Шарлидің соғысы: Бірінші дүниежүзілік соғыстың комиксі

Кіріспе

Британдық комикс, АҚШ конгрессмені Чарли Уилсонға (Тексас штатының саясаткері) қатысты кітап және фильм.

«Чарли соғысы» – Пэт Миллс жазған және Джо Колкхун салған Бірінші дүниежүзілік соғыс туралы британдық комикс. Алғаш рет 1979 жылдың қаңтарынан 1986 жылдың қазанына дейін «Battle Picture Weekly» журналында жарияланды. Оқиғаның кейінгі бөлімдері Ресей азамат соғысын қамтыды (соның ішінде Скотт Гудолл жазған екінші дүниежүзілік соғыстың басындағы эпизодтар), бірақ Пэт Миллс Чарлидің оқиғасы Бірінші дүниежүзілік соғыстың соңымен аяқталуы керек екенін айтты, және бұл «Titan Comics» баспасынан шыққан жинақтарда көрсетілген.

Баспа тарихы

Эндрю Харрисон "британдық комикстердің ең ұлысы" деп атаған "Шарлидің соғысы" кітабында кәмелетке толмаған британдық сарбаз Чарли Борнның тарихы айтылады. Чарли 16 жасында Бірінші дүниежүзілік соғыс кезінде британдық армияға қосылады, жасын жалғандап, офицерлерге 18-де екенін айтады (олар Чарлидің өтінішінде 1900 жылғы туған күні көрсетілгенін ескермейді) және тез Сомма шайқасына ілігеді. Комикс Чарлидің окоптардағы өмірін және соғыс кезіндегі тәжірибесін көрсетеді. Колкхун Миллс ұсынған, бұрыннан жақсы зерттелген сценарийлерді мұқият зерделейді. Комикс соғыстың қасіреттерін өте шыншыл бейнелеуден көбінесе тартынбайды, сондықтан кейінірек қайта басылғанда кейбір суреттер цензураланады. Миллс британдық соғыс комикстерінде кездеспейтін саяси көзқарас қосып, соғыс комикстерінде жиі кездесетін стандартты батырлықтан аулақ тұрады. Чарлидің соғыстағы тәжірибесін көрсетуден бөлек, комикс бірнеше жаққа бұрылып, назарын уақытша түрлі орындардағы және кезеңдердегі кейіпкерлерге аударады. Бірінші және ең сәтті бұрылыс – 1916 жылы Верденде олармен бірге шайқасқан француз шетелдік легионындағы британдық сарбаз "Көк" туралы оқиға. Ол дезертирлік жасап, Англияға оралады (онда ол Чарлимен кездеседі). Тағы бір ауытқу – 1918 жылдың басында Чарлидің кіші інісі Уилфтің Корольдік әуе корпусындағы бақылаушы/пулеметші ретіндегі тәжірибесі. Соңғы және ең сәтсіз бұрылыс – Чарлидің туысы Джек Борнның Корольдік теңіз флотындағы теңізші және оның кемесі HMS Kent-тің 1914 жылғы Фолкленд шайқасына қатысу тарихы. Бұрынғы бұрылыстардан айырмашылығы, бұл жаңа өзгеріс оқырмандардан жағымсыз пікір алды және "Баттл" редакторы Миллске сюжетті Чарлиге, окопқа қайтаруды бұйырды, бұл Миллстің көңілін қалдырды, ол бастапқыда Джек туралы әңгімені 1916 жылғы Ютландия шайқасына дейін жалғастыруды жоспарлаған еді. Комикс Чарлидің соғыс аяқталғанға дейін және 1919 жылы Ресейге басып кіруге дейін оқиғасын баяндайды. Алайда 1985 жылдың қаңтарында Миллс зерттеу бюджетіне байланысты дауға байланысты комикстен бас тартады (оның ниеті 1933 жылы Чарлидің жұмыссыз қалған күйде, Гитлер Германияның канцлері болып сайланғанда аяқталуы керек еді). Миллстің орнын Скотт Гудолл басады, ал оқиға Екінші дүниежүзілік соғысқа ауыстырылып, дәстүрлі соғыс оқиғаларына айналады. Алайда, серия Екінші дүниежүзілік соғыстың басында аяқталады, Чарли Дюнкерктен (ұлымен бірге) сәтті эвакуацияланғаннан кейін, ол енді сарбаздыққа тым ескі екенін түсінеді. Оқиға оның қалай сарбаз болғанын ойлап, "Battle Picture Weekly" журналында қайта жарияланып, комикс тоқтағанға дейін жалғасады. Шындығында, "Шарлидің соғысының" аяқталуы Джо Колкхунның денсаулығының нашарлауына байланысты болды, бұл комикстің бірнеше аптаға кешіктірілуіне әкелді. Джоға деген құрметтің жолы болғандықтан, басқа суретшіні шақыру туралы сөз болмады, және оны жай ғана аяқтаған дұрыс деп шешті. 1988 жылы "Баттл" комиксі "Игл" комиксіне біріктірілді, ол "Шарлидің соғысын" қайта басыла бастады, ол комикстің негізгі бөлігіне айналды. 1990 жылға қарай сюжет 1917 жылға және Чарлидің санитар ретіндегі уақытына жетті, бірақ комикс жаңарып, жолақтар тоқтатылуға жақын болғандықтан, комикс Бірінші дүниежүзілік соғыстың аяқталуына және Чарлидің капитан Снеллмен қақтығысының аяқталуына дейін жылдамдатылды. "Шарлидің соғысының" эпизодтары "Judge Dredd Megazine" журналында қайта басылды (#211–244, 2003–2006). Бірінші дүниежүзілік соғыс эпизодтары 2004 және 2013 жылдар аралығында Titan Books басылымымен он графикалық романға жинақталды. Rebellion's Treasury of British Comics басылымы 2018 жылы графикалық романның жаңа сериясын бастады. "Шарлидің соғысы" BBC Four арнасындағы Comics Britannia бағдарламасының екінші бөлімінде, "Жігіттер мен қыздар" бағдарламасында көрсетілді. "Шарлидің соғысы" Франциядағы Музей де ла Гранде Гер де Пейс де Мео мұражайында (16 қазан 2014 – 4 қаңтар 2015 жж.) көрсетілді.

