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Rogue Trooper: Blighty Valley
An all-new standalone Rogue Trooper graphic novel, written by Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher), perfect for readers unfamiliar with the character and for old fans of Rogue Trooper's classic adventures in 2000 AD.
Nu Earth is the site of a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers, and the Genetic Infantrymen like Rogue Trooper have been created solely for this war. However, after the betrayal of the Traitor General Rogue is the last of his kind, and together with biochip buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, they’re searching for the traitor that sold them out.
But now the black hole above Nu-Earth causes a time-rift, and Rogue must team up with British soldiers from World War One to fight both the Hun and the Norts, fix the time barrier, and get back to his original mission.
Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher) writes this new, standalone Rogue Trooper adventure - melding together historical action with the sci-fi adventure that is the core of 2000 AD - drawn by Patrick Goddard, who brings the character back in a style reminiscent of the classic Rogue Trooper artists.
Nu Earth is the site of a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers, and the Genetic Infantrymen like Rogue Trooper have been created solely for this war. However, after the betrayal of the Traitor General Rogue is the last of his kind, and together with biochip buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, they’re searching for the traitor that sold them out.
But now the black hole above Nu-Earth causes a time-rift, and Rogue must team up with British soldiers from World War One to fight both the Hun and the Norts, fix the time barrier, and get back to his original mission.
Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher) writes this new, standalone Rogue Trooper adventure - melding together historical action with the sci-fi adventure that is the core of 2000 AD - drawn by Patrick Goddard, who brings the character back in a style reminiscent of the classic Rogue Trooper artists.
96 pages, Hardcover
Published July 2, 2024
4 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,628 books3,182 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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November 24, 2023It made perfect sense when Garth Ennis was announced as writing a Rogue Trooper story, and obviously that was going to draw on his experience writing historical war comics, but I'm not sure anyone was expecting him to be so literal as to use a wormhole to cross Nu-Earth over with the actual Great War. It worked, though, from the routine horrors to the trippy finale, a sky full of the uncountable graves of all those 'never again' conflicts that never end anything. "We're bleeding the human race to death. But we never finish it off, do we? All we do is bleed it more and more."
May 24, 2025
Ennis hace uno de sus elogios del soldado de a pie, condenado a morir siguiendo órdenes muchas veces sin sentido, en un relato dibujado con precisión por Patrick Goddard. La cuestión es que todo termina chocando con un formato que convierte un tebeo de consumo en una delicatessen para gente con pasta. A 10 euros puede merece la pena. A 20 por 75 páginas en B&N no. Supongo que es el impuesto revolucionario que tenemos que pagar para poder leer tebeos de 2000AD con Dolmen.
January 30, 2024
Note: This is included with my reading all 2023 issues of 2000AD where this story exists before it’s TPB release
A brilliant mashup between the sci fi world of Rogue and the battlefield of 1918. I liked the parallels between the brothers in arms on both sides and how fleshed out each trooper was. Some brutal action scenes added to the great story within.
A brilliant mashup between the sci fi world of Rogue and the battlefield of 1918. I liked the parallels between the brothers in arms on both sides and how fleshed out each trooper was. Some brutal action scenes added to the great story within.
May 28, 2024
If you grew up reading 2000AD like me, Rogue Trooper is one of those iconic characters you’ll never forget with his blue skin, blank eyes and cool gear - except that’s all I think of when I think of the character. Unlike Dredd or Slaine, there’s no Dark Judges or Horned God Saga storyline to point to as a high point in that character’s history. And I think that’s why Rebellion brought in Garth Ennis: to finally give Rogue one of those memorable storylines.
Or at least, that was probably the intention, because unfortunately Ennis’ Blighty Valley is definitely not that.
For those unfamiliar with his blueness, Rogue Trooper is a genetically-engineered infantryman in the far future whose dead comrades “live” inside his equipment: his helmet, backpack and rifle. Together, they roam Nu Earth fighting a never-ending conflict between the Norts and Southers.
