Willie & Joe: The WWII Years

About this book

During WWII the closest most Americans ever came to it was through the cartoons of Bill Mauldin the most beloved enlisted man in the U.S. Army. Here for the first time Fantagraphics Books brings together Mauldins complete works from 1940 through the end of the war. This collection of over 600 cartoons most never-before-reprinted is more than the record of a great artist: it is an essential chronicle of Americas citizen-soldiers from peace through war to victory. Bill Mauldin knew war because he was in it. With their heavy brush lines detailed battlescapes and pidgin of army slang and slum dialect Mauldins cartoons and captions recreated on paper the fully realized world of the American combat soldier. Their dark often insubordinate humor sparked controversy among army brass and incensed General George S. Patton Jr. This tome is edited by Todd DePastino Mauldins official biographer: Willie & Joe contains an introduction and running commentary by DePastino providing context for the drawings pertinent biographical details of Mauldins life and occasional background on specific cartoons (such as the ones that made Patton howl).