Crogan Adventures

BOOKLIST --Originally published in 2009 as Crogan's March,this is the second in Oni's colorized reprints of Schweizer's historicalescapades. Told with a classic Boy's Own Adventure flair for humor andderring-do, the series dips into multiple generations of the Crogan family, thistime focusing on French Foreign Legionnaire Peter Crogan who, in 1912, isplunged into a battle against desert raiders. It's cracking good fun, filledwith fierce battles and daring escapes, but impressively given equal urgency isthe question of one country's right to enforce its own, perhaps morehumanitarian, political outlook on a “lesser” nation. It's aquestion as sadly relevant as ever, and the quandary is given extra weight withan ambiguous ending that sees Crogan sacrificing himself for several Arabcaptives. Schweitzer's writing effectively encompasses it all at anage-appropriate level, while his art softens the sharper edges with zany figuresand breathlessly designed action. The new color adds deeper tones (both literaland figurative) to the proceedings, so if your library hasn't enlisted yet,now's an excellent time.