The story of foreign mercenary pilots in Israel right after the end of World War II. They are frowned upon because of how much money they make but necessary as Israel has very few pilots of its own and is under a world wide embargo. There's s couple of mysteries around too, as the planes are very old and may be sabotaged. The storytelling is very flat with little sticking out. There's a lot of nudity from all the trysts the pilots, both men and women take on as they could die at any time.

"Mezek" is a graphic novel set in 1948 during the formation of the Israeli state. The story follows a group of foreign mercenary pilots hired to fly for the Israeli Air Force and protect the country from Egyptian attacks. The artwork in the book is praised for its realistic and well-done depiction of the characters and setting. However, some reviewers felt that the story was slow to start and spent too much time on romantic subplots that did not contribute as much to the main plot. Despite this, the historical setting and the mystery surrounding the frequent plane failures and the protagonist's motivations as a mercenary are both intriguing. Overall, "Mezek" is an interesting look at a lesser-known aspect of the history of the Israeli state.

This story explores the life of a mercenary in the post-World War II Israeli Air Force. As a foreign mercenary he is paid significantly more than the locals volunteers, so he must navigate the ill feelings that the locals have for the mercenaries. Additionally, there is a mystery regarding the regular failure of planes and the mystery of why the protagonist is working as a mercenary in Israel. Both of those mysteries are intriguing. As for the story itself, it gets off to a slow start, and it spends a little too much time on romantic subplots that don't add as much to the two mysteries at the heart of the book.

A war story that takes place right after WWII during the creation of Israel, centered around international mercenary pilots who fight for the fledgling country not for honor but for pay. Typical of Yann's comics, the art is very realistic and well done, and the story is sad and layered.

I wasn't able to finish this book before it was archived. I can't wait to get a copy so that I can finish it because I really enjoyable what I was able to read.

A graphic novel that should have been a lot more interesting than it was. It's supposed to be about the ramshackle, international Air Force defending a nascent Israel against Egyptian warfare right after WW2. So yes, there is a bit of airplane action, and yes there is a bit of action on the beach the local lovers' lane leads to. It's intriguing to see the history of the bodged-up planes, cobbled together from eastern European factories and leftovers. But there is too much of this episodic book that is just pointless bickering, and antagonism instead of actual plot. A small amount of it would have done to show the different political opinions, careers and desires of the diverse crew we're concerned with, but there's just too much. I guess the main element of the latter plot, what to do with a particular boat, is based entirely on fact, but the rest is fiction. The problem is how much of it is low-brow, hokum fiction, from people who would rather see punches thrown by the characters than the script.

'Mezek #1' by Yann with art by Andre Juillard is about mercenary pilots flying for Israel in 1948.

As Israel fights to become a country, it becomes necessary to hire skilled pilots from the recent war in Europe to fly the various planes they can find. The main plane is the Mezek a Czech version of the German Messerschmitt. The planes are finicky, have blind spots on landing, but the pilots are aces with them, until a series of accidents starts killing other pilots. The story follows a pilot name Bjorn from Sweden who has his own secrets from the recent war.

The story is ok, but feels a bit flat and stiff. So does the art. I'm glad I read it because I didn't know about this story from history and I found it interesting.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This story is set in times of new Israel in 1948.
It's soul and highlight is its artwork.
Art is wonderful. Characters appear alive and walking under sunlight.
Fight scenes are drawn with excuisite expertise.
Story is set in newly formed state of Israel and its pilots who are trying to protect it. Few pilots are hired from other countries and it is story of such pilot and his charm which has attracted more than one women.
There is nudity in few pages. Story is interesting.
End of the story is very good and suits the build-up throughout pages.
A very good war story starred by very good art.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

I always wondered if there were any books on how Israel was formed or were there any accounts of their earlier years. Yann’s ‘Mezek’ focusses on issues both political and real that plagued those early years. Focussed on the air force and more precisely the Mezek aircraft which were deemed as a flying coffin, the novel is a story of a young foreign pilot as he struggles to find his space and reconcile with his past while helping the newly formed state against its many enemies. The art André Juillard is a treat to the eyes and brings alive the era with precise detailing. A must-read for all World War II buffs.

A really interesting book with a great art style. Gives an interesting insight into the post-war Israeli military through a powerful story.

This is a stunning comic book from the troubled times leading to the birth of the Israeli nation in 1948.
A time of great uncertainty and the real struggle to protect the nascent population under attack. With limited resources to defend themselves with arms embargoes. This is the story of the fledgling airforce with few Israeli born pilots relying on mercenaries and pieced together airplanes based on German Messerschmitt 109 fighter. They were sourced from the Czechs who had bolted the Jumo 211F engines and propellers used by Nazi Heinkel-111 twin-engine bombers to the 109's airframe. These aircraft were unaffectionately nicknamed mezek — “mule” — because of their difficult handling characteristics.
Our story focuses on a Swede and his struggles to master the hard to fly jets and the seemingly constant bad luck forcing planes to fail and crash on landing. Bjorn our Swedish hero, discovers sabotage and struggles to be accepted by the Jewish pilots. The story is enhanced by his troubled past and inability to settle for a girl, among the three women he is attracted towards. Life is cheap; with no certainty of tomorrow and in the face of death love is what can be shared and received in the now.
The tension in this time of Israel becoming a nation is very interesting. The internal factions as well as the onslaught from neighbouring Arab states add to the shifting political situation. I find the greatest irony that part of the Nazi war machine was cobbled together to help win the war in the skies.
A graphic novel is a great medium for dogfights and the action of war. I enjoyed the action features but was pleased to learn some history in the process.

This is a Belgian comic about the Palestine War. It's good. Strong artwork and writing, though it's the sort of comic that has almost as much text as art, text bubbles usually crammed with as many words as can fit, which isn't my preference.