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Crécy
A highly-trained but under-equipped army invades another country due to the perceived threat to home security. The army conducts shock-and-awe raids designed to terrify the populace. This army is soon driven to ground and vastly outnumbered. The English army has to stand and fight in Crecy, France. On August 26, 1346, modern warfare changed forever. This is the story of England's greatest battle, as told by award-winning graphic novelist Warren Ellis.
48 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2003
18 people are currently reading
620 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,908 books5,762 followersWarren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
September 20, 2025
One of the best studies of this critical battle I have ever read...Warren Ellis is truly amazing! You feel as if you are on the road and on your way to this battle: soldiers just talking - sharing their feelings with fellow soldiers who they will fight and die with. The talk is 'salty' but it is accurate - highest recommendation!
January 14, 2019
Did Warren Ellis NEED to spend an entire page justifying how and why the English make such extensive and creative use of the C-word? No, but it sure was delightful.
This slim volume offers the English perspective on one of Western Europe’s most important military engagements in trademark Ellisian style, with copious amounts of swearing, hilariously crass insults, and tight storytelling. The detailed black-and-white art is perhaps a bit too clean for the grisly tale, but it’s a joy to look at.
The Battle of Crecy, which featured an outmanned and outgunned English army mowing down a superior French force thanks to their handy longbows and waterproof leather chapeaus (under which they kept their bowstrings dry, a clever tactic the French forces—proponents of the fearsome crossbow—did not think of, to their grave (literally) detriment), was one of a series of major battles throughout the Hundred Years War that rendered chivalry, at least chivalry on the battlefield*, a thing that only an increasingly small number of douchey posers espoused shortly before having an arrow shot through their douchey eyes.
Well worth a read, whether you’re a fan of history, Ellis, or entertaining mayhem. (Side note: if you’ve never read anything by Warren Ellis, start with Transmetropolitan (one of my top-three favorite finite comic series ever) and move onto pretty much anything else from there; the guy just doesn’t write crap. His Netlix Castlevania series is well worth a watch, too.)
*Perhaps not coincidentally, there was a 47% drop in the number of times dudes opened doors for ladies in 1346, and also a sharp decline—17% by some figures, though experts debate the veracity of those numbers—in instances where a gentleman laid his suitcoat down in a puddle so that his lady faire could step over it without soiling her shoes.**
**This, incidentally, is the single dumbest chivalrous act ever invented because 1) it doesn’t really solve the problem—the lady is still stepping into a wet puddle; 2) it ruins a perfectly good jacket that could have been saved by three lateral steps in either direction; and 3) it presumes that the lady accompanying the gent so gallantly giving up his jacket isn’t smart enough to figure out the aforementioned point 2). If a man ever does this, not only should he be rewarded no chivalry points; his genitals should be microwaved to prevent his line from propagating (if his lady allows him to do this without pointing out how stupid it is, her genitals should be microwaved for an equal length of time).
This slim volume offers the English perspective on one of Western Europe’s most important military engagements in trademark Ellisian style, with copious amounts of swearing, hilariously crass insults, and tight storytelling. The detailed black-and-white art is perhaps a bit too clean for the grisly tale, but it’s a joy to look at.
The Battle of Crecy, which featured an outmanned and outgunned English army mowing down a superior French force thanks to their handy longbows and waterproof leather chapeaus (under which they kept their bowstrings dry, a clever tactic the French forces—proponents of the fearsome crossbow—did not think of, to their grave (literally) detriment), was one of a series of major battles throughout the Hundred Years War that rendered chivalry, at least chivalry on the battlefield*, a thing that only an increasingly small number of douchey posers espoused shortly before having an arrow shot through their douchey eyes.
Well worth a read, whether you’re a fan of history, Ellis, or entertaining mayhem. (Side note: if you’ve never read anything by Warren Ellis, start with Transmetropolitan (one of my top-three favorite finite comic series ever) and move onto pretty much anything else from there; the guy just doesn’t write crap. His Netlix Castlevania series is well worth a watch, too.)
*Perhaps not coincidentally, there was a 47% drop in the number of times dudes opened doors for ladies in 1346, and also a sharp decline—17% by some figures, though experts debate the veracity of those numbers—in instances where a gentleman laid his suitcoat down in a puddle so that his lady faire could step over it without soiling her shoes.**
**This, incidentally, is the single dumbest chivalrous act ever invented because 1) it doesn’t really solve the problem—the lady is still stepping into a wet puddle; 2) it ruins a perfectly good jacket that could have been saved by three lateral steps in either direction; and 3) it presumes that the lady accompanying the gent so gallantly giving up his jacket isn’t smart enough to figure out the aforementioned point 2). If a man ever does this, not only should he be rewarded no chivalry points; his genitals should be microwaved to prevent his line from propagating (if his lady allows him to do this without pointing out how stupid it is, her genitals should be microwaved for an equal length of time).
