Description

If you do the incredible often enough, they’ll want you to do the impossible.”

Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy began the Second World War with fast, modern torpedo bombers that could devastate enemy warships and merchantmen at will. Britain’s Royal Navy squadrons went to war equipped with the Fairey Swordfish.

A biplane in an age of monoplanes, the Swordfish was underpowered and undergunned; an obsolete museum piece, an embarrassment. Its crews fully expected to be shot from the skies. Instead, they flew the ancient Stringbag into legend.

Writer Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys, War Stories) and artist PJ Holden (Battlefields, World of Tanks) present the story of the men who crewed the Swordfish: from their triumphs against the Italian Fleet at Taranto and the mighty German battleship Bismarck in the mid-Atlantic, to the deadly challenge of the Channel Dash in the bleak winter waters of their homeland. They lived as they flew, without a second to lose- and the greatest tributes to their courage would come from the enemy who strove to kill them.

Based on the true story of the Royal Navy’s Swordfish crews, The Stringbags is an epic tale of young men facing death in an aircraft almost out of time.

Publisher Review

"An epic tribute to little-known heroes, featuring frenzied depictions of midair combat by Holden." - Library Journal (starred review) "A real corker of a war comic, this expertly balances research, amusement, and stirring emotion." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This may be the best war comic to come out in years." - ICv2: The Business of Geek Culture "The Stringbags is even better than I'd hoped.... Each part of Stringbags has text exposition, giving historical context, sometimes bridging between scenes; it's great text too. Ennis writes history with a mix of enthusiasm and flair--he takes it seriously, explaining his creative choices with facts in the afterword (because he too seems to recognize the potential of the project)--so even as you wait to find out what's happening to the heroes, you don't really want the lecture to end. Ennis is concise and fact-filled, with an intention of making those facts count not fill.... It's fiction with straight non-fiction tangents. It's awesome." - The Stop Button "I really enjoyed the artwork in The Stringbags.... It was a delight to read all the way through. If you're a fan of Garth Ennis or if you're simply a war history buff, I highly recommend you pick up this graphic novel!" - CoolComicReviews.com "A reserve crew in a hopelessly outdated biplane attacking the might of a battleship convoy in the early days of World War II. The Stringbags is, like the best well-researched military history, delivered with genuine heart, something Garth Ennis excels at. A gripping underdog tale filled with spectacle and tragedy, featuring career-best art from PJ Holden." - Rob Williams, author of Judge Dredd and Unfollow "The Stringbags artfully meshes fiction into a factual narrative, bringing to life the story of an oft-overlooked combat force in WWII. An entertaining read, even to those who are already aware of the Swordfish's wartime feats." - Nick Moran, AKA 'The Chieftain' "The art of storytelling lies in drawing readers in, making them hungry to know what comes next. The Stringbags has that in abundance. Intending merely to take an exploratory glance, I couldn't stop reading. A fascinating, engaging and well-researched script that you'd expect from Garth Ennis augmented by admirably clear and atmospheric art from PJ Holden, beautifully coloured by Kelly Fitzpatrick. Highly recommended for lovers of damn good stories." - John Wagner, co-creator of Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog "The Stringbags is a triumphant graphic novel about World War II heroism." - Foreword Reviews