#1 Night Will Fall
Welcome to the first edition of my sporadic newsletter! Today, Red Sonja, Battle Action and the indifference of winter.
Ask me anything
News: AthensCon and Red Sonja #5
Battle Action: Nina Petrova and The Angels of Death
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Skade the cat
Teenage Torunn would be horrified to know how much I talk about the weather. Norwegian winters are famously cold, but after a few decades of this nonsense, I can safely say that it’s the dark that’ll get you. It descends on you, seeping into your heart and soul until it is more than an absence of light; it feels like a tangible thing and becomes the answer to questions like “Why am I so tired?” and “Why do I want to kill everyone?”
I’m writing this surrounded by candles, and a light therapy lamp is directed straight at my face – my tiny army in the war against the season. (Winter does not care.) This is the first edition of my sporadic newsletter. In addition to local weather updates, it’ll contain news about upcoming books, original art, giveaways and, most importantly, photos of Skade the cat. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email.
NEWS
I’ll be in Greece for AthensCon in December. Please come by and say hi!
OUT TODAY
Battle Action #5: Nina Petrova and The Angels of Death
One of the highlights of my year was writing NINA PETROVA for BATTLE ACTION. It’s a 15-page story, beautifully drawn by the brilliant Patrick Goddard. The issue came out in September, and along with the story I wrote a small essay about Nina Petrova, and I’m including it below.
Night Will Fall
Flying under the cover of darkness, the Angels of Death scour the ground for the flickering lights of cigarettes and fires that betray the enemy. When they locate a target, they cut their engines and glide silently over the Germans, releasing bombs with precision, earning their name with every successful strike. Then, they return to base and do it all over again.
The Angels of Death are based on the all-female 588th Bomber Regiment, commonly known as the Night Witches. The regiment was outfitted with Po-2 biplanes, a 1920s trainer aircraft that was obsolete long before the Second World War broke out. The Po-2s were loud, slow, and unsuited for combat. Due to the distinct rattling sound of their engines, the Germans could hear them coming and gave them nicknames like Sewing Machines and Coffee Grinders. The daring gliding strategy the Night Witches are famous for was born out of necessity, as the fabric and wood construction of the aircraft made them extremely vulnerable to tracer rounds (the Russians playfully called them kerosene lanterns), and it soon became apparent that they needed a new approach to night bombing if they were to stand a chance.
The Po-2s held about 350 kg of explosives, which is arguably not a lot for the risks they took somewhere between eight and twelve times every night. But, the Night Witches wanted to fight; they wanted to serve and do their part in the war, so they did.
Tom Tully and Joe Colquhoun introduced Nina Petrova in Johnny Red in 1978, but the first time I encountered her was in the November 8, 1980 issue of Battle Action. Nina enters this story much like she did in her first appearance: by slapping a man who had it coming. While I take great delight in the quick temper of our Angel of Death, it was the panels immediately following that made me realize I was looking at something quite special. It is a trivial thing, but Johnny and Nina carry the supplies between them. She pulls her weight; he treats her as an equal. In these panels, Tully and John Cooper did what I’d come to love them for: they show Nina as part of the team, competent and trusted by the people around her.
Like the women who inspired the character, it is difficult to talk about Nina Petrova without focusing on her gender. There is some irony in this, as all the Night Witches wanted to do was to serve despite their gender, but it is also true that many of the challenges they faced during the war came down to the fact that they were women. They had to make do with whatever they got, from ill-fitting men's uniforms to their flimsy Po-2s, but more subtly, they had to deal with suspicion and contempt. They had to prove themselves and defend their presence every single day. When everyone expects you to fail, a bad day means they were right all along.
This is something all women struggle with at some point or another (though, hopefully, under less dramatic circumstances.) It’s a feeling that can be hard to explain and is often overlooked when writing female characters, yet here is this 45-year-old comic that got it right. That Nina shows courage, weakness, fear, love (and, of course, a fanatical hatred for the enemy), that she is trusted on sorties and relied on by her fellow soldiers should not be considered extraordinary, but it is. In a sea of one-dimensional cold, cool, strong female characters, Nina is Nina entirely.
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Watch the white spot.
Your weekly dose of SKADE
“I woke up this morning, and I just hated everything.”
Next week:
I have a tendency to be long winded these days, but I'm trying to be better about it. First, I have been loving your work from Marvel to Red Sonja, & while I'm too poor to pay for the extras on a site like this, I do appreciate the free versions for news & such because I just do not have the time to try to follow entertainment news, even for my favorite form, comics. But I'm extra excited to see the details in here about women like the Night Witches.
About 6 yrs ago, my first grandchild, a girl, was born & I though it would be cool to look up some amazing women from history for her. That very quickly turned into the realization that many things have not changed, men's behavior is terrible, even my own, analyzing my own actions & motives, becoming more active in trying to change things, & finally the profound changes in my relationships with all the women in my life or even just online. Almost daily I still come across a new woman who did something amazing, outdid all the men around her, who made incredible sacrifices for others. I'm excited to dive into the research for these women as well. Thank you for the comics!
Just watched your second NMC interview. Immediately subbed. Loved it and looking forward to reading more of your work.