Cla$$war
Encyclopedia
Cla$$war is a six-issue comic book
limited series
published by Com.x
between 2002 and 2004. It was written by Rob Williams with art by Trevor Hairsine
and Travel Foreman
.
Williams has summed up the story as "a political thriller with superheroes," dealing with a government supersoldier
programme and how the leading superhero, The American, deals with the revelation of the truth.
, was due to be launched in November 2001, but had to be delayed because of the 9/11 attacks. The first three issues were finally published between January and July 2002 and were collected into a trade paperback
in 2003. When the publisher came back from a hiatus caused by problems including a serious burglary, Hairsine had already moved on to Marvel
and, while Cary Nord
was initially pencilled in as his replacement, a job that finally went to Travel Foreman
and the last three issue were published between March and June 2004. Len O'Grady provided all the colouring to "maintain colour continuity". When the publisher returned fully to publishing the series was collected into a hardcover edition.
Although people make the link with The Authority, Williams has said he had not read the series before starting to write Cla$$war and he went on to explain the actual inspiration:
The series was always planned to run for twelve issues, and Williams has expressed an interest in writing the next six-issue story arc but he is concerned that "with the production quality and level of artist that the series has had in its different incarnations - it's really tough to sustain that over another six issues unless you're selling large numbers, and for an indie company like com.x that's tough to achieve."
declared that it was a "this is a solid first issue for what promises to be an exciting and challenging story," with "tight" writing and "great art," the latter reminding him of "Gene Colan
, but with a grittier texture." The X-Axis thought it was an "impressive package" and the review at Sequential Tart complimented the "gorgeous" art and drew on the comparisons, saying "where The Authority deals with interdimensional war and interstellar invasion, Cla$$war is much more personal and immediate." Craig Lemon covered issue #2 for Comics Bulletin and concluded "a great title, a real breath of fresh air into a tired genre, one that doesn't rely on the shock value of revealing secret identities, or of constantly changing powers and/or costumes," suggesting some parallels with John Smith
's New Statesmen
. Lemon returns for the third issue and suggests that "Rob Williams is really beginning to get into this scripting lark, hitting his stride with spot-on dialogue and humorous asides amid the serious plot." Lemon also reviewed the trade collection of the first three issues, concluding that "a cracking script to go with his detailed plot, the right mixture of tension, intrigue plus humour" and that it "shows [Hairsine's] work off to its best effect, the amount of effort he put in is all there on the page...complemented by Len O'Grady's excellent colouring work," although he did point out problems with spelling errors.
When the series recommenced, Lemon picked up the reviews again concluding that the fourth issue is "a bit like Supreme-Power
-to-the-MAX, ideal for fans of that book or Rising Stars
, or for anyone who demands a little more ... intelligence ... from their superheroes." After the highpoint of the previous issue "#5 really just moves us from the bad guys looking for The American, to the confrontation itself" although "it still works and reads very well." Craig Johnson reviewed the last issue for Comics Bulletin and suggested "you have a book which comes close to out-Authoritying The Authority, out-Ultimating The Ultimates." The X-Axis was less impressed, suggesting that the scheduling made it miss the window where the story's politics were truly relevant: "by this point Cla$$war seems like a strangely contradiction - simultaneously a hamfisted anti-government rant, and a curious relic of a more innocent pre-9/11 era when you actually had to make up silly conspiracy theories to justify broadsiding the US government."
SFX reviewed the complete collection and found itself agreeing and disagreeing with Craig Johnson's introduction to the book: "[s]o Johnson's right, if you don't have V for Vendetta
, order it at once. But if you do, Cla$$war should be the next book on your must-buy list." Troy Brownfield at Newsarama
felt that "Rob Williams doesn’t flinch when he puts a cold eye to this idea, and it’s his willingness to stare deeply that gives the story its fire" and that "lend some terrific art to the proceedings" before concluding that the volume is "an action-packed super-hero tale with resonance and relevance." Ain't it Cool News
was impressed with Hairsine's art, suggesting he "deserves a blowjob while eating ice cream for this work," and they felt that the change of artists was not the problem it could have been, "[s]ure you knew it was a different guy, but he embodied the predecessor so well you just thought it was the original artist trying something new." They were also impressed with the story and the presentation of the hardcover volume, concluding "[o]verall the series is a powerhouse and this new hardcover collection certainly rocks - especially with an incredible amount of extras thrown in," with their main concern being that the series was planned for twelve issues, so the volume is only the first story arc:
. The first was released in 2003 and brought together the three issues that had been published at that point and the second collects the entire six issues:
This volume also contains a number of extras: introductions by Andy Diggle
and Craig Johnson, a new eight-page prologue by Williams and Hairsine, posters by Ben Oliver
(Burner) and Mike McMahon
(Enola Gay), as well as Oliver's cover for the unpublished trade paperback collecting Cla$$war #4-6.