In Blighty Valley, Rogue investigates a black hole that sends him back to the trenches of World War 1, where he dosses about with a British unit before they all get sent back to the future for some more shenanigans and then it’s all reset. It’s pretty boring stuff for the most part given that the characters continually tell you about how bad war is, especially the First World War, which, duh. A “blighty one” we learn is a wound that’s bad enough to send you home from the war, but not something to permanently ruin your life, and is something most of the soldiers hope for.
The occasional set piece is exciting, like them having to walk through a German camp quietly. Patrick Goddard’s art is really great too. The story overall though is vague, uninteresting, slow, aimless, and about as forgettable as most Rogue Trooper storylines are. IDW put out a half-decent Rogue Trooper book about ten years ago called Last Man Standing but there really aren’t any great books featuring this character to recommend to anyone interested.
Here’s hoping Duncan Jones has written something much better than Blighty Valley for his movie adaptation of the character, due out next year.
Or at least, that was probably the intention, because unfortunately Ennis’ Blighty Valley is definitely not that.
For those unfamiliar with his blueness, Rogue Trooper is a genetically-engineered infantryman in the far future whose dead comrades “live” inside his equipment: his helmet, backpack and rifle. Together, they roam Nu Earth fighting a never-ending conflict between the Norts and Southers.
In Blighty Valley, Rogue investigates a black hole that sends him back to the trenches of World War 1, where he dosses about with a British unit before they all get sent back to the future for some more shenanigans and then it’s all reset. It’s pretty boring stuff for the most part given that the characters continually tell you about how bad war is, especially the First World War, which, duh. A “blighty one” we learn is a wound that’s bad enough to send you home from the war, but not something to permanently ruin your life, and is something most of the soldiers hope for.
The occasional set piece is exciting, like them having to walk through a German camp quietly. Patrick Goddard’s art is really great too. The story overall though is vague, uninteresting, slow, aimless, and about as forgettable as most Rogue Trooper storylines are. IDW put out a half-decent Rogue Trooper book about ten years ago called Last Man Standing but there really aren’t any great books featuring this character to recommend to anyone interested.
Here’s hoping Duncan Jones has written something much better than Blighty Valley for his movie adaptation of the character, due out next year.
January 18, 2026
Been looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint. "Blighty Valley" is Garth Ennis on absolutely top form. The man is known for his interest in warfare, and uses this tale to transport the titular Genetic Infantryman to the trenches of WWI. But what people often forget about Ennis is that he clearly has an interest in the Great War, but he uses every opportunity to condemn warfare and conflict, and this is no different. In a surprisingly trippy moment, one soldier comes face to face with mankind's love of killing one another. And it's horrific.
Like Rogue Trooper itself, this story considers the pointless nature of war, including the future battlefront of Nu Earth. It's a spectacular tale, elevated by Goddard's expressive artwork - which includes some spectacular scenes.
I couldn't recommend this more.
Like Rogue Trooper itself, this story considers the pointless nature of war, including the future battlefront of Nu Earth. It's a spectacular tale, elevated by Goddard's expressive artwork - which includes some spectacular scenes.
I couldn't recommend this more.
February 7, 2025
I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of Garth Ennis' writing, but this was very good, helped greatly by Patrick Goddard's art, especially the last portion and the Black Hole's 'blessing' of giving Penn, the last English soldier standing, a vision of the horrors of humanity's constant, current and future hunger for war.
[At the back of the book, the one page 'ad' for Duncan Jones' (possible/probable?) upcoming film adaptation made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up]
[At the back of the book, the one page 'ad' for Duncan Jones' (possible/probable?) upcoming film adaptation made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up]
September 29, 2024
Uhm... I know Garth Ennis has a following for this sort of thing, but honestly I thought this was one of the weaker Rogue Trooper stories. These two ideas just didn't mesh well, I think it would have been better with a unit of Southers, rather than the time travelling.
