War

Eisner winners Ennis (the Boys series) and Cloonan (Somna) join forces to sketch a gripping vision of the end of the world. For writer David, his pregnant wife Nikki, and their intellectual New York City circle, war is an abstract concept to debate over drinks—until nuclear bombs fall on London and obliterate the city. As WWIII breaks out, seemingly instigated by Russia, they follow updates on social media, and Nikki becomes enraged when David’s first instinct is to pitch a book about the crisis. War still seems far away until, suddenly, it isn’t. Watching in despair as nations fail and fall, their friend Maggie comments bleakly, “All these millennia of human development, and that’s the best we can do.” Soon the survivors are dealing with radiation sickness, attacks from raiders, and nuclear winter. As usual, Cloonan’s art hooks readers with a glance. The characters, rendered in bold strokes, look and feel painfully human as they face devastation on a massive scale. The script tips into excess at the close, but conveys the urgency of 1980s nuclear-warning specials like The Day After and Threads, or John Bergin’s 1993 graphic novel From Inside. Terrifyingly relevant, it’s a much-needed jolt to the system. (Feb.)