Light Brigade

Ain't It Cool News

"THE LIGHT BRIGADE is the type of comic that you wish would be adapted into a major motion picture. It's BAND OF BROTHERS meets EXCALIBUR meets THE EVIL DEAD. Tomasi's epic story seamlessly combines bone-chilling horror, big budget war-time action, and intimate character moments with truly phenomenal artwork by Snejbjerg and Hansen.

From page one to the very last, THE LIGHT BRIGADE was like watching the best war film and the best horror film on side-by-side wide screens. It's got one of the strongest premises I've read in a long time. The characterization grips your heart and squeezes. The thrills are fresh and scary. Treat yourself and seek out THE LIGHT BRIGADE. You won't be disappointed. "

Andrew Kevin Walker

"Blood and guts and heaven and hell! Here is good versus evil, literally. Light Brigade is a bizarre, cinematic, gore-splattered war thriller!"
—Seven, Sleepy Hollow, 8 Millimeter

David Goyer

"Light Brigade is a spooky, beautifully rendered and thoroughly enjoyable epic story. Imagine the bastard comic book child of 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'The Exorcist', throw in a dose of Tim Burton for good measure. American soldiers up against Nazis and nefarious evil-doings. What more could you ask for?"
—Batman Begins, Blade, Dark City

Entertainment Weekly

"You'll get a charge from Light Brigade, an epic, action-packed book that should be on everybody's must have list!"

Variety

"Light Brigade shines brightly with its mix of philosophy, religion, war and spilled innards. Definitely a cinematic quality. Moments of small humanity mix with the bloody, realistic clashes, keeping the story humble despite its epic implications. The evil is evil and the good is good in Tomasi's well-paced tale. It's a great premise that builds to a truly satisfying climax."

Wizard magazine

"Good vs. Evil takes on a whole new meaning in the DC prestige series Light Brigade. Written by Peter Tomasi, Light Brigade is a fascinating story that hooks you right from the first page, with an air of mystery surrounding what you know is going to be an epic struggle. With highly dramatic art by Peter Snejbjerg, Light Brigade is definitely a must-read book. "

Publishers Weekly

This collected edition of a four-issue 2004 miniseries may be the best mainstream comic of the year, an outstanding achievement at all levels. The German troops who overrun an isolated pocket of U.S. soldiers during the winter of 1944-1945 are worse than Nazis; they're the descendants of fallen angels who now see a chance to steal the sword of God. The surviving Americans, led by an immortal Roman centurion in disguise, must fight these supernatural, almost-indestructable foes. The premise is reminiscent of Garth Ennis's gonzo Preacher, but Tomasi takes it seriously and makes the struggle emotionally resonant. His heroes are convincingly uncertain but persistent; the villains are monstrous but not altogether unsympathetic. Even the coldly smiling leader of the evil hoard gets to display his simple yearning to soar into pure light. What really makes the story work, however, is Snejbjerg's art, complemented by Bjarne Hansen's sensitive coloring. Exterior scenes use quiet, open space, snowy landscapes or winter shadows in a forest. When the action contracts into hyperviolent battle scenes, the effect is jolting. The stunning art and the extreme story fit together perfectly to tell a tale that probably couldn't have been told at all outside the comics medium. (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

When the Sword of God falls to Earth during a battle among angels, it's Old Testament time in Nazi Germany. While the last of the Grigori (a group of angels who turned evil after being almost wiped out by God for intermarrying with humans) leads the Nephillim (the Grigori's half-human descendents) in search of the sword, the dying angel Sauriel recruits a group of American soldiers to battle these enemies of God. Among the group is Chris Stavros, newly a widower, who goes along with the mission despite having no faith in God, even after learning that He really exists. The supernatural elements notwithstanding, this is foremost a straightforward war story, focusing in a time-honored fashion on men who know they may die soon but are determined to do their job regardless. The tremendous amount of gore on display nudges the book into horror territory as well. Though the religious elements are largely dealt with in a summer-blockbuster manner rather than a seriously philosophical one-thereby leaving Stavros's character arc unsatisfactorily resolved-good scripting and excellent realistic art can recommended this to larger collections for older teens and adults. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.