Described by Andrew Harrison as "the greatest British comic strip ever created", Charley's War tells the story of an underage British soldier called Charley Bourne. Charley joins the British Army during World War I at the age of 16, having lied about his age and told the recruiting officers that he was 18 (they conveniently overlook the fact that Charley gives his date of birth on his application form as 1900), and is quickly thrust into the Battle of the Somme. The strip follows Charley's life in the trenches and his experiences during the war. Colquhoun put a meticulous level of research into the already well researched scripts which Mills provided. The strip rarely flinched from providing an extremely frank portrayal of the horrors of war, so much so that in some later reprintings some of the artwork was censored. Mills added a political slant in the strip not seen in British war comics and avoided the standard heroics common in war comics generally. In addition to depicting Charley's own experiences of the war, the comic took the risk of going off on several tangents, temporarily shifting the focus to characters in different locations and time periods. The first and most successful tangent was the story of 'Blue', a British soldier in the French Foreign Legion who fought with them at Verdun in 1916 before deserting and making his way back to England (where he meets Charley). Another diversion was when the storyline turned to Charley's younger brother Wilf and his experiences as an observer/gunner in the Royal Flying Corps in early 1918. The final and least successful tangent was the story of Charley's cousin Jack Bourne, a sailor in the Royal Navy and the story of his ship HMS Kent and its participation in the Battle of the Falklands in 1914. Unlike the previous diversions, this new change of setting received poor feedback from readers and the editor of Battle ordered Mills to return the storyline to Charley in the trenches, much to Mills' disappointment who had originally planned to continue Jack's story on into the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The strip followed Charley through to the end of the war and through into the invasion of Russia in 1919. However, in January 1985, Mills quit the strip before being able to complete the story (he intended the story to end in 1933, with Charley on the dole as Hitler is made Chancellor of Germany) due to a dispute over his research budget. Mills was replaced by Scott Goodall and the story was moved to the Second World War and became a more conventional war adventure strip. However, the series ended in the early part of the Second World War after Charley is one of the lucky ones successfully evacuated from Dunkirk (along with his son), realising he is too old for soldiering any more. The story ends with him wondering how he came to become a soldier in the first place, leading into a re run of the strip within Battle Picture Weekly until that comic folded. In reality, the ending of Charley's War was down to the poor health of Joe Colquhoun, which had already caused the strip to be delayed several weeks. Out of respect for Joe, there was no question of getting another artist to take over production, and it was felt best to simply draw it to a close. In 1988, Battle was folded into Eagle, which also began reprinting Charley's War, which became one of the mainstays of the title. By 1990, the storyline had reached 1917 and Charley's time as a stretcher bearer, but with the comic about to be revamped and most of the strips about to be dropped, the title skipped ahead to the conclusion of the First World War and the end of Charley's conflict with Captain Snell in order to give it some conclusion. Episodes of Charley's War were reprinted in the Judge Dredd Megazine (#211–244, in 2003–2006). The First World War episodes were collected in ten graphic novels by Titan Books between 2004 and 2013. Rebellion's Treasury of British Comics imprint began a new series of graphic novels in 2018. Charley's War was featured in "Boys and Girls", the second programme of Comics Britannia on BBC Four. Charley's War was the subject of a display dispersed around the Musée de la Grande Guerre du Pays de Meaux in France (from 16 October 2014 to 4 January 2015).

