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Wayne VansantGettysburg
Wayne VansantGettysburgThe Graphic History of America's Most Famous BattFirst Edition,QUALITY PAPERBACK
UPC: 9780760344064Release Date: 4/15/2013
Series:Biographical note:Writer and artist Wayne Vansant was the primary artist for Marvel's The 'Nam for more than five years. Since then, he has written and illustrated many historically accurate graphic histories, such as The Hammer and the Anvil; The Vietnam War: A Graphic History; Normandy: A Graphic History of D-Day, The Allied Invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe (Zenith Press, 2012); Gettysburg: The Graphic History of America's Most Famous Battle and the Turning Point of the Civil War (Zenith Press, 2013); Grant vs. Lee: The Graphic History of the Civil War's Greatest Rivals During the Last Year of the War (Zenith Press, 2013); Bombing Nazi Germany: The Graphic History of the Allied Air Campaign That Defeated Hitler in World War II (Zenith Press, 2013); and The Red Baron: The Graphic History of Richthofen's Flying Circus and the Air War in WWI (Zenith Press, 2014). He is currently working on The Battle of the Bulge: A Graphic History of Allied Victory in the Ardennes, 1944-1945 (Zenith Press, 2014) for the 70th anniversary of the battle in December 2014. Main description:The Battle of Gettysburg is a landmark event in United States history. Widely recognized as the Civil War’s turning point, it accounted for the most casualties of any battle during the war and spelled the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. In this powerful graphic history, Wayne Vansant describes the history leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg, as well all of the major military events on July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, including the famous fight for Little Round Top on the second day and the death march known as Pickett’s Charge on the third and final day. He paints portraits of each army’s leaders, such as Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, George Meade, and the then little-known Joshua Chamberlain. Vansant concludes a few months later at the dedication of the Soldier’s National Cemetery in November, 1863, when Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most iconic speeches of all time, the Gettysburg Address. Gettysburg delivers one of the hallmark events of American history in an exciting and innovative format. "Wayne Vansant has authored a graphic account of the Battle of Gettysburg with rich illustrations and narrative that makes history come alive. This book will not only spark an interest in the terrible battle and sad aftermath, but will provide the reader with a good understanding of the men and armies memorialized at Gettysburg National Military Park today." - John Heiser, Historian, Gettysburg, PA
Review quote:“While Vansant's graphic history contains fewer than 100 pages of artwork and words, it packs an astonishing density of information into those pages. (Vansant also got a workout in male facial topiary with the many, variously styled beards he had to draw for this book.) From the first shot fired by Union Lt. Marcellus E. Jones, through the Battle of Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge, Vansant draws and annotates battle scenes as well as in-camp strategizing and also stops periodically to provide maps of the engagements.” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "The Graphic History of Gettysburg is a colorfully illustrated presentation written in a clear, fast-moving style. It examines the campaign from the events prior to the battle to an overview of the three-day struggle. Accurate drawings of the corps and division commanders of both armies and easy-to-follow maps supplement the text.For the most part, the text is factual; the few errors do not detract from the book’s overall appeal or effectiv
Gettysburg: The Graphic History is a brilliant achievement. Writer/artist Wayne Vansant is at the top of his game with his graphic history of the battle known as "the high water mark of the Confederacy." Rich in drama, accurately detailed, this is a benchmark addition to the historiography of the bloodiest battle in the American Civil War. A powerful and well-told story, it is an excellent, accessible visual account for a younger audience or those unfamiliar with the battle that inspired President Abraham Lincoln's greatest speech, the Gettysburg Address. - Dwight Jon Zimmerman, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Lincoln's Last Days
Vansant presents a military history of the battle of Gettysburg in comic-book style, beginning with Robert E. Lee’s motivation for attacking Pennsylvania and concluding with Abraham Lincoln’s reflections on the battle in his short memorial address. The artwork has a casual simplicity, with scratchy, brisk lines and muted tones. Almost no attempt is made to make moments melodramatic or spectacular. The severity of the depiction of bloodshed increases somewhat as the battles get more fraught, but the primary goal is not to show war as either glory or hell. Instead the focus is to give a visual impression of the physical scope of the battlefields and to put human faces to some of the division commanders. The first goal is effectively accomplished; the maps with the changing positions of the relative forces show the complexity of the ground and the increasing intensity as the battle progresses. The section about crossing an open mile to Cemetery Ridge works especially well. However, the capsule introductions to the various commanders are less elucidating. Each man is given a close-up drawing and a single biographical detail, but not usually something that would increase understanding of how he commanded. The many men who died under their commands are given even shorter shrift. The readable narrative breaks down the military actions and decisions leading up to and during the battle, but the accompanying visuals do little to either illuminate or re-create the actual experience or to humanize the participants. - School Library Journal |
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