Battlefields: Dear Billy #3

By Garth Ennis (writer) and Peter Snejbjerg (artist)

In the end there were no real surprises or twists. The foreshadowing in the prior issues wasn't misleading. Still unable to deal with her painful memories in anything other than a personal and violent manner, Carrie sees her world come apart before her eyes as the war winds down.

The potential happy ending vanishes. Carrie can't contemplate the new world order that is on the horizon. It makes no sense to her and she fails to see a place for her within it. She is hopelessly trapped in the past, reliving her rape and fighting back in what she deems the appropriate manner but one that is no longer available to her.

The prevalent theme in this story is the contrast between Carrie and Billy. He is able to cope with his experiences and move on whereas she never does. In one sense she seems to be trying to deal with pain the same way he does, by maintaining a stiff upper lip, but that isn't a coping mechanism as much as it is a facade. What matters more is what happens on the inside. He copes with it, she is incapable of doing the same. Although it is worth noting that he has a network of friends and she does not. It isn't until the very end that she bares her feelings but it is too late at that point. For Carrie that seems to be the ultimate taboo, sharing her feelings, and can only be done at great cost.

Preview: Garth Ennis' Battlefields: Dear Billy #3