April 25, 2025
Due to a malfunctioning(?) black hole, Rogue Trooper finds himself transported to the front of World War I and must assist a group of British soldiers trying to find their way back to their lines. It's not terrible, but there isn't really a whole lot to this, either. The art's not bad.
July 17, 2024
Awesome, enjoyed reading
December 20, 2024
Brutal, bleak and beautiful, like war. What a comic, when Garth Ennis wants to tell a story, he does it well. This book is amazing.
February 19, 2025
Not read Rogue Trooper for years, but got this collection as a gift. Really enjoyed it, and the art is cracking.
May 26, 2025
El dibujo de un más que competente Patrick Goddard salva in extremis una historia mediocre más protagonizada por el clon azul de Tierra-Nu. El otrora excelente Garth Ennis no sale de su desde hace unos años estrechísima zona de confort, y firma otra historia de guerra en la que, en lugar de aprovechar las particularidades del entorno de Rogue Trooper, lo transporta en el tiempo hasta la I Guerra Mundial para poder contar su enésimo relato de pobres soldados a merced de mandos indiferentes que los conducen a la muerte sin el menor remordimiento. Tiene narices.
Para ser justos con Ennis, hacia el final, el batallón, con Rogue a la cabeza, viajan hasta Tierra-Nu, y la cosa remonta; de hecho, las últimas páginas son realmente magníficas, pero no pueden hacernos olvidar el trayecto. Un trayecto a lo largo del cual, Ennis lo único que ha hecho ha sido volver a tirar de sus mil y un topicazos sobre conflictos, una y otra vez reciclados por él mismo a lo largo de las últimas décadas. La cosas se remata con los absurdamente hinchados precios que caracterizan a la casa que el Dolmen creó: 20 euros por unas 80 páginas en blanco y negro (no cuento los extras porque a nadie le interesan). Compárese, por ejemplo, con el último Biblioteca Marvel: Daredevil: 137 páginas a color por 14 euros. Pues nada, a ver si un día consiguen publicar un panfleto de 30 páginas por 9 euros, como Nuevo Nueve con su mierderísima serie Lowreader. Por favor, que al menos sea sobre Sam Slade...
Para ser justos con Ennis, hacia el final, el batallón, con Rogue a la cabeza, viajan hasta Tierra-Nu, y la cosa remonta; de hecho, las últimas páginas son realmente magníficas, pero no pueden hacernos olvidar el trayecto. Un trayecto a lo largo del cual, Ennis lo único que ha hecho ha sido volver a tirar de sus mil y un topicazos sobre conflictos, una y otra vez reciclados por él mismo a lo largo de las últimas décadas. La cosas se remata con los absurdamente hinchados precios que caracterizan a la casa que el Dolmen creó: 20 euros por unas 80 páginas en blanco y negro (no cuento los extras porque a nadie le interesan). Compárese, por ejemplo, con el último Biblioteca Marvel: Daredevil: 137 páginas a color por 14 euros. Pues nada, a ver si un día consiguen publicar un panfleto de 30 páginas por 9 euros, como Nuevo Nueve con su mierderísima serie Lowreader. Por favor, que al menos sea sobre Sam Slade...
June 4, 2025
Creo que lo del viaje en el tiempo no le sienta del todo bien a la historia, además no está demasiado argumentado, es una excusa barata utilizada por Ennis para convertir en protagonistas a un grupo de soldados de la Primera Guerra Mundial. Por lo menos el autor irlandés ha hecho los deberes y respeta las personalidades de Helm, Bagman y Gunnar.
ENGLISH
I think the time travel thing doesn't quite fit the story. It's also not well-detailed; it's a cheap excuse used by Ennis to make a group of World War I soldiers the protagonists. At least the Irish author has done his homework and respected the personalities of Helm, Bagman, and Gunnar.
ENGLISH
I think the time travel thing doesn't quite fit the story. It's also not well-detailed; it's a cheap excuse used by Ennis to make a group of World War I soldiers the protagonists. At least the Irish author has done his homework and respected the personalities of Helm, Bagman, and Gunnar.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews