Aces High #1

In "The Way It Was," a retired World War I pilot shares memories of aerial combat with his grandson, reflecting on the evolution of flight and the enduring cost of war. Though modern planes are faster and more advanced, he reminds the boy that the human toll—death, destruction, and sorrow—remains unchanged.

In the quiet chaos of a French airfield called Bar Sur Seine, newly minted Lt. Pomeroy finds himself an outsider among the hardened pilots of the 37th "Blue Blazes" Aero Squadron. Shunned by his peers and struggling to earn their trust, he’s thrust into a sudden, brutal confrontation when he witnesses a surprise Fokker attack on the base. With no time to hesitate, he takes to the skies and proves his courage in a fierce aerial duel—turning the tide against the enemy and earning his place among the squadron, one flight at a time.

In the heart of a wartime aviation squadron, a new recruit named Lane learns the strange, solemn duty of the unit’s mascot: a dog who waits on the runway as planes take off, never moving until every pilot has returned. His quiet presence becomes a silent measure of hope and risk, a living barometer of lives hanging in the balance of the sky.