May 25, 2010
One of my favorite quotes from Crecy is when William, a longbowman and the story's narrator, is talking about the different kinds of arrowheads the bowmen use depending upon the situation and the target. He says that although the weaponry may appear to be primitive to our modern sensibilities (this is another thing I liked about Crecy: William narrates directly to the modern reader, giving background tidbits about the place and time and even linguistic cues), we as readers must remember that people in the 14th century weren't stupid.
"We have the same intelligence as you. We simply don't have the same cumulative knowledge you do. So we apply our intelligence to what we have."That's something that most people today would not understand because it seems so implausible. I can hear the kids with whom I work at school doubting the intelligence of people in the Middle Ages..."But they didn't have electricity!" "They didn't know that disease and illness were spread by germs!" "Most of them didn't even know how to read," etc., etc. Human beings aren't any smarter than people who lived 700 years ago, it's just that we seem so much smarter because of our technology. Although sometimes we seem much more ignorant of some things because of our technology (not knowing how to solve simple arithmetic problems without the use of a calculator, etc.). It's interesting to think about.
September 29, 2021
Meh. I'll give it an "A" for effort and a "C" for actual performance. This very small comic decides to take the complicated world of the Hundred Years War and dumb it down to the most simplistic level for the current crop of historical dullards.
While the art is quite good, the narrator of the story falls far short. His speech and thought patterns are far too modern and make for a jarring commentary due to the time period. No one thought this way and certainly not an archer for this time period.
While most of the information is fairly accurate, the narrator's oddly modern retelling leaves much to be desired. An admirable try to raise the historical ignorance of the average history dullard, but honestly? Skip this and read a good history book about this war or period.
While the art is quite good, the narrator of the story falls far short. His speech and thought patterns are far too modern and make for a jarring commentary due to the time period. No one thought this way and certainly not an archer for this time period.
While most of the information is fairly accurate, the narrator's oddly modern retelling leaves much to be desired. An admirable try to raise the historical ignorance of the average history dullard, but honestly? Skip this and read a good history book about this war or period.
May 20, 2012
First off, I bought this book only because it said Warren Ellis on the cover.
I had no idea what it was about and didn't care; I was at a comic book convention, I have a weakness for Ellis, so into my bag it went. Once home with the time to peruse my days bounty, I pulled out this strikingly small book and quickly found myself lost in its pages; its message the greatest history lesson I have ever been given.
The gritty black and white ink art of Raulo Caceres captures Ellis's interpretation of one of the single greatest moments in English history like a down and dirty documentary in the field.
The tale behind the Battle Of Crecy unravels quickly from the perspective of an ordinary English long-bowman; his voice that of a common man who after years of being on the bottom rung has been given the chance to finally strike back against their perceived oppressors, the hated French.
The ferocity and raw power of Ellis's writing is matched blow for blow by Caceres images; the images of life in the Hundred Year War so delicately captured in ink it almost has a period look.
The running theme; as in almost everything I have ever read by Warren Ellis, is neither he nor the artist have any fear about letting the character be as raw and real as possible even in the most fantastical of situations.
If you are a fan of Graphic Novels, Warren Ellis, history, art or just strong writing I highly recommend this story.
Crecy is like the History Channel with balls.
I had no idea what it was about and didn't care; I was at a comic book convention, I have a weakness for Ellis, so into my bag it went. Once home with the time to peruse my days bounty, I pulled out this strikingly small book and quickly found myself lost in its pages; its message the greatest history lesson I have ever been given.
The gritty black and white ink art of Raulo Caceres captures Ellis's interpretation of one of the single greatest moments in English history like a down and dirty documentary in the field.
The tale behind the Battle Of Crecy unravels quickly from the perspective of an ordinary English long-bowman; his voice that of a common man who after years of being on the bottom rung has been given the chance to finally strike back against their perceived oppressors, the hated French.
The ferocity and raw power of Ellis's writing is matched blow for blow by Caceres images; the images of life in the Hundred Year War so delicately captured in ink it almost has a period look.
The running theme; as in almost everything I have ever read by Warren Ellis, is neither he nor the artist have any fear about letting the character be as raw and real as possible even in the most fantastical of situations.
If you are a fan of Graphic Novels, Warren Ellis, history, art or just strong writing I highly recommend this story.
Crecy is like the History Channel with balls.
August 25, 2017
Very well done. It recounts the battle in a very entertaining but at the same time pretty disturbing way. The line art is incredible. If anything I thought this was a little too short as I was left wanting more.
If you enjoy medieval war comics and stories, this is one to check out. Really, if you're into war history but usually don't read graphic novels, this one may be worth your while to check out.
If you enjoy medieval war comics and stories, this is one to check out. Really, if you're into war history but usually don't read graphic novels, this one may be worth your while to check out.
June 25, 2023
This whip-thin single volume work by Warren Ellis walks us through a pivotal 14th century battle between England and France. It's narrated by a lowly English longbowman and swings back and forth between dryly academic and humorously profane. His racist sparring with an off-camera Welshman is hilarious.
It's excellent. We receive an absorbing overview as to why the English crossed the Channel, how a crossbow is used to devastating effect in battle, how the French managed to lose a sure thing, and what the fallout would be for the next few centuries. I found it riveting, though it doesn't delve very deep.
Cáceres's dense black and white illustrations are gorgeous and remarkably detailed. Every panel deserves attention.
The two-finger salute on the cover is both a crass British insult and a display of the two digits used to draw the mighty English longbow. Clever Ellis.
"These things are going to look primitive to you, but you have to remember that we’re not stupid. We have the same intelligence as you. We simply don’t have the same cumulative knowledge you do. So we apply our intelligence to what we have."
--------------------------------------
SECOND READ
It's even lighter and breezier than I remember it. Honestly, it could double in length and still be a quick easy read, and I think a bit of added heft would serve it well.
It's excellent. We receive an absorbing overview as to why the English crossed the Channel, how a crossbow is used to devastating effect in battle, how the French managed to lose a sure thing, and what the fallout would be for the next few centuries. I found it riveting, though it doesn't delve very deep.
Cáceres's dense black and white illustrations are gorgeous and remarkably detailed. Every panel deserves attention.
The two-finger salute on the cover is both a crass British insult and a display of the two digits used to draw the mighty English longbow. Clever Ellis.
"These things are going to look primitive to you, but you have to remember that we’re not stupid. We have the same intelligence as you. We simply don’t have the same cumulative knowledge you do. So we apply our intelligence to what we have."
--------------------------------------
SECOND READ
It's even lighter and breezier than I remember it. Honestly, it could double in length and still be a quick easy read, and I think a bit of added heft would serve it well.
May 28, 2018
Extremely short at 40 something pages, but it was extremely entertaining. Loved every single panel,...just a really fun read as well as educational. Highly recommend!
May 29, 2008
Every once in awhile, as I sit and think of how to begin a goodreads review, I find myself in high-school-test-mode: Stumped? Re-read the question.
And it is then that I inevitably stumble upon "What I learned from this book," and that always gets me thinking.
Warren Ellis is my favorite author in all of Comicdom. His stuff is always a brilliant combination of truths and absurdities; is nearly always violent and packed with wonderfully directed action (still curious to read his scripts - I just know they have to be awesome); and is always, ALWAYS intelligent. "Crecy" falls under his rarely visited love for history ("Wolfskin," "Planetary," and the ironically futuristic "Ministry of Space"). It's a strangely matter-of-fact narrative - really a chance for Ellis to give us all a big "did you know?" lecture, rather than to develop characters, or anything like that. But it's done with his wry sense of humor, his love of filth, and is at times SO in-your-face that it becomes endearing.
And as he'll do with the best of his work, the ultimate purpose is not to tell you about the pros and cons of a longbow, nor to give grammar lessons (all of which do fall under the "what I learned" part of this review), but to draw parallels between past (or future) and present (or near future). This was a really great read, and a book I was elated to finally find in my comic shop. I'd been putting off ordering it since last summer. But there it was! check it out. It's quick and dirty, and I promise you'll learn something to use in YOUR review.
2 other things that I have to say, though (as I feel no one appreciates an un-wasted soapbox more than Warren Ellis): 1. his grammar lesson (noting that the plural of "cannon" is "cannon," not "cannons"), while correct is later ignored. check out the map. That's what you get for procrastinating!!
2. I was glad to learn that one of my favorite historical deaths is true, because that's one I've been spreading around since the 11th grade. If you don't know it, you'll have to read and find out. Edward II. I'm glad to know my teacher wasn't a liar.
And it is then that I inevitably stumble upon "What I learned from this book," and that always gets me thinking.
Warren Ellis is my favorite author in all of Comicdom. His stuff is always a brilliant combination of truths and absurdities; is nearly always violent and packed with wonderfully directed action (still curious to read his scripts - I just know they have to be awesome); and is always, ALWAYS intelligent. "Crecy" falls under his rarely visited love for history ("Wolfskin," "Planetary," and the ironically futuristic "Ministry of Space"). It's a strangely matter-of-fact narrative - really a chance for Ellis to give us all a big "did you know?" lecture, rather than to develop characters, or anything like that. But it's done with his wry sense of humor, his love of filth, and is at times SO in-your-face that it becomes endearing.
And as he'll do with the best of his work, the ultimate purpose is not to tell you about the pros and cons of a longbow, nor to give grammar lessons (all of which do fall under the "what I learned" part of this review), but to draw parallels between past (or future) and present (or near future). This was a really great read, and a book I was elated to finally find in my comic shop. I'd been putting off ordering it since last summer. But there it was! check it out. It's quick and dirty, and I promise you'll learn something to use in YOUR review.