, the production company that made the film Surrogates based on the comic book of the same name
. Rick Alexander, David Hoberman
and Todd Lieberman will be the co-producers.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Com.x
Com.x
-2000-2002:Com.x wwas founded in 2000 by Eddie Deighton, Russell Uttley and Neil Googe. Deighton later described how the group came together in 1999:...
between 2002 and 2004. It was written by Rob Williams with art by Trevor Hairsine
Trevor Hairsine
Trevor Hairsine is a British comics artist, whose detailed style has been compared to that of Bryan Hitch.In August 2005 Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada named him as one of Marvel Comics's "Young Guns", a group of artists who have the qualities that make "a future superstar...
and Travel Foreman
Travel Foreman
-Biography:Travel Foreman gained attention with his work on Com.x’s Cla$$war, where he replaced original series artist Trevor Hairsine. He quickly moved on to work at Marvel Comics, illustrating the Supreme Power spin-off mini-series, Doctor Spectrum, and a Juggernaut story written by Lee Barnett...
.
Williams has summed up the story as "a political thriller with superheroes," dealing with a government supersoldier
Supersoldier
Supersoldier is a term often used to describe a soldier that operates beyond normal human limits or abilities. Supersoldiers are common in science fiction literature, films, TV programs, computer, conspiracy theories, and video games, but have also made appearances in other related genres, such as...
programme and how the leading superhero, The American, deals with the revelation of the truth.
Publication history
The series, written by Rob Williams with art by Trevor HairsineTrevor Hairsine
Trevor Hairsine is a British comics artist, whose detailed style has been compared to that of Bryan Hitch.In August 2005 Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada named him as one of Marvel Comics's "Young Guns", a group of artists who have the qualities that make "a future superstar...
, was due to be launched in November 2001, but had to be delayed because of the 9/11 attacks. The first three issues were finally published between January and July 2002 and were collected into a trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
in 2003. When the publisher came back from a hiatus caused by problems including a serious burglary, Hairsine had already moved on to Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
and, while Cary Nord
Cary Nord
Cary Nord is an artist noted for his work in comic books. He started his career with a letter and some original artwork sent into the editors of Marvel Comics's Marvel Comics Presents. They were so impressed, he was awarded with a professional job penciling a Shang Chi serial. He eventually became...
was initially pencilled in as his replacement, a job that finally went to Travel Foreman
Travel Foreman
-Biography:Travel Foreman gained attention with his work on Com.x’s Cla$$war, where he replaced original series artist Trevor Hairsine. He quickly moved on to work at Marvel Comics, illustrating the Supreme Power spin-off mini-series, Doctor Spectrum, and a Juggernaut story written by Lee Barnett...
and the last three issue were published between March and June 2004. Len O'Grady provided all the colouring to "maintain colour continuity". When the publisher returned fully to publishing the series was collected into a hardcover edition.
Although people make the link with The Authority, Williams has said he had not read the series before starting to write Cla$$war and he went on to explain the actual inspiration:
The series was always planned to run for twelve issues, and Williams has expressed an interest in writing the next six-issue story arc but he is concerned that "with the production quality and level of artist that the series has had in its different incarnations - it's really tough to sustain that over another six issues unless you're selling large numbers, and for an indie company like com.x that's tough to achieve."
Reception
The reviews have largely been positive, apart from complaints about scheduling. Michael Deeley reviewed the first issue for Comics BulletinComics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
declared that it was a "this is a solid first issue for what promises to be an exciting and challenging story," with "tight" writing and "great art," the latter reminding him of "Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
, but with a grittier texture." The X-Axis thought it was an "impressive package" and the review at Sequential Tart complimented the "gorgeous" art and drew on the comparisons, saying "where The Authority deals with interdimensional war and interstellar invasion, Cla$$war is much more personal and immediate." Craig Lemon covered issue #2 for Comics Bulletin and concluded "a great title, a real breath of fresh air into a tired genre, one that doesn't rely on the shock value of revealing secret identities, or of constantly changing powers and/or costumes," suggesting some parallels with John Smith
John Smith (comics)
John Smith is a British comics writer best known for his work on 2000 AD and Crisis.Smith's work is characterised by intricate, sometimes obscure plots and an interest in taboos and the occult, told in an elliptic, fractured narrative style reminiscent of Iain Sinclair or the cut-up technique of...
's New Statesmen
New Statesmen (comics)
New Statesmen was a "political superhero series" featured in British comic Crisis, created by John Smith and Jim Baikie, which lasted for fourteen episodes from 1988 to 1989.-Publications history:...
