Joe Sacco

Adam Hochschild

Describes the battle on the first day of World War I, which saw 20,000 British soldiers killed and another 40,000 injured, on the banks of the French river as they mounted a joint offensive against the German army. 30,000 first printing.

July 1, 1916 : the First Day of the Battle of the Somme : an Illustrated Panorama

The Great War

Bryan Alexander

A staggering and very short work, Sacco's "Great War" is a panorama of the Battle of the Somme's first day. This single sheet folds out for yards, and contains Sacco's customarily excellent drawing.

There is no coloring. There is no text on the fold-out, but a helpful supplemental pamphlet offers more information: a thoughtful sketch of the Somme by day 1, and a breakdown of individual panels.

The work combines movement in space and time. From left to right it moves from the British forces' back areas to the trenches, across no man's land and back again, concluding with the rear once more. That same horizontal progress also tracks in time, covering a bit more than 24 hours. Powerfully, it begins with general Haig at prayer, then concludes with a group of graves.

Your eye can traverse the whole, but prefers to dwell on individual scenes: troops bunching up in trenches before dawn, the terrible explosions of German shells raining down, the vast stockpiling of material before the attack. You might also feel your attention drawn to small details, like a lit dugout gleaming furtively at night, or a soldier toppling over yards from trenches.

"Great War" is a powerful, effective document that will repay reviewing.

The Great War July 1, 1916 : the First Day of the Battle of the Somme : an Illustrated Panorama

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