2 other things that I have to say, though (as I feel no one appreciates an un-wasted soapbox more than Warren Ellis): 1. his grammar lesson (noting that the plural of "cannon" is "cannon," not "cannons"), while correct is later ignored. check out the map. That's what you get for procrastinating!!
2. I was glad to learn that one of my favorite historical deaths is true, because that's one I've been spreading around since the 11th grade. If you don't know it, you'll have to read and find out. Edward II. I'm glad to know my teacher wasn't a liar.
March 3, 2012
Warren Ellis' Crécy takes the reader into the field on the side of the English during the Battle of Crécy (1346) in the Hundred Years' War. The narrator, an English long-bowman named William of Stonham, discusses many aspects of war and tactics with the reader during the English trek to Crécy. He briefly mentions the differences between the various English folk (Welsh, Cornish, Iceni, etc.) and his xenophobia is apparent. More interesting, however, is his education on warfare - how the long-bowmen came to be and their tools, methods and tactics. After all, the Battle of Crécy was one of the most important battles that revolutionized warfare.[return][return]Crécy is interesting, educational, humorous, and - perhaps most important - very gripping. Ellis has written a wonderful graphic novel and Raulo Caceres' illustrations are exactly what one would expect for the time period. Caceres is able to bring detailed, well-drawn illustrations to the story without being fancy. However, with how well-written and illustrated Crécy is, many readers may be left wanting as it is a very short volume (48 pages). But for a measly $6.99, this volume can't be beat.
August 14, 2007
When I came across this book last Friday at my local comic book store (Alliance Comics in Silver Spring!!!) I couldn't believe my eyes. Two of my favorite things combined in a single book (Warren Ellis and history)! I thought it would have to be good to be true and I would find the book filled with errors and mistakes, overly politicized and lacking any real educational content. I am glad to say I was wrong on all counts! This book is awesome and should be required reading in all western civ history courses not to mention any course on the medieval period. It is a shame public schools are so PC, because honestly it should be read by high school students everywhere to show them that history is in no way boring or pointless to their current lives. From now on anyone who says to me they don't get history I'll point them towards this book, it doesn't hurt that it is one of the best summaries of the emergence of modern warfare either.
September 26, 2015
The battle as seen through the eyes of a self-aware English archer.
A whole lot of french-bashing fun. Though it's important to remember that the French have a glorious military history and that the 'cheese-eating surrender monkey' thing is a total myth.
Ellis isn't ignorant of this and comes up with a good enough reason to villainize the French -- they're a ruthless military force within pissing distance of England. It's got enough military history (mostly arrowheads, archer vs bowman ranges, etc) to make it fun. Though the black and white art is a bit boring.
A whole lot of french-bashing fun. Though it's important to remember that the French have a glorious military history and that the 'cheese-eating surrender monkey' thing is a total myth.
Ellis isn't ignorant of this and comes up with a good enough reason to villainize the French -- they're a ruthless military force within pissing distance of England. It's got enough military history (mostly arrowheads, archer vs bowman ranges, etc) to make it fun. Though the black and white art is a bit boring.
July 30, 2019
Aye, mate, a graphic novel of the Battle of Crécy from the Hundred Years War, whoda thunkit. Amazing artwork, especially the combat scenes, and the dialogue, whilst perhaps a wee bit anachronistic, is nonetheless informative and chock full of deliciously profane Brit humour.
December 8, 2015
LOVED IT.
If you enjoy history, medieval history, or just cussing, you will love this graphic novel.
Unless you're Welsh. Then you will just be offended.
If you enjoy history, medieval history, or just cussing, you will love this graphic novel.
Unless you're Welsh. Then you will just be offended.
January 4, 2017
Narrated by a historically aware (i.e. time traveling) English longbow archer in the 14th century, this is a comic book that will certainly have Englishmen collectively creaming their pants with some sort of synthetic nostalgic pride beaming through the pages (common man overcoming oppressive nobility). To be honest, I don't know what this was trying to be. To me it comes off as a half hearted historical information pamphlet with some anachronistic wise cracks strewn throughout. The battle drawing weren't even particularly captivating; they showed some arrow launches and then cut hours ahead to the French cavalry being slain. If I may suggest more medieval battles to be illustrated and narrated in this fashion I think Poiters (732 AD) would be a perfect candidate. Just think about how much material their is to work with; a smug Charles Martel basking in the glory of repelling a Muslim invasion on the French homeland, the art practically draws itself.