Сюжеттің қысқаша мазмұны

June–December 1916. Sixteen year old Charley Bourne from East End of London enlists in the British Army. He arrives on the Western Front in France shortly before the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. His platoon is commanded by Lt Thomas and Sgt 'Ole Bill' Tozer and private Ginger Jones becomes Charley's best mate. Participates in the opening day of the Somme on 1 July. The platoon suffers heavy losses. Charley witnesses the last British Cavalry charge and takes part in the combat debut of the new Tanks. Guilt-stricken veteran Lonely sacrifices himself to expose the location of a German ambush. Lt Thomas saves the platoon by withdrawing without orders and he is arrested and executed for cowardice. Charley and Weeper Watkins endure harsh field punishment for refusing to join Thomas' firing squad. Ginger is killed by a random shell. Oiley Oliver arrives but does not last long, escaping via a self-inflicted injury. The German 'Judgement Troopers' led by the ruthless Colonel Zeiss stage a counter attack, penetrating deep into the British lines and nearly wiping out Charley's platoon but their success is halted by the German high command's refusal to give Zeiss reinforcements. Charley is wounded by a stray shell. January–March 1917. Charley recuperates in hospital and has a spell of leave in London. Discovers Oiley's criminal activities. Charley rescues his mother from a munitions factory during a Zeppelin raid. Encounters deserter Blue and aids his escape after the latter tells him of his experiences with the French Foreign Legion at the Battle of Verdun. April–May 1917. Charley returns to the Western Front where Cpt Snell (who he encountered as a lieutenant during the Somme) is now his commander. Snell is a ruthless leader who does not care about the welfare of his men. Charley becomes Snell's batman for a short period. A burly veteran Grogan bullies a bookwormish newcomer Scholar and other conscripts. Charley intervenes and he and Grogan eventually fight but the latter is accidentally killed when a discarded shell he picked up to throw at Charley turns out to be live and explodes in his hand. Weeper is wounded and later deserts. During a march to the rear in fierce heat, Sgt Tozer passes out with exhaustion and Snell demotes him to private. June–July 1917. Snell volunteers the platoon to become miners to plant underground explosives under the German trenches. One of the men, Budgie, is a conscientious objector and Charley defends him from abuse by others. Charley and several of his comrades narrowly survive a cave in and they break into and destroy a German tunnel. An increasingly pompous Scholar wrangles a transfer away to officer training and Charley begins to regret having helped him. The huge mine that the platoon has set beneath the German lines fails to detonate and an enraged Snell accuses Budgie of sabotage and shoots him dead. Charley follows Snell into the tunnels, intending to kill the latter but another soldier with the same plan gets there before him. In the shootout that follows, Snell is struck in the head by a ricochet and sent away in a coma. August–September 1917. Charley's unit takes part in the Battle of Third Ypres. Charley finds and rescues his wounded brother Wilf who has joined up under age by assuming the identity of a deserter (in a scheme arranged by Oiley). The unit is sent to the training camp at Etaples to prepare for the next great offensive. The harsh and cruelly strict conditions enrage the veteran, war-weary soldiers, eventually igniting the Etaples Mutiny. Charley encounters Blue who is posing as a British officer whilst smuggling food to his gang of deserters hiding in nearby woods. Tozer is remade a Sergeant. Weeper who had been arrested for desertion is freed