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If you do the incredible often enough, they’ll want you to do the impossible.
Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy began World War II with 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 torpedo bomber in an age of monoplanes, the Swordfish was underpowered and under-gunned; 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 and artist PJ Holden 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 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.
Nick Moran, AKA “The Chieftain” wrote:“A reserve crew in a hopelessly outdated biplane attacking the might of a battleship convoy in the early days of World War Two. 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.”
John Wagner, co-creator of Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog wrote:“The Stringbags artfully meshes fiction into a factual narrative, bringing to life the story of an oft-overlooked combat force in WW2. An entertaining read, even to those who are already aware of the Swordfish’s wartime feats”
CoolComicReviews.com wrote:“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.”
The Stop Button wrote:“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!”
“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.”