The Jewish Brigade
Marvano’s historical graphic novel The Jewish Brigade covers the group that fought as part of the British Army in World War II.
In the weeks after Nazi Germany’s surrender, Leslie Toliver, a member of the Jewish Brigade, is on a vigilante mission to find and kill Nazi officers guilty of atrocities before they can escape from Europe. With help from his fellow soldier Ari, Leslie transports a Jewish girl, Safaya, who dreams of living in Palestine. Leslie also holds out hope of finding his fiancée Erika, a search that’s resolved when he arrives at a former concentration camp.
Pursuing a Nazi commander, Krause, their trail leads to Middle East, where the book’s final chapter takes place. In 1948, Leslie’s plane is shot down and he’s reunited with Safaya, who’s fighting along with other Jews against the Arab Legion and its ex-Nazi associates.
Fast and full of action, the story incorporates historical figures including John Bagot Glubb, the British officer who trained the Arab Legion. But it’s through fictional Leslie and Safaya that the book illuminates lesser-known aspects of postwar history. Marvano finds innovative ways of linking plot elements that span years and thousands of miles. Questions of morality, justice, and responsibility resonate at both the state and personal levels.
The art exemplifies strong visual characterization, and the convincing backgrounds, from European cities and countrysides to Middle Eastern deserts, deliver a strong sense of place throughout. The Jewish Brigade is an exciting, moving, and thoughtful historical graphic novel.
Reviewed by
Peter Dabbene
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