Above the Dreamless Dead

Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics by Chris Duffy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I admit that I don't read a lot of poetry: I usually have to read it aloud or in my head, so it's slow going. Also, I have a fear of not getting The Point based on years of missing the fact that the tree in Stanza 11 represented the writer's angst about his lover's shoes during literature courses. Thus, I was a little reticent going into Above the Dreamless Dead (FYI, I received an e-galley from the publisher for free). But the combination of the graphics and the poetry, instead of adding a layer of obfuscation and interpretation, helped clarify the authors' intent and bring it to lifhee for me.

The verse here comes from the "trench poets" of World War I, with a few popular songs of the era thrown in. Appearing in time for the 100th anniversary of the formal start of the war, the book depicts the horror of what many consider the first modern war: the squalor in the trenches, the horror of gas attacks, the gallows humor of the troops, and the lasting aftermath for those who survived. The black-and-white artwork complements the poetry well rather than drawing too much attention; it's simultaneously beautiful and horrible. Artists' notes at the end of the book provide insight into why certain design elements were incorporated or why a particular style was chosen. (I missed these until after I'd gone through the poems, so I'll have to re-read the book; I'll probably get the print version so I can move back and forth between the notes and the poems more easily.)

AtDD is a great example of how graphic art and words can be paired to create a work that is greater than the sum of its parts.






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