Two Generals

by Scott Chantler

This is a book that I've been looking forward to reading since I first heard about it.  I'm a sucker for a good war book normally, and this one is by the cartoonist of Northwest Passage, one of my favourite historical graphic novels, and a local (it's always important to support Toronto comics).

Two Generals tells the story of Chantler's grandfather, Reginald Law Chantler, his close friend Jack Chrsyler, and their experiences during the Second World War.  They were officers in the Highland Light Infantry (the 'Two Generals' in the title refers to a joke made by Chantler on a photo taken before they left England), who were involved in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy (the Canadians, including my own grandfather, took Juno Beach).  After that, the HLI pushed on to eventually take Buron, an essential task that allowed the Allied forces to take Caen, a lynchpin in the Allied plans.

Chantler's work on this book is so clearly a labour of love and an homage to his grandfather.  He provides enough context to understand the situations in which Chantler the elder found himself, but the book rarely strays from the personal experiences of the two young men the book focuses on.  We see firsthand some of the absurdities of war (the HLI were outfitted with bicycles to aid their advance, but only one repair kit per platoon) and the way in which soldiers had to adjust to difficult situations (which led to the mass adoption of random farm animals).

This book has a sense of humour about it, but is ultimately a touching tribute to the Greatest Generation.  Chantler mentions in his acknowledgments that stories like these are being lost to us on a daily basis, and I'm pleased he took the time and made the effort to capture a record like this one.

Chantler's art looks great as always, and he makes an effective use of green, red, and gray tones to provide atmosphere.  The book itself is an example of a wonderful sense of design.  It has the rounded corners and built-in elastic bookmark of an officer's notebook, which makes it a pleasure to own.  I recommend this book.