during the mutiny but is killed whilst saving Charley from a knife attack by another deserter. The mutiny is a success, improving conditions at the camp but Charley is then returned to the trenches. October–December 1917. The muddy hell of Passchendaele. Sickened by the slaughter, Charley volunteers to be a stretcher bearer, a duty he performs bravely but he is falsely accused of looting the dead and sacked. A massive British tank attack breaks the German line at Cambrai but the offensive is halted due to indecision by the British commanders. Scholar returns from officer training. Charley is detailed to become a sniper and the platoon occupies a sector opposite the unit of Corporal Adolf Hitler. Charley and Hitler fight hand to hand during a trench raid, nearly killing each other. The two sides enjoy a Christmas truce but Hitler stays in his dugout, refusing to take part. January–February 1918. Wilf has transferred to the RFC and is now an observer/gunner in a Bristol F2B squadron. He shoots down several German planes but narrowly avoids death when he is shot down and his pilot Captain Morgan is killed. Back in the trenches, Charley accidentally shoots himself in the foot and is accused of cowardice by the Scholar. Whilst in hospital he meets a nurse Kate and after a frosty start, the former realises Charley is no coward and the two begin a romantic relationship. A written statement from a dying officer saves Charley from a conviction and he and Kate go on leave in London. Snell, rendered psychotic by his head wound, attempts to murder Charley and Kate. March–June 1918. Charley marries Kate. Whilst on their honeymoon, they receive the news that Wilf is dead, having been shot down after bringing down a German Zeppelin heavy bomber over London. Charley's cousin Jack, a sailor in the Royal Navy, tells of his experiences at the Battle of the Falklands in 1914. Charley, now a Lance Corporal, returns to the Front, just in time for the massive and sudden German spring offensive. The German Stormtroopers attack Charley's sector and Scholar is set ablaze by a flame thrower. Charley cannot bring himself to put the dying Scholar out of his agony but the deed is performed by newcomer Skin. Charley rallies a rag tag group of stragglers and looters to mount a last ditch defence of the town of Albert. Skin is seen talking to a German soldier who is revealed to be his brother but not before the latter is fatally shot by another Briton. During a battle against the new German tanks, Charley meets Snell, who has managed to secure a transfer back to the fighting, despite being virtually insane. Charley is promoted to full Corporal. Snell murders an African American Doughboy named 'Pig Iron' that Charley has befriended and then later kills a British officer who witnessed the earlier crime. July–November 1918. After a battle against German commandoes, Charley is captured and sent to a POW camp where he meets his cousin Jack. After three attempts, the pair escape and Charley rejoins his unit. The platoon advances towards Germany during the final weeks of the war, taking part in the crossing of the St. Quentin Canal. Skin is shot dead by Snell after the former protests at the latter's execution of German prisoners. On 11 November, the final day of the war, Snell is determined to have the symbolic honour of reaching Mons, pointlessly expending his men's lives. After the platoon is wiped out only minutes before the 11am ceasefire, Snell and Charley have a final showdown. Snell is about to kill Charley but the former is drenched by an acid sprayer wielded by a surviving German. Ignoring Snell's pleas to be put out of his misery, Charley walks away leaving his nemesis to die slowly. Snell's final action had been to 'volunteer' Charley to join the British Expeditionary Force to the Russian Civil War. January–October 1919. Charley and Bill Tozer head to Russia where they fight alongside the 'Whites' – pro-Monarchist Russians – against the Bolshevik Reds who are defending their Revolution, with Tozer serving as company sergeant major. Charley soon becomes disillusioned at the incompetence and cowardice amongst the Whites, some of whom change sides and join the Reds.

