The Stretcher Bearers
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Maxwell Fox didn’t know what he would witness in France. America had only been in the Great War since April 2, 1917. Nothing could have prepared him for the horrors that awaited him and the rest of the men of the 4th Infantry “Ivy” Division. As the Meuse-Argonne Offensive raged on, Maxwell became assigned to a unit of stretcher bearers, men who were tasked with running into harm’s way to rescue their fallen brethren from the clutches of death. This wouldn’t be an easy job, but with Graham, Frank, and Ralph by his side, Maxwell had to rely on his team and hope to survive.
A dark and honest look at the bond of brotherhood during war, The Stretcher Bearers tells the unforgettable tale of a young soldier trying to save the lives of wounded soldiers and keep the men he’d formed a bond with alive. But in the “war to end all wars,” no one was safe.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A young soldier wades through mud, blood, terror, and torment in this turbulent, bluntly told debut tale by the Beaman brothers, set in the 1918 Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Sixteen-year-old Maxwell Fox's unit of stretcher bearers shuttle the injured back from the front. Against this grim background Maxwell slowly discovers a sense of family, his first ever, in the men of his unit—testy, disillusioned Frank; shell-shocked Ralph; and father figure Graham Calviner—as they inch slowly forward under torrential rain and German fire. Ultimately, only Maxwell's left alive, but he finally finds a home with Graham's family after the war. Reid's artwork complements the depths of despair and hopelessness the cast traverses; there's no glory or humor here. The coloring employs dark teal blue-green as highlights, rendering the constant mud, muck, and blood in the same stark shades, like a sepia-toned film. Rather than a battle action piece, the work harkens back to mature, realistic war comics such as EC's Frontline Combat or Marvel's The 'Nam, and the emotional ending tears at the heart without being manipulative. This is a solid historical war narrative—and an intense and moving portrayal of brotherhood.
