The Desert Peach
Encyclopedia
The Desert Peach is a comic book
created by Donna Barr
, chronicling the adventures of the eponymous protagonist, Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel
's fictitious homosexual younger brother, Oberst
Manfred Pfirsich Marie Rommel (1900–1990), nicknamed the "Desert Peach". Early issues of the comic focused on the Peach's command of a misfit unit of the Afrika Korps
from 1940 to 1943; subsequent issues have explored the pre- and post-war lives of Pfirsich (German
for "Peach
") and his supporting cast.
was produced in 1992, and Bread and Swans, a Desert Peach novel
, was released in 2005. With the exception of the musical, all Desert Peach material has been created entirely by Barr.
Barr has since taken Peach to the Modern Tales
webcomics collective, where she has explored Pfirsich's afterlife
: wracked with guilt for having failed to save enough people from the Holocaust, he has sentenced himself to Hell
.
during World War II
. According to his biographers, Erwin Rommel
had a youngest brother, named Manfred, who died in infancy—Barr said she only developed a personality whom the universe had prematurely discarded.
assigned to the 469th because his specialty was considered a "Jewish science
"), it was a unit composed "entirely of stray puppies".
The 469th was based on an escarpment by the sea. Pfirsich was of the opinion that a commander should not merely lead his troops but protect them, and arranged with local Allied
commanders that there would be no fighting in that area (although newcomers did not always accept this modus vivendi
).
Throughout the series, Barr focused on many characters; the following list includes some of the most prominent.
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...
created by Donna Barr
Donna Barr
Donna Barr is an American comic book author and cartoonist.She was born in Everett, Washington, the second child in a family of six siblings....
, chronicling the adventures of the eponymous protagonist, Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
's fictitious homosexual younger brother, Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
Manfred Pfirsich Marie Rommel (1900–1990), nicknamed the "Desert Peach". Early issues of the comic focused on the Peach's command of a misfit unit of the Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
from 1940 to 1943; subsequent issues have explored the pre- and post-war lives of Pfirsich (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "Peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
") and his supporting cast.
Publication history
The Desert Peach was first published in 1988, by Thoughts and Images, later by MU Press/AEON, and still later by A Fine Line. 32 issues were released throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and subsequently re-released in eight collected volumes; as well, a Desert Peach musicalMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
was produced in 1992, and Bread and Swans, a Desert Peach novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, was released in 2005. With the exception of the musical, all Desert Peach material has been created entirely by Barr.
Barr has since taken Peach to the Modern Tales
Modern Tales
Modern Tales is a webcomics site launched on March 2, 2002 by Joey Manley, the Modern Tales publisher, and approximately 30 professional cartoonists, such as Dorothy Gambrell, author of the popular webcomic Cat and Girl and James Kochalka, the award-winning creator of Fancy Froglin...
webcomics collective, where she has explored Pfirsich's afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
: wracked with guilt for having failed to save enough people from the Holocaust, he has sentenced himself to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
Inspiration
Barr has said that she was inspired to create the character while working in the file office of the University of Washington, which was being painted a "horrible half-pink, half-tan color." Searching for a color name, she stumbled upon "desert peach", and was immediately inspired by the pun upon "The Desert Fox," the name given to Field Marshal Erwin RommelErwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. According to his biographers, Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
had a youngest brother, named Manfred, who died in infancy—Barr said she only developed a personality whom the universe had prematurely discarded.
Supporting cast
The Desert Peach commanded the 469th Halftrack, Gravedigging and Support Unit of the Afrika Korps: a catch-all for misfits, mavericks, and otherwise peculiar soldiers who, for whatever reason, were not suitable for service in the German Army but nonetheless were enlisted. In the words of their medical officer (a psychiatristPsychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
assigned to the 469th because his specialty was considered a "Jewish science
Deutsche Physik
Deutsche Physik or Aryan Physics was a nationalist movement in the German physics community in the early 1930s against the work of Albert Einstein, labeled "Jewish Physics"...
"), it was a unit composed "entirely of stray puppies".
The 469th was based on an escarpment by the sea. Pfirsich was of the opinion that a commander should not merely lead his troops but protect them, and arranged with local Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
commanders that there would be no fighting in that area (although newcomers did not always accept this modus vivendi
Modus vivendi
Modus vivendi is a Latin phrase signifying an agreement between those whose opinions differ, such that they agree to disagree.Modus means mode, way. Vivendi means of living. Together, way of living, implies an accommodation between disputing parties to allow life to go on. It usually describes...
).
Throughout the series, Barr focused on many characters; the following list includes some of the most prominent.
- GefreiterGefreiterGefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...
Udo Schmidt: Pfirsich's orderlyOrderlyA medical orderly , is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and/or nursing staff with various nursing and/or medical interventions. These duties are classified as routine tasks involving no risk for the patient.- Job details :Orderlies are often utilized in various hospital...
and aide-de-campAide-de-campAn aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
. Scruffy, dirty, ill-tempered, dark-skinned, and with a habit of using pages from Mein KampfMein KampfMein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
as rolling papersRolling papersRolling papers are small sheets, rolls, or leaves of paper which are sold for rolling one's own cigarettes either by hand or with a rolling machine...
, Schmidt was the 469th's only card-carrying member of the Nazi Party. He claimed that his reason for joining was that he had been very young and a desperate Party recruiter had bought him beer.
- Leutnant Kjars Dagobert Winzig: the 469th's self-appointed political officerPolitical commissarThe political commissar is the supervisory political officer responsible for the political education and organisation, and loyalty to the government of the military...
. A concert pianist in civilian life, the blond, blue-eyed Winzig was an enthusiastic, armbandArmbandAn armband is a piece of material worn around the arm over the sleeve of other clothing if present. they may be worn for pure ornamentation to mark the wearer as belonging to group, having a certain rank or role, or being in a particular state or condition...
-wearing supporter of Hitler and Nazism. However, he was not actually a party member, since (as he shamefacedly explained) "party members have to pay dues".
- OberleutnantOberleutnantOberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Rosen Kavalier: ace LuftwaffeLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
pilotAviatorAn aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, and the Peach's fiancé. A cheerful adventurer, bold and brash, Rosen (whose real name, thanks to his British father, was Melvin Gonville Ramsbottom) once got Pfirsich drunk enough to have heterosexual sex, claiming that he should experience it at least once. This encounter led to the birth of Pfirsich's son.
- CorporalCorporalCorporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Heinrich Dobermann: munitions expert. As the result of a training accident on a minefield, Dobermann was brain-damagedBrain damage"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
, mildly insane, and addicted to several painkillers and psychotropic medications. As well, he adopted a live Tellermine 42Tellermine 42The Tellermine 42 was a German metal cased anti-tank blast mine used during the Second World War. The mine was a development of the Tellermine 35 with improved resistance to blast. It was followed by the simplified Tellermine 43....
as a pet, naming it "Fridl".
External links
- http://www.donnabarr.com
- http://www.moderntales.com
- http://www.toonopedia.com/d-peach.htm