Review: Enemy Ace: War in Heaven

Enemy Ace: War in Heaven was originally a two-issue mini-series published in 2001, but it was later collected in a trade paperback edition in 2003. The series written by Garth Ennis takes DC Comics classic Silver Age "villain" Enemy Ace [who was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert] character forward from his WWI era setting into 1942, and follows Hans Von Hammer, now 46 years old and living on his Bavarian family estate, has long since retired from the work that earned him the moniker The Hammer of Hell; and who as a German fighter pilot terrorized the European skies during the first World War. In this tale, Russia is fighting Germany and Adolf Hitler, when an old friend convinces Von Hammer to become a pilot again in order to train Germany's new fighter aces. The Enemy Ace, however, learns all to soon what he already suspected, the Germany for which he now fights is not the Germany of his youth.

Much could be said about Ennis decision to inject too much British sentiment into the staunchly German (as previously written) character of "Enemy Ace", who is presented as being strongly anti-Nazi throughout the volume, but it is the artwork that is the really stunning feature of the book. Fellow Brit Chris Weston's pencils, although aided and abetted by Christian Alamy and legendary talent Russ Heath, hearken back to the classic silver age war comics days of Joe Kubert and others in this stand-alone tale. Weston puts his all into every panel, and every single line and brushstroke dazzles the eye . He truly creates the proper sense of atmosphere, setting and mood with imaginative interpretations of aerial dogfights, duels, and gritty drama.