Warren Ellis: Crécy

[jlroberson.insanejournal.com]

Not exactly Simon Schama...

From one of my favorite GNs of the past few years, Warren Ellis and Raulo Caceres' Crécy from Avatar/Apparat.

I have posted my favorite pages, but to remain under the limit they're not consecutive mostly. Afraid you'll just have to read the whole thing after this, and it's still in print so do that.



A few words about arrowheads. And the Welsh.



And because the French would not allow commoners in the army and got unprepared mercenaries instead, and because the English had an army of trained commoner longbowmen, this happened. After the battle, we tie off loose ends, and learn the origin of a certain English gesture.


The reason for the gesture was that when archers were caught, those fingers were cut off. It was proof you could still fire an arrow.
All story and artwork (c)2007 Warren Ellis and Raulo Caceres

Comments

[greenmask.insanejournal.com]

I thought that gesture meaning 'har har i can still shoot' was debunked?

But whatever it means.. it is still so very satisfying when in use.

I've been thinking of getting my sister this book for her birthday, so thanks for the scans! I can ponder in more detail.

[sherkahn.insanejournal.com]

This was impressive. And informative.

There is a great myth / story told by Robert Wuhl in "Assume the Position 201" on HBO, a documentary about history told to a college class. the section was Truths and Myths.

I am horribly paraphrasing,so forgive me: Turns out that when the English archers taunted the French across the battle field, that gave them the middle finger, indicating that even though their provisions were low, they were stlll free to rain down holy hell on top of them. Still able to "pluck" the strings, and "pluck" you. And of course the French misinterpreted what they heard and it turned into the words we know today.

....

....


And then Wuhl went and popped everyone's bubble by stating he had made that all up, as an example of how great spin doctors can change history and make things sound plausible and believable but still disinformation. And then Wuhl compared it to the stories of the news of today. It was great.

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

Anyone looking for info on the above should check out "The face of battle" (section on Agincourt)by John Keagen. :)

[dr_hermes.insanejournal.com]

(http://pics.livejournal.com/dr_hermes/pic/0020015b/)

[balbaroy.insanejournal.com]

I enjoyed this, but it feels like I'm reading some 1950's comic named something life GREAT BATTLES OF HISTORY dubbed over by Ryan North (http://www.qwantz.com/index.php).

[red_cyclone.insanejournal.com]

Ok, so I know what I'm getting on my next trip to a comic shop.
Not only was this awesome, the art! The art is so beautiful, it works perfectly, but the best thing is the faces, like the fact that the children in the family actually look like a mix between what is preseumably their parents, amazing.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_dante_sparda_/ (from insanejournal.com)]

omg, I need a copy of this NOW. Screw that, I need two copies. This deserves to be lent out in order to hook unsuspecting vic- er, readers immediately.

[kitty_tc_69.insanejournal.com]

Regarding the opening panel, while it may be true that swords were smeared with excrement (I don't know if that's the case or not), the intent to cause infection cannot possibly have anything to do with it. In those days there was no conception of what infection was, or that cleanliness or not had anything to do with it. Illnesses were ascribed to all sorts of mystic nonsense, including demons and the disfavor of God, and were often treated by bleeding.

It wouldn't be for a few more centuries until microorganisms would be discovered, and their role in infection and the effect of cleanliness on infection become understood. Even when these things were discovered, it took time for them to become accepted and prior beliefs to fall by the wayside.