Cover Art from Escape - Chapter #5 - Written by Rick Remender with Art and Color by Daniel Acuna and Lettering by Rus Wooten. Escape logo created by Harper Jaten
“Life’s A Tidepool of Helpless Creatures Swept Up in a Hurricane of Broken Glass”
Since the opening issue of Escape, author Rick Remender and artist Daniel Acuña have been crafting a tale that takes a brutally honest look at war. There is none of the pomp and circumstance or talks of "fighting the good fight." There is no clear line that divides right from wrong. There are simply the individuals fighting it, the decisions they are forced to make, and the horror that results from those decisions. Escape Chapter #5, titled "These Are the Good Days," is a slower-paced issue that packs a hefty emotional punch. It gives the reader a deeper look at the horrific cost of the war and the loss of humanity it brings with it.
For those who might be unfamiliar with this title, I will provide a little background. Through the guise of the main character, Milton Shaw, Remender manages to humanize war in a way I have not seen since reading Maus by Art Spiegelman many years ago. Of course, the common theme that unites these two tales is that they do not feature humans in the main roles. Instead, they feature anthropomorphic individuals, which are animals with physical and emotional human qualities.
The war presented in Escape is essentially World War II, with the Nareinan Bats representing the Axis and the animals on the side of Milton representing the Allies. In the notes in the back of the first issue, Remender says he decided to use anthropomorphic individuals because he read that humans feel greater empathy toward animals than other humans. I cannot speak for everyone, but when an animal is threatened in a television show, movie, or book, it makes me feel a very emotional type of way. No one ever wants to see something bad happen to animals. Shaw is represented as a dog-type individual, and his original squad is represented by other types of animals, including a cat. Everything beyond this point is spoiler territory; you have been warned!
A Recap of Chapter #5
By this point in the story by Remender, Milton has been thrown through the wringer. He lost his entire squad, he has been shot at, he has been stabbed, and he has been nearly blown up. Without the kindness of someone on the opposite side, he would either be dead or in a torture chamber somewhere, subject to horrors that would make anyone squirm. Chapter #5 not only focuses on Milton and his fight to complete his mission, but it also gives us a better understanding of the other side, the side of the Bats, to see what their population is going through as well.
When we last left Milton, he was being taken care of by a Narenian named Anders Müller. Müller and his son Emil are hiding out above their bakery in the big Narenian city that Milton and his squad bombed in the opening issue of the series. Chapter #4 did a fantastic job of humanizing the Narenians, and Chapter #5 takes it to an even deeper emotional level when we see how Narenian soldiers treat the everyday citizens they are supposed to protect.
Chapter #5 kicks off with a group of Narenian soldiers walking through the rubble of their destroyed city while talking about things they miss from before the war began. Those things include alcohol, prostitution, and their favorite places to get food. Their colonel feels quite different, and he goes on to tell the squad that "these are the good days" because the people fear them and they have all the power at the current time. One of the best lines of the issue and of the story so far is when the colonel tells his troops that "Peace will come to take the keys out of [their] hands." The colonel clearly values fear and oppression above all else and loves that war gives him the platform to be powerful.
The soldiers then break into the apartment of Anders Müller where they wake him and Emil from their slumber after a night of helping Milton. Under suspicion of helping Milton hide out in his home above the bakery, the colonel questions Anders while his troops search the apartment for any sign of Milton. The colonel dives into the past of Anders, and we learn that his wife was a member of the liberation movement in Narenia. She led boycotts, planned protests, and spread treasonable propaganda. She was someone who wanted to make change from within, and it is alluded to at this point in the issue that something bad happened to her. As the colonel moves throughout the apartment, he discovers a piece of "foreign currency," which turns out to be the coin that Milton gave as a gift to Emil the night before.
Emil covers for his father and Milton by saying he "traded with a boy who had taken it off a body" and that he was going to surprise his father with milk and butter by using the coin. The colonel takes the coin, stating that possession of contraband is illegal, and gives him a Narenian national coin in return before leaving the apartment with the squad of troops. Milton finally comes out of hiding and apologizes again for putting Anders and his son at risk.