June–December 1916. Sixteen year old Charley Bourne from East End of London enlists in the British Army. He arrives on the Western Front in France shortly before the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. His platoon is commanded by Lt Thomas and Sgt 'Ole Bill' Tozer and private Ginger Jones becomes Charley's best mate. Participates in the opening day of the Somme on 1 July. The platoon suffers heavy losses. Charley witnesses the last British Cavalry charge and takes part in the combat debut of the new Tanks. Guilt strickened veteran Lonely sacrifices himself to expose the location of a German ambush. Lt Thomas saves the platoon by withdrawing without orders and he is arrested and executed for cowardice. Charley and Weeper Watkins endure harsh field punishment for refusing to join Thomas' firing squad. Ginger is killed by a random shell. Oiley Oliver arrives but does not last long, escaping via a self inflicted injury. The German 'Judgement Troopers' led by the ruthless Colonel Zeiss stage a counter attack, penetrating deep into the British lines and nearly wiping out Charley's platoon but their success is halted by the German high command's refusal to give Zeiss reinforcements. Charley is wounded by a stray shell. January–March 1917. Charley recuperates in hospital and has a spell of leave in London. Discovers Oiley's criminal activities. Charley rescues his mother from a munitions factory during a Zeppelin raid. Encounters deserter Blue and aids his escape after the latter tells him of his experiences with the French Foreign Legion at the Battle of Verdun. April–May 1917. Charley returns to the Western Front where Cpt Snell (who he encountered as a lieutenant during the Somme) is now his commander. Snell is a ruthless leader who does not care about the welfare of his men. Charley becomes Snell's batman for a short period. A burly veteran Grogan bullies a bookwormish newcomer Scholar and other conscripts. Charley intervenes and he and Grogan eventually fight but the latter is accidentally killed when a discarded shell he picked up to throw at Charley turns out to be live and explodes in his hand. Weeper is wounded and later deserts. During a march to the rear in fierce heat, Sgt Tozer passes out with exhaustion and Snell demotes him to private. June–July 1917. Snell volunteers the platoon to become miners to plant underground explosives under the German trenches. One of the men, Budgie, is a conscientious objector and Charley defends him from abuse by others. Charley and several of his comrades narrowly survive a cave in and they break into and destroy a German tunnel. An increasingly pompous Scholar wrangles a transfer away to officer training and Charley begins to regret having helped him. The huge mine that the platoon has set beneath the German lines fails to detonate and an enraged Snell accuses Budgie of sabotage and shoots him dead. Charley follows Snell into the tunnels, intending to kill the latter but another soldier with the same plan gets there before him. In the shootout that follows, Snell is struck in the head by a ricochet and sent away in a coma. August–September 1917. Charley's unit takes part in the Battle of Third Ypres. Charley finds and rescues his wounded brother Wilf who has joined up under age by assuming the identity of a deserter (in a scheme arranged by Oiley). The unit is sent to the training camp at Etaples to prepare for the next great offensive. The harsh and cruelly strict conditions enrage the veteran, war weary soldiers, eventually igniting the Etaples Mutiny. Charley encounters Blue who is posing as a British officer whilst smuggling food to his gang of deserters hiding in nearby woods. Tozer is remade a Sergeant. Weeper who had been arrested for desertion is freed during the mutiny but is killed whilst saving Charley from a knife attack by another deserter. The mutiny is a success, improving conditions at the camp but Charley is then returned to the trenches. October–December 1917. The muddy hell of Passchendaele. Sickened by the slaughter, Charley volunteers to be a stretcher bearer, a duty he performs bravely but he is falsely accused of looting the dead and sacked. A massive British tank attack breaks the German line at Cambrai but the offensive is halted due to in decision by the British commanders. Scholar returns from officer training. Charley is detailed to become a sniper and the platoon occupies a sector opposite the unit of Corporal Adolf Hitler. Charley and Hitler fight hand to