Pacific

Pacific, a graphic novel from Martin Trystram and Romain Baudy, tells a fascinating, fantastical tale about life on a German U-boat at the end of the Second World War. Kyung-Eun Park helps with the graphic presentation, and Jessica Burton translates the tale. The story follows Udo Grothendieck, a young radio operator, who is chosen for an assignment on a U-boat. This is a captivating tale about life at sea during the war, but it is a fantasy rather than a historical story. Udo, unknown to himself, has brought a book along with him that is forbidden but has fantastical powers. It becomes hard to figure out what is real in the book, with something unnamed seeming to have a large impact on what transpires.

It’s a tough life at sea for Udo, who meets all sorts of angry Nazis who let him know who is boss. There are superiors and crew members with angry demands. Udo and the magical book have an effect on what transpires next. The crew members are depicted in strange ways, but they have been under the sea for a long time. The art is not pleasing but is still strangely beautiful in places, like the sea and ocean sky, in this profound fantasy.