August 19, 2011
I kind of expected more out of this. It was interesting reading about some historical information I didn't know and learning a bit about the warfare of the time, but it could have used some more fact checking. After finding some of the information interesting, I looked for more information from other sources and found of lot of what was put in this book to be conjecture at best, and were simply put in just for entertainment value. While that's fine in a historical fiction novel, something that is trying to portray itself as nonfiction should really be steering clear of that.
I did really like this line though:
"We have the same intelligence as you. We simply don't have the same cumulative knowledge you do. So we apply our intelligence to what we have."
I did really like this line though:
"We have the same intelligence as you. We simply don't have the same cumulative knowledge you do. So we apply our intelligence to what we have."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2017
Outstanding! A look into history from the viewpoint of a English long bowman in the battle at crecy. It was really funny, included some history(that was all accurate from what I can tell except I wasn’t sure that Philip VI was just didn’t care and let his nobleman just run to their deaths. I’ll have to check that out another time.) anyway is was an excellent narration and I love the art. I’m not usually a fan of black and white because I’m spoiled by 4K and ultra HD I guess but this art is incredible. Just like he did with Frankenstein’s womb. Anyway it’s a short graphic novella that takes 15-20 minutes of your time. Totally worth it. For what it is, it deserves nothing less than 5 stars.
August 10, 2009
a nice little history lesson.
August 9, 2019
Amazing book. Full of blood, action, bad language and history making this very sort book a great historical fiction.
May 3, 2020
You have to imagine a base-born and uneducated rural peasant of the Middle Ages narrating to you, the reader. Maybe you are listening to a tantalizing mix of cocky beer inebriated expletives with a dab of modern-day anachronistic football hooligan etc.
Some people might find it vulgar to a degree of disgust. I, personally, did not. It was coarse and refreshingly rude. Perhaps unnecessarily so, but I could not help being amused and drawn by the rough and biased presentation. I'm certain David Starkey will not fear this historian stealing his job - lol.
Perhaps the narrator could be leaning against a pub's bar. He has had a few pints and is telling you about the battle of Crecy in his own rude but knowledgable way. He is swearing and is culturally biased. But you are in a pub and you want to listen anyway.
Then that coarse dialogue is put into these very good and rather busy looking drawings. It's a history lesson about the famous 1346 battle. It is a history lesson told by a rudely drawn man. And I think it works.
Some people might find it vulgar to a degree of disgust. I, personally, did not. It was coarse and refreshingly rude. Perhaps unnecessarily so, but I could not help being amused and drawn by the rough and biased presentation. I'm certain David Starkey will not fear this historian stealing his job - lol.
Perhaps the narrator could be leaning against a pub's bar. He has had a few pints and is telling you about the battle of Crecy in his own rude but knowledgable way. He is swearing and is culturally biased. But you are in a pub and you want to listen anyway.
Then that coarse dialogue is put into these very good and rather busy looking drawings. It's a history lesson about the famous 1346 battle. It is a history lesson told by a rudely drawn man. And I think it works.
April 4, 2019
Moc jsem nevěděl co od toho čekat, ale tohle jsem nečekal.. Na to jak je to krátký (ani ne 50 stran) je to překvapivě dost dobrý a i když je to neskutečně ukecaný tak se to čte fakt rychle a vůbec jsem se nenudil.. Boření čtvrtý zdi funguje úžasně a je tady dohromady tak 10 bublin který nejsou součást monologu hlavního hrdiny/vypravěče. Kresba k tomu sedne jak prdel na hrnec.. Nevím úplně jestli se mi líbí nebo ne, ale fakt se tu hodí. Navíc je tam 2x zmíněný Jan Lucemburský, yay.
May 31, 2011
Ellis tells the story of the battles of Crecy and Poitiers, viewed through the eye of an English longbow archer. He describes the various histories of the weapons used in Medieval battle and the way they play out against one another. Then he explains why the longbow changed warfare so significantly. It's a well-told story, with lots of amusing moments and an easy-to-understand discussion of the history; the narrator speaks in a straightforward way to the modern audience, and it's both charming and easy to read.
Caceres' art has that dense look that many of the black and white comics Ellis publishes have. It's not my favorite, but it works well in a way that some of the other artists he's worked with have not. He manages to avoid the flatness that plagues many of these comics.
Ellis makes an amusing connection between the U.S. pre-emptive strike doctrine pursued after 9/11 and the British attack on Normandy in the 1300s. The French keep trying to take British land, so the Brits decide to carve out a piece of France for their very own.
Caceres' art has that dense look that many of the black and white comics Ellis publishes have. It's not my favorite, but it works well in a way that some of the other artists he's worked with have not. He manages to avoid the flatness that plagues many of these comics.
Ellis makes an amusing connection between the U.S. pre-emptive strike doctrine pursued after 9/11 and the British attack on Normandy in the 1300s. The French keep trying to take British land, so the Brits decide to carve out a piece of France for their very own.
