It’s zero dark thirty, May 17, 1945, three weeks before D-Day. Two British commandos have come ashore on a Normandy beach to survey mine!elds and map paths up into the French countryside. “e mission is as textbook as any covert operation can be, at least until something spooks the German sentries, who start !ring blindly… Read more

Anyone with a pet can attest to the bond a person can gain with an animal – sometimes better bonds than with other humans to be honest. We care for, nurture, and raise our pets to offer companionship, and give us a sense of fulfillment in our lives. Imagine extending that feeling to an animal… Read more

Author Ben Towie published the graphic novel “Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat” in 2021. He has published five works. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘G’. This book looks at the relationship between animals and the military over the ages. Some… Read more

As I have studied military history for decades, I have often come across stories of how animals were used during human conflicts. The carrier pigeons used to carry messages during World War I and other wars are an example. First-hand accounts of training dolphins for the navy were shared with me by relatives who were… Read more

Dead Reckoning is an imprint of the Naval Institute Press dedicated to graphic novels and focused on military history and biography. That’s specialized, but this latest release has the potential to greatly expand their readership. Who can resist stories of brave animals? Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat contains short pieces about various creatures who’ve fought… Read more

Ben Towle is the creator of this young adult-friendly graphic novel. Focused on animals and how they have served various nations in combat, it chronicles how thousands of years ago there were elephants in wars and all the way to today carrier pigeons have been used when technology has failed. There are individual chapters that… Read more

I’m not sure what the title, Four-Fisted Tales, refers to, but despite its puzzling name, it is a real gem. As you can tell from the more straightforward subtitle, the subject of this book is animals in combat. Not only does the content explore a lesser-known aspect of military history, but the variety of animals… Read more

Great stuff to check out this week – Allan Harvey, Allan Harvey Restoration, Atlas at War, The Colourist Perspective, Bomb Scares KS, Tribute Press Hoodie, Wits End Podcast, The Evil Deer, This Land KS, Murder #2, Killtopia #4, The Thin Blue Line, Bomb Scares KS, Camp VE 07, John Tucker, Little Troopers Charity, The Six Sidekicks of… Read more

Creator Ben Towles toes (no pun) a very tight line with Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat. How do you do a graphic novel about war animals in 2021? If I had to guess the target audience—like professionally, which is an odd flex for me but Animals is excellent for reluctant readers—but the target audience it’s… Read more

21:17. Time to talk about writing once more, and this week the gang is joined by Chris Mole (Brigantia) to discuss the role of research for comic ideas, scripts, mythical lore, pagan deities, fisto, ice hockey and writing mysteries in comics! Theres also great comics to add to your wish lists, laughs, Danny Dyer talk… Read more