hand during a trench raid, nearly killing each other. The two sides enjoy a Christmas truce but Hitler stays in his dugout, refusing to take part. January–February 1918. Wilf has transferred to the RFC and is now an observer/gunner in a Bristol F2B squadron. He shoots down several German planes but narrowly avoids death when he is shot down and his pilot Captain Morgan is killed. Back in the trenches, Charley accidentally shoots himself in the foot and is accused of cowardice by the Scholar. Whilst in hospital he meets a nurse Kate and after a frosty start, the former realises Charley is no coward and the two begin a romantic relationship. A written statement from a dying officer saves Charley from a conviction and he and Kate go on leave in London. Snell, rendered psychotic by his head wound, attempts to murder Charley and Kate. March–June 1918. Charley marries Kate. Whilst on their honeymoon, they receive the news that Wilf is dead, having been shot down after bringing down a German Zeppelin heavy bomber over London. Charley's cousin Jack, a sailor in the Royal Navy, tells of his experiences at the Battle of the Falklands in 1914. Charley, now a Lance Corporal, returns to the Front, just in time for the massive and sudden German spring offensive. The German Stormtroopers attack Charley's sector and Scholar is set ablaze by a flame thrower. Charley cannot bring himself to put the dying Scholar out of his agony but the deed is performed by newcomer Skin. Charley rallies a rag tag group of stragglers and looters to mount a last ditch defence of the town of Albert. Skin is seen talking to a German soldier who is revealed to be his brother but not before the latter is fatally shot by another Briton. During a battle against the new German tanks, Charley meets Snell, who has managed to secure a transfer back to the fighting, despite being virtually insane. Charley is promoted to full Corporal. Snell murders an African American Doughboy named 'Pig Iron' that Charley has befriended and then later kills a British officer who witnessed the earlier crime. July–November 1918. After a battle against German commandoes, Charley is captured and sent to a POW camp where he meets his cousin Jack. After three attempts, the pair escape and Charley rejoins his unit. The platoon advances towards Germany during the final weeks of the war, taking part in the crossing of the St. Quentin Canal. Skin is shot dead by Snell after the former protests at the latter's execution of German prisoners. On 11 November, the final day of the war, Snell is determined to have the symbolic honour of reaching Mons, pointlessly expending his men's lives. After the platoon is wiped out only minutes before the 11am ceasefire, Snell and Charley have a final showdown. Snell is about to kill Charley but the former is drenched by an acid sprayer wielded by a surviving German. Ignoring Snell's pleas to be put of his misery, Charley walks away leaving his nemesis to die slowly. Snell's final action had been to 'volunteer' Charley to join the British Expeditionary Force to the Russian Civil War. January–October 1919. Charley and Bill Tozer head to Russia where they fight alongside the 'Whites' pro Monarchist Russians against the Bolshevik Reds who are defending their Revolution, with Tozer serving as company sergeant major. Charley soon becomes disillusioned at the incompetence and cowardice amongst the Whites, some of whom change sides and join the Reds. Charley prevents rogue Bolshevik Colonel Spirodonov from capturing a White armoured train loaded with refugees and royal gold. 1933. The Great Depression and Charley is on the dole. News arrives that Adolf Hitler has seized power in Germany. At this point, writer Pat Mills ceased work on the comic and was replaced by Scott Goodall. September 1939 – June 1940. Charley reluctantly enlists in the British Army again after learning his son Len has joined up. Joins the BEF in France and participates in the heavy fighting against the German Blitzkrieg and in the long and confused retreat to Dunkirk. Back in England, Ole Bill has joined the Home Guard. Charley's wife Kate is falsely arrested for black marketeering as, unbeknown to her, Oiley has been stashing stolen goods in her home. Oiley tries to have Bill murdered but the attempt fails and Bill beats Oiley into confessing, freeing Kate from prison. Back in France, Charley finds his shell shocked son Len at Dunkirk and they escape back to Britain together. Charley decides he has had enough of war.