Above the Dreamless Dead

Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics 
by Chris Duffy (Editor)
First Second, 2014, 144 pages, Nonfiction

Above the Dreamless Dead brings together World War I poetry and interpretive illustrations by contemporary cartoonists. Edited by New York Times-bestselling editor Chris Duffy, this collection includes twenty poems and other works by thirteen prominent Trench Poets (thus called as many were soldiers writing from the front lines), including Rudyard Kipling, Wilfred Owen, and Thomas Hardy.

 Already gripping and evocative, these timeless works have been beautifully re-imagined by incredibly talented artists. Each cartoonist’s style lends itself perfectly to the work illustrated: Hunt Emerson’s caricature-like style brings out the humor of solider songs; Hannah Berry gives a face to the ploughman of Edward Thomas’ “The Private”; while George Pratt’s expressive drawings capture the drama and gravity of Wilfred Owen’s poems. As a fan of World War I poetry and illustration, this book was absolutely perfect, a must-have for my personal library. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, graphic novels, illustration, and/or World War I history. Even if you only like one of those topics, or none of them, you should treat yourself to this work of art.

MW