October 13, 2015
Warren Ellis Crécy is a powerful graphic novel. Narrator of the novel, longbowman William of Stonham, gets reader to the moments before and during the battle of Crécy. Battle of Crécy is one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years War in terms of military strategy, fight technique and organization of the battleground. William is an apparent xenophobe, he doesn't like French, he doesn't like his English neighbors and I sincerely doubt he likes anybody but himself. As such he's a perfect medieval warrior. Warriors aren't made for conscience.
This graphic novel has perfect illustrations, detailed explanations of the medieval warfare, and most importantly it's a story about revolution (of warfare). As William says from his all-knowing position: "You don't even know how many wars and how many battles resembles to the events which took place at Crécy." Connection between the front page and the last page of the novel is evident and the story made its full circle. Crécy is only 48 pages long, but it's 48 pages of brilliance.
This graphic novel has perfect illustrations, detailed explanations of the medieval warfare, and most importantly it's a story about revolution (of warfare). As William says from his all-knowing position: "You don't even know how many wars and how many battles resembles to the events which took place at Crécy." Connection between the front page and the last page of the novel is evident and the story made its full circle. Crécy is only 48 pages long, but it's 48 pages of brilliance.
July 8, 2025
I haven't read a lot of his work but I have been really impressed by the Warren Ellis comics I have read. This was a bit of a disappointment though. 'Crécy' felt like a charmless, smug and willfully unpleasant piece of writing. Take a read of the back-of-book blurb, note the phrasing, and see the 2003 publication date and, like me, you may feel Ellis is trying to parallel England's "ungentlemanly" and anti-chivalric strategy at the 1346 Battle of Crécy to the - let's say controversial modern American military action in the Middle East. But to what end? One option is that he's telling us that there's nothing new under the sun and the supposedly righteous, clean war we're all expecting in Iraq will be fought in a dirty, dishonourable way by rude and crude men like this, so don't listen when they tell you it's a righteous and shining crusade. Sadly I think his more likely attempted point is the smug message that war is inevitable and nasty because the world is nasty and people are nasty, and he's expressing it with the tired nihilism that Millar made so much hay with over his career - not really what I'd hope for from Ellis.
The story is told by William of Stonham - an archer from Stonham Aspal, a little Suffolk village quite near to where I live. I didn't detect much Suffolk in his narration, though; actually he talks like a modern Guy Ritchie London hardcase. Not that someone from 14th C. Suffolk would speak in a way that modern readers would find intelligible anyway, I guess; it'd be more like a Chaucer character. Perhaps with the aim of clarity (and selling his "War then was just like now" narrative) Ellis takes the approach of William essentially speaking, thinking and fighting like a modern professional soldier. He's an epic bastard who would rather be pounding whiskey and getting some strange, but killing is his business and he does it well. At times it was hard not to make him sound like Jason Statham in my mind. Rolling my eyes until I die about some of this tough guy posturing.
I think it's fairly unlikely that 14th century archers spoke like this and had quite such a cynical view of life, though they probably did use the word 'cunt' this much. My guess is that a 'real' William would have talked about God, Jesus and the Saints much more than he does here, for starters. It's probably accurate that this kind of man would despise the Welsh and the Scottish and feel an all-consuming disgust for the French - fair enough. He might speak disrespectfully of the nobility and the king too, I suppose - but it all comes together to feel like Ellis is more interested in pandering to modernity than trying to get inside the mind of someone who really lived that long ago. (The Welsh-bashing in particular feels fucking overplayed and irritating to me. Nothing more dull to my mind than a modern Englishman pretending the Welsh are some fur-wearing Bronze Age society of subhumans. They're watching the same Sky Sports channels as you right now man.)
Ellis heavily leans on English Francophobia for this, an accurately persistent thread running through my country's history. At times I think he feels this will get every British reader on-side, but personally I think this shit is pretty fucking annoying. Still it's apt for this story, though I find the use of "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" totally unforgivable (an annoying joke which somehow has become one of the most quoted Simpsons lines, I think... every time I hear it I grit my fucking teeth.) I also have a suspicion Ellis is taking advantage of resurgent Francophobia in America and England in 2003 (probably his biggest markets, right?) as this was the classic 'Freedom Fries' era.
I think you can argue the narrator is meant to be slanted, but not really unreliable as his approach is mostly intended to give us historical events (though told with some colour). What Ellis does do is really gloss over some events leading up to Crécy to the like the English sack of Caen which left probably thousands of French civilians dead, while likely many more were raped and left completely destitute. Of course that may have been a response to some French atrocity on English soil too - I'm not an expert in this time period but by this point the French and English had been fucking each other up on this scale for centuries. But even though he's happy to paint the English army as dark Gerard Butler bastards ready and willing to do the dirty work to defend their homeland, rude and crude, even at times gleefully sadistic (during the killing of wounded French knights for example), Ellis stops short of castigating them for being looters and rapists, which is, well, every European army at this time probably, but a pretty serious mark against them being cool antiheroes. The French arrogance in their strategy (including displaying the oriflamme before the battle to show that they intended to take no prisoners) makes it hard to be too sympathetic for them per se, but it's also hard not to think that a lowly dog-soldier in the French army might have some fairly sharp barbs to throw against the English and their own mistakes or actions in the campaign.
