by Jayden Leggett, Editor
A comic set during World War II that doesn’t feature a star-spangled superhero battling against Nazis? Clearly not a Marvel book, Frank Candiloro’s Behind The Crooked Cross is a war story that primarily uses emotion as its driving force, and is all the better for it.
The first few pages of this book set the bleak tone that is present for the majority of the story. Beginning in Poland in 1942, Behind The Crooked Cross opens with a group of faceless Nazi soldiers forcing a woman in a death camp prisoner’s uniform to literally dig her own grave at gunpoint. Before any shots are fired, the narration begins, and we learn that this unfortunate woman’s name is Matylda.
Matylda retells of the highlights of her life, such as learning many of life’s lessons from her loving father, and meeting the man of her dreams. But before the readers have the chance to be lulled in to a false sense of security, the horrors soon begin in the lead up to Germany’s inevitable invasion of Poland. Matylda’s husband Lukas (who is evidently a German soldier) gets re-stationed back in Germany, and as she begins to go on the run from the invading army she experiences several traumatic and devastating events that no human being should ever have to endure.
Although Matylda’s story ends with a rather bleak (and slightly unexpected) climax, the epilogue that follows is somewhat uplifting and left me with a sense of hope for the future of mankind and for the human condition itself (deep, I know).
Once again, Candiloro’s art does not disappoint (just check out the collage page of Warsaw being bombed – so good!) His unique abstract art style full of harsh lines and high contrast black and white tones perfectly compliments the subject matter (particularly when it comes to some of the more morbid scenarios), and his use of imagery as a visual representation of Matylda’s moods and nightmares is outstanding. This is what should be common place in more comic books, artwork that doesn’t merely depict the actions but also adds to the meaning and themes of the narrative.
A visual motif that I particularly enjoyed is how the Nazi’s are depicted as being “faceless soldiers”, drawn with empty voids where their eyes should be. The only minor quibble that I have with this entire book is that on a couple of occasions the art style made it hard to determine exactly what it was that I was looking at, but to people who aren’t nitpicking critics such as myself this problem won’t be present at all.
With brilliant artwork and an equally brilliant story to match, Behind The Crooked Cross is a book that everybody should read at least once (well, everybody above the age of eighteen anyway. There is some pretty heavy subject matter in here). If you have been looking for a war-themed comic that spares you the over-the-top antics and larger-than-life spandex-clad characters that people come to expect from the likes of Marvel or DC, then look no further.
Copies of this book and other works by Frank Candiloro can be purchased from this link. To check his out other artworks and short films, head to his official website.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Behind The Crooked Cross 4.5 out of 5 World War II-themed hallucinations.
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