. Lemon returns for the third issue and suggests that "Rob Williams is really beginning to get into this scripting lark, hitting his stride with spot-on dialogue and humorous asides amid the serious plot." Lemon also reviewed the trade collection of the first three issues, concluding that "a cracking script to go with his detailed plot, the right mixture of tension, intrigue plus humour" and that it "shows [Hairsine's] work off to its best effect, the amount of effort he put in is all there on the page...complemented by Len O'Grady's excellent colouring work," although he did point out problems with spelling errors.
When the series recommenced, Lemon picked up the reviews again concluding that the fourth issue is "a bit like Supreme-Power
Supreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
-to-the-MAX, ideal for fans of that book or Rising Stars
Rising Stars
Rising Stars is a 24-issue comic book limited series by J. Michael Straczynski about 113 people born with special abilities following the appearance of a mysterious light in the sky above Pederson, Illinois. The series explores how society may react to the advent of superpowers, and how those who...
, or for anyone who demands a little more ... intelligence ... from their superheroes." After the highpoint of the previous issue "#5 really just moves us from the bad guys looking for The American, to the confrontation itself" although "it still works and reads very well." Craig Johnson reviewed the last issue for Comics Bulletin and suggested "you have a book which comes close to out-Authoritying The Authority, out-Ultimating The Ultimates." The X-Axis was less impressed, suggesting that the scheduling made it miss the window where the story's politics were truly relevant: "by this point Cla$$war seems like a strangely contradiction - simultaneously a hamfisted anti-government rant, and a curious relic of a more innocent pre-9/11 era when you actually had to make up silly conspiracy theories to justify broadsiding the US government."
SFX reviewed the complete collection and found itself agreeing and disagreeing with Craig Johnson's introduction to the book: "[s]o Johnson's right, if you don't have V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
, order it at once. But if you do, Cla$$war should be the next book on your must-buy list." Troy Brownfield at Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
felt that "Rob Williams doesn’t flinch when he puts a cold eye to this idea, and it’s his willingness to stare deeply that gives the story its fire" and that "lend some terrific art to the proceedings" before concluding that the volume is "an action-packed super-hero tale with resonance and relevance." Ain't it Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
was impressed with Hairsine's art, suggesting he "deserves a blowjob while eating ice cream for this work," and they felt that the change of artists was not the problem it could have been, "[s]ure you knew it was a different guy, but he embodied the predecessor so well you just thought it was the original artist trying something new." They were also impressed with the story and the presentation of the hardcover volume, concluding "[o]verall the series is a powerhouse and this new hardcover collection certainly rocks - especially with an incredible amount of extras thrown in," with their main concern being that the series was planned for twelve issues, so the volume is only the first story arc:
Collected editions
The series has been collected into two trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
. The first was released in 2003 and brought together the three issues that had been published at that point and the second collects the entire six issues:
- Cla$$war: Series One: Complete Edition (collects Cla$$war #1-6, 210 pages, March 2009, ISBN 160743816X)
This volume also contains a number of extras: introductions by Andy Diggle
Andy Diggle
Andy Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on The Losers, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Adam Strange and Silent Dragon at DC Comics and for his run on Thunderbolts and Daredevil after his move to Marvel.-Career:Diggle took over editing 2000 AD...
and Craig Johnson, a new eight-page prologue by Williams and Hairsine, posters by Ben Oliver
Ben Oliver
Ben Oliver is a British comics artist who has worked for 2000 AD on Judge Dredd as well as providing art for The Authority, The Losers, and Ultimate X-Men-Biography:...
(Burner) and Mike McMahon
Mike McMahon (comics)
Michael McMahon is a British comics artist best known for his work on 2000 AD characters such as Judge Dredd, Sláine and ABC Warriors, and the mini-series The Last American....
(Enola Gay), as well as Oliver's cover for the unpublished trade paperback collecting Cla$$war #4-6.
Film adaptation
It was announced at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con that the series has been optioned by Mandeville FilmsMandeville Films
Mandeville Films is an American independent film production company.Founded in 1994 by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, it re-formed as Mandeville Films and Television in 2002 after a short hiatus.-History:...
, the production company that made the film Surrogates based on the comic book of the same name
The Surrogates
The Surrogates is a five-issue comic book limited series written by Robert Venditti, drawn by Brett Weldele, and published by Top Shelf Productions from 2005 to 2006...
. Rick Alexander, David Hoberman
David Hoberman
David Hoberman is an American film producer, best known as the co-creator and executive producer of the USA Network television series Monk. He has produced over 100 films in his career.- Career :...
and Todd Lieberman will be the co-producers.