Broken Frontier

World War II through the eyes of a few brave children. That's essentially what this dramatic OGN is all about, but the cover sums it up perfectly, with an unaware SS soldier as the target of a rebellious boy's spirit, and slingshot.

Resistance would make a great addition to any school library. It's the kind of book I wish I had in my youth when tales of war decades before my birth seemed scary, certainly, but not relatable. As a tale of childish optimism and concerns caught up in the harsh realties of the Third Reich, it is a well constructed tale, and its greatest benefit is that the children are the stars. Nazi Germany and its long reach across borders has long been the jumping off point for a pile of stories across every medium. However, setting children as the protagonists is what sets this story apart, and daringly so. The Diary of Anne Frank may be an immediate comparison with its perception of Hitler's horrors through eyes that must grow up far too quickly, but Resistance knows its ambitions and achieves them with great maturity and restraint. 

Writer Carla Jablonski maintains a deft balance between the world of the adults, be they soldiers or frightened relatives, and the much more engrossing world of the children. 

With dialogue such as, "I don't eat beets. They're nasty,"  and "God bless the wine. The Jewish God and the Catholic one. Protestant too. And any other ones I forgot," Jablonski never loses sight that kids indeed do say the darndest things, and are often far superior at adapting than adults.

Resistance is set in the latter part of World War II when half of France surrendered to Germany and became occupied by their forces, while the rest of France was controlled by a new government in Vichy. As Jablonksi states in her useful introduction, those in the so-called free zone in the south, "were living in defeat, but not living under occupation."

This tome from First Second centres on Paul, his sister Marie, and their Jewish neighbour Henri, who the siblings hide in their wine cellar after his parents are taken away. Eventually, the trio join the underground resistance movement, learn a few tricks and take a train ride (with the help of Paul's and Marie's mother) to discover if Henri's parents really are alive as the Resistance has led them to believe. It's in this last half of the book that the tale becomes a lot more like a thriller, with tense moments, and courage coming to the fore. The first half of the book is more concerned with setting up the new life that the kids must now get used to in their largely empty town.

Leland Purvis' pencils are not overly detailed, or too sketchy, and the lack of violence and huge swastikas serves to give a more timeless, yet still terrifying mood to the book overall. Using Paul's sketchbook to encapsulate some scenes, such as Henri's rage at the fate of his parents, the boarded up shops in town, and crowds being herded into trains is a subtle, yet creative device that reminds the reader that the horrors of war are evident to even young eyes. Jablonski's afterword encapsulates this period in an emotional fashion, and while the book isn't filled with military history and facts, it's a great discussion starter for young and old readers.

Resistance is a satisfying read, and as Book 1 is stamped on the cover, I would hope there's more to come. The final page indicates that the kids haven't finished their journey just yet.