Dead Reckoning will bring you three new graphic novels in Fall 2021. First up is Four-Fisted Tales by four-time Eisner-nominated cartoonist Ben Towle, which tells the story of how animals have been used to fight in the trenches, jungles, and deserts of the world’s battlefields. Next, The Jewish Brigade by Marvano follows how the Jewish Infantry Brigade Group came to fight against and hunt down Nazis who sought to murder them and their families. Last, but not least, James D. Hornfischer along with Doug Murray and Steven Sanders bring The Last Stand of The Tin Can Sailors. Outgunned and outnumbered, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors brings to life the New York Times bestseller on the Battle off Samar where a small American task force fought to turn back an overwhelming Japanese force at Leyte Gulf.
Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat
By Ben Towle
978-1-68247-416-7 | August 18, 2021
Paperback | $24.95
In virtually every military conflict in recorded history animals have fought—and often died—alongside their human counterparts. While countless stories of the men and women who’ve served in the trenches, jungles, and deserts of the world’s battlefields have been told, Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat shares the stories of the animals who fought alongside them.
From Hannibal’s elephants in ancient Rome to mine-sniffing rats in Vietnam and everything in between, Four-Fisted Tales highlights the real-life contributions of these underappreciated animal warriors. Whether in active combat or simply as companions, these animals served and made their mark on history.
Ben Towle is a four-time Eisner-nominated cartoonist. His previous works include Oyster War; Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean (with Sarah Stewart Taylor), which received accolades from The New York Times and Publishers Weekly and was a Junior Library Guild selection; Midnight Sun; and Farewell, Georgia.
The Jewish Brigade
By Marvano
978-1-68247-723-6 | September 15, 2021
Paperback | $24.95
In the waning years of World War II, as the tragic plight of the European Jews was coming to light in ever more horrific detail, a Jewish fighting force, known as the Jewish Infantry Brigade Group, was born as part of the British Eighth Army. Leslie Toliver, a racecar driver in the pre-war years, eagerly joined the all-volunteer force for a chance to fight with his people against those who sought to murder them.
Born in Belgium, Marvano, started out as an interior designer. Years later, he began an alternate career as an illustrator, eventually becoming editor-in-chief of the magazine Kuifje, then managing the comics department of Flemish publisher Den Gulden Engel. All the while he published his own comics and went on to write and illustrate dozens of graphic novels over decades, most notably adapting Joe Halderman’s famous novel The Forever War.
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s Finest Hour
By James D. Hornfischer; Adapted by Doug Murray; Drawn by Steven Sanders; Colored by Matt Soffe; Lettered by Rob Steen
978-1-68247-338-2 | October 20, 2021
Hardcover | $29.95
Adapted from the naval history classic and New York Times bestseller, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors pieces together the action of the Battle off Samar, bringing to life a riveting story of heroism against daunting odds, duty, and sacrifice in a way never seen before.
James D. Hornfischer’s gripping account of the battle, based on declassified documents as well as extensive interviews with veterans, is acclaimed as one of the most compelling works of naval history ever published. Hornfischer’s awards include the 2018 Samuel Eliot Morison Award, given by the Board of Trustees of the USS Constitution Museum.
Doug Murray is a comic book writer and novelist. He served as a non-commissioned officer in the Army in Vietnam and was the main writer on the popular comic book series The ‘Nam, published by Marvel Comics.
Steven Sanders is an illustrator. His work has appeared in the distinguished SPECTRUM anthology and has drawn a number of comics for Marvel and Image Comics.
