PERFECT. DON’T OVERLOOK THIS.