What really comes across here is just how important the longbowmen were for Crécy's outcome and how they arguably changed the course of military history - for a long time afterward in Europe, at least. Ellis' writing is at its most impressive when rhapsodising for the beauty of the yew longbow and discussing just what made it so effective in these circumstances.
Much of the art is starkly beautiful (heavy black and white, with more emphasis on black, and some great expressive faces) but the over-bloody action frames just feel a bit empty to me. This feels very early 2000s edgelord at times.
I'm glad I picked this up, despite my complaints. I have mixed feelings about the narrative voice and I'd want to double check any of the historical facts asserted her before repeating them but it's a compelling story and also short.
6.5/10
The story is told by William of Stonham - an archer from Stonham Aspal, a little Suffolk village quite near to where I live. I didn't detect much Suffolk in his narration, though; actually he talks like a modern Guy Ritchie London hardcase. Not that someone from 14th C. Suffolk would speak in a way that modern readers would find intelligible anyway, I guess; it'd be more like a Chaucer character. Perhaps with the aim of clarity (and selling his "War then was just like now" narrative) Ellis takes the approach of William essentially speaking, thinking and fighting like a modern professional soldier. He's an epic bastard who would rather be pounding whiskey and getting some strange, but killing is his business and he does it well. At times it was hard not to make him sound like Jason Statham in my mind. Rolling my eyes until I die about some of this tough guy posturing.
I think it's fairly unlikely that 14th century archers spoke like this and had quite such a cynical view of life, though they probably did use the word 'cunt' this much. My guess is that a 'real' William would have talked about God, Jesus and the Saints much more than he does here, for starters. It's probably accurate that this kind of man would despise the Welsh and the Scottish and feel an all-consuming disgust for the French - fair enough. He might speak disrespectfully of the nobility and the king too, I suppose - but it all comes together to feel like Ellis is more interested in pandering to modernity than trying to get inside the mind of someone who really lived that long ago. (The Welsh-bashing in particular feels fucking overplayed and irritating to me. Nothing more dull to my mind than a modern Englishman pretending the Welsh are some fur-wearing Bronze Age society of subhumans. They're watching the same Sky Sports channels as you right now man.)
Ellis heavily leans on English Francophobia for this, an accurately persistent thread running through my country's history. At times I think he feels this will get every British reader on-side, but personally I think this shit is pretty fucking annoying. Still it's apt for this story, though I find the use of "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" totally unforgivable (an annoying joke which somehow has become one of the most quoted Simpsons lines, I think... every time I hear it I grit my fucking teeth.) I also have a suspicion Ellis is taking advantage of resurgent Francophobia in America and England in 2003 (probably his biggest markets, right?) as this was the classic 'Freedom Fries' era.
I think you can argue the narrator is meant to be slanted, but not really unreliable as his approach is mostly intended to give us historical events (though told with some colour). What Ellis does do is really gloss over some events leading up to Crécy to the like the English sack of Caen which left probably thousands of French civilians dead, while likely many more were raped and left completely destitute. Of course that may have been a response to some French atrocity on English soil too - I'm not an expert in this time period but by this point the French and English had been fucking each other up on this scale for centuries. But even though he's happy to paint the English army as dark Gerard Butler bastards ready and willing to do the dirty work to defend their homeland, rude and crude, even at times gleefully sadistic (during the killing of wounded French knights for example), Ellis stops short of castigating them for being looters and rapists, which is, well, every European army at this time probably, but a pretty serious mark against them being cool antiheroes. The French arrogance in their strategy (including displaying the oriflamme before the battle to show that they intended to take no prisoners) makes it hard to be too sympathetic for them per se, but it's also hard not to think that a lowly dog-soldier in the French army might have some fairly sharp barbs to throw against the English and their own mistakes or actions in the campaign.
What really comes across here is just how important the longbowmen were for Crécy's outcome and how they arguably changed the course of military history - for a long time afterward in Europe, at least. Ellis' writing is at its most impressive when rhapsodising for the beauty of the yew longbow and discussing just what made it so effective in these circumstances.
Much of the art is starkly beautiful (heavy black and white, with more emphasis on black, and some great expressive faces) but the over-bloody action frames just feel a bit empty to me. This feels very early 2000s edgelord at times.
I'm glad I picked this up, despite my complaints. I have mixed feelings about the narrative voice and I'd want to double check any of the historical facts asserted her before repeating them but it's a compelling story and also short.