Milton asks if Anders can put him in touch with the Interior Liberation Front (ILF) to help him destroy the Titan Cannon that the Narenians possess. This weapon is the focus of his mission, but Anders responds that three years prior, his wife and daughter went out to buy school supplies and both never came home. It is alluded to that both were killed: Margarethe for her involvement with the ILF and their daughter to send a message.
Anders says even if he had a way to contact the ILF, he would not do so because he is just trying to survive. Prior to leaving the apartment, Anders gives Milton all his gear back. Milton shares that he has never opened a letter from his wife, Ruth, because if he did, it would make his newly born son that much more real. He feels it would make his entire journey hurt too much. Milton still feels as if he is never making it home.
Milton then walks the streets of the city looking at all the destruction, the beggars on corners, and the lack of food and safety. He sees that these people are suffering immensely due to the horrors of the war. He remarks that no one deserves this and no one deserves to see bodies piled in their streets. Milton eventually makes his way to a ridge above the city to survey the area where the Titan gun is located. He tries to formulate a last-ditch plan to destroy it, even if he now must do it all by himself.
Milton cannot figure out a way in and begins to lose hope. However, at the end of the issue, he remembers some key advice his wife told him: "Find the way the river is already moving and let it carry you." He then figures out a way that he can get into the base with the Titan gun.
Thoughts on Chapter #5
War comics typically are not my vibe, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I fell in love with this book. I quickly learned that I should not have been surprised. I went into it completely blind and was expecting it to be just another typical war book, but what I have discovered is that I truly cannot underestimate Rick Remender. When this era of comics is looked back on years from now and people begin to discuss who belongs in the upper echelon of comic writers in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, the name of Rick Remender will be close to the top of that list. He makes you care about characters even if we only spend a fraction of an issue with them, and this story is no different.
In Chapter #1, where we see the squad of Milton for only a few panels, I felt legitimate tears welling up in my eyes when they died. The entire story of Milton with his wife Ruth is so well written. Whenever she pops back up in the story, it is emotional to see their interactions from when Milton was still home. Remender nails his characters at every step. That is part of the reason why, if his name is attached to a story, I feel the need to check it out. I feel ashamed that it took me this long to check out Escape.
Escape should be on the pull list of everyone. Flat out, it is that good. Even if you are not into war comics, you will find something to like in this story. Chapter #5 specifically was one of my favorites of the entire run so far. It was certainly a slower issue than normal, but that is not a bad thing. We got to spend a little more time with some interesting characters on both sides of the war. Anders Müller and his son Emil are a perfect representation of what happens when everyday people are caught in the horrors of war.
The troop of Narenian soldiers talking about war and the power it gives offers a look into the terrifying mindset that some people have during conflict. The walk of Milton through the streets of the city might be my favorite scene of the book, specifically when he remarks how no one deserves a fate like the one he sees in the streets. It is a very real look at the effect war has on members of society at different levels. The use of anthropomorphic individuals was a great choice to help us feel even more empathy for many of the characters in the story.
I would be remiss if I did not bring up the brilliant art of Daniel Acuña. Acuña has been nailing it since Chapter #1, and in this issue, his fantastic art and colors are a perfect match for the story by Remender. The dark style of Acuña, combined with his extremely expressive eyes and faces, helps you feel the emotions of every character when they are on the page. There is an overall gloomy feeling to his art. The shadows are all extremely deep, and it fits the feel of the story very well. The apartment of Anders and Emil feels lived in and sad. The streets of the city feel desolate and depressing.
Without the art of Acuña, this would still be a good story, but the way he has brought this tale to life makes this a perfect pairing between writer and artist. The art is stunning in this story and in this chapter. I cannot wait to see more of it as the first arc of the series concludes with Chapter #6 and beyond. This is a nearly perfect story written by one of the best comic authors of our time with an artist who matches the vibe of the story and nails every single panel he draws. If Escape was not on your radar before, it certainly should be now. The only thing I have left to say is: Is it February 4th yet? Because I need Chapter #6 now.