6.5/10
August 13, 2008
This book tends to be over-rated, probably because of Warren Ellis' recent ascension to "Internet-Jesus" status. It's basically a sort of "Horrible Histories" episode for late-teenagers, in classic Ellis' style. Rhythm is good for what is essentially a long monologue, and art is average; at times, though, it feels like something Garth Ennis could write, which is disappointing.
The most significant element of the operation is the commercial success it achieved, despite falling somewhat outside of the superhero genre, with very little marketing and based on such an unfashionable subject. Ellis tried for years to demonstrate that there is a market for unconventional work, and this is a good proof of concept.
In short: if you like Warren Ellis, you'll like Crécy; just don't expect a masterpiece.
The most significant element of the operation is the commercial success it achieved, despite falling somewhat outside of the superhero genre, with very little marketing and based on such an unfashionable subject. Ellis tried for years to demonstrate that there is a market for unconventional work, and this is a good proof of concept.
In short: if you like Warren Ellis, you'll like Crécy; just don't expect a masterpiece.
August 22, 2015
I never thought I'd be interested in a comic book retelling of a 14th century, but Warren Ellis tells the story in a fascinating manner. A soldier breaks the fourth wall, detailing why the battle took place, the parties involved, and what happened, as well as why it was important. It doesn't glorify battle, or the soldiers (and if you have any issue with profanity, don't even bother picking this book up), explaining why both sides were unpleasant in their own ways. This isn't chivalrous battle; these are people trying to kill each other with no regard for rules or decorum (at least on one side), and that is kind of the point. It's slow moving, but the art is the Avatar style (oversaturated with detail, even in black and white) and leaves lots of depth. This is a good example of how comics can be used for more than super heroes.
August 18, 2007
This is unlike any comic I can remember reading. It's basically a first-person monologue in comics form which was unsettling at first. But once I got used to it, I never thought about it again. The narrator, a 13th-century longbowman, walks us through the battle of Crécy, one of the first battles where longbowmen dominated over crossbows and calvary, and it's effects. The story, in typical Warren Ellis fashion, is unflinching, brutal, profane, but still Romantic. The art, by Raulo Caceres is lush black and white, and evokes the look of medieval woodcuts at times. Ellis brings a great deal of research to bear over a very short narrative and he does while providing the reader with a great deal of characterization and action. No easy feat.
April 3, 2018
Ahhh! This. Is. GOOD!
I heard it is nice, yeah, but it's short and B&W. But it's Ellis. This guy can write. Like, really write. Create something new. Make you think. And yes, Crécy is splendid. The breaking fourth wall with main character, the narator, directly talking to the reader to future world. Taking us trough this England vs France military campaign and especially trough this (very important and interesting) battle. I thought I would despise it, but I love it. It's fun, it's interesting, it's fascinating. Some writers need great opulent art to make their comics more than just average. Warren Ellis can go with simple inked drawings (which are actually good and detailed). Warren could go just with pre-school kid with handful of broken crayons.
I heard it is nice, yeah, but it's short and B&W. But it's Ellis. This guy can write. Like, really write. Create something new. Make you think. And yes, Crécy is splendid. The breaking fourth wall with main character, the narator, directly talking to the reader to future world. Taking us trough this England vs France military campaign and especially trough this (very important and interesting) battle. I thought I would despise it, but I love it. It's fun, it's interesting, it's fascinating. Some writers need great opulent art to make their comics more than just average. Warren Ellis can go with simple inked drawings (which are actually good and detailed). Warren could go just with pre-school kid with handful of broken crayons.
February 9, 2018
Crecy tells of the death of the Medieval knight, the death of French Aristocracy, and the first shift in warfare towards firepower and infantry.
Warren Ellis has done all this by giving us a narrator of that age, a bloody English longbowman that will line up at Crecy with Edward the Third and Edward the Black Prince, and win the day for his superiors. Bach, tells of us his traditional English disdain for all things French, shows us his assortment of arrowheads that he has prepared for the occasion, and manages to insult the Scottish too.
All in all a great time-waster and a surprisingly great read.
Warren Ellis has done all this by giving us a narrator of that age, a bloody English longbowman that will line up at Crecy with Edward the Third and Edward the Black Prince, and win the day for his superiors. Bach, tells of us his traditional English disdain for all things French, shows us his assortment of arrowheads that he has prepared for the occasion, and manages to insult the Scottish too.
All in all a great time-waster and a surprisingly great read.
February 2, 2009
A look at the battle of Crecy, France between the English and French. The story telling approach is a bit odd--it's narrated by an English author speaking directly to the reader, with a very modern voice. It's a little unexpected, but for me, worked well. It allows Ellis to discuss lots of little details, and yet still keep his typical voice coming through. The historical details seem very accurate (and well researched) though I suspect someone who knows this period of history better would be able to comment more accurately than me.
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