''The Desert Peach'' is a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

created by

Donna Barr Donna Barr (born August 13, 1952) is an American comic book author and cartoonist. She is best known for '' The Desert Peach'' and '' Stinz''. Life and education Donna Barr was born in Everett, Washington, and is the second child of six. She ...

, chronicling the adventures of the

eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

protagonist, Erwin "The Desert Fox" Rommel's fictitious

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

younger brother,

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

Manfred Pfirsich Marie Rommel (1900–1990), nicknamed the "Desert Peach". Early issues of the comic focused on the Peach's command of a misfit unit of the

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

from 1940 to 1943; subsequent issues have explored the pre- and post-war lives of Pfirsich (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

for "

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

") and his supporting cast.

Publication history

''The Desert Peach'' was first published in 1988, by Thoughts and Images, later by MU Press/AEON, and still later by A Fine Line. 32 issues were released throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and subsequently re-released in eight collected volumes; as well, a Desert Peach

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

was produced in 1992, and ''Bread and Swans'', a Desert Peach

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, was released in 2005. With the exception of the musical, all Desert Peach material has been created entirely by Barr. Barr took ''Peach'' to the

Modern Tales Modern Tales was a webcomics publisher active from 2002 to 2012, best known for being one of the first profitable subscription models for digital content. Joey Manley was the website's publisher and original editor. The site featured a roster o ...

webcomics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...

collective, where she explored Pfirsich's

afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

: wracked with guilt for having failed to save enough people from the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, he sentenced himself to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

. The website ceased operations in 2012 and the comics were removed.

Inspiration

Barr has said that she was inspired to create the character while working in the file office of the University of Washington, which was being painted a "horrible half-pink, half-tan color." Searching for a color name, she stumbled upon "desert peach", and was immediately inspired by the pun upon "The Desert Fox," the name given to Field Marshal

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. According to his biographers, Rommel had a youngest brother, named Manfred, who died in infancy—Barr said she only developed a personality who the universe had prematurely discarded.

Supporting cast

The Desert Peach commanded the 469th

Halftrack A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. A half-track combines the soft-ground traction of a tank with the handling ...

, Gravedigging and Support Unit of the Afrika Korps: a catch-all for misfits, mavericks, and otherwise peculiar soldiers who, for whatever reason, were not suitable for service in the German Army but nonetheless were enlisted. In the words of their medical officer (a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

assigned to the 469th because his specialty was considered a " Jewish science"), it was a unit composed "entirely of stray puppies". The 469th was based on an escarpment by the sea. Pfirsich was of the opinion that a commander should not merely lead his troops but protect them, and arranged with local

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

commanders that there would be no fighting in that area (although newcomers did not always accept this ''

modus vivendi ''Modus vivendi'' (plural ''modi vivendi'') is a Latin phrase that means "mode of living" or " way of life". In international relations, it often is used to mean an arrangement or agreement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace. In ...

''). Throughout the series, Barr focused on many characters; the following list includes some of the most prominent. *

Obergefreiter Obergefreiter (''abbr.'' OGefr.) is an enlisted rank of the German and Swiss militaries which dates from the 19th century. In today's ''Bundeswehr'', every ''Gefreiter'' is normally promoted ''Obergefreiter'' after six months. The NATO-Code is ...

Udo Schmidt: Pfirsich's

orderly In healthcare, an orderly (also known as a ward assistant, nurse assistant or healthcare assistant) is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and nursing staff with various nursing and medical interventions. These duties a ...

and aide-de-camp. Scruffy, dirty, ill-tempered, dark-skinned, secretly Jewish, and with a habit of using pages from ''

Mein Kampf (; ) is a 1925 Autobiography, autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The book outlines many of Political views of Adolf Hitler, Hitler's political beliefs, his political ideology and future plans for Nazi Germany, Ge ...

'' as

rolling paper Rolling paper is a specialty paper used for making cigarettes (commercially manufactured filter cigarettes and individually made roll-your-own cigarettes). Rolling papers are packs of several cigarette-size sheets, often folded inside a cardbo ...

s, Schmidt was the 469th's only card-carrying member of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

. He claimed that his reason for joining was that he had been very young and a desperate Party recruiter had bought him beer. *

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

Kjars Dagobert Winzig: the 469th's self-appointed political officer. A concert pianist in civilian life, the blond, blue-eyed Winzig was an enthusiastic,

armband An armband is a piece of material worn around the arm. They may be worn for pure ornamentation, or to mark the wearer as belonging to group, or as insignia having a certain rank, status, office or role, or being in a particular state or conditi ...

-wearing supporter of Hitler and Nazism. However, he was not actually a party member, since (as he shamefacedly explained) "party members have to pay dues". *

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

Rosen Kavalier: ace

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

, and the Peach's

fiancé An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''f ...

. A cheerful adventurer, bold and brash, Rosen (whose real name, thanks to his British father, was Melvin Gonville Ramsbottom) once got Pfirsich drunk enough to have heterosexual sex for the first time, claiming that he should experience it at least once. This encounter led to the birth of Pfirsich's son. *

Heinrich Dobermann:

munitions Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of ...

expert. As the result of a training accident on a

minefield A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...

, Dobermann was brain-damaged, mildly insane, and addicted to several

painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

s and

psychotropic A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system acti ...

medications. As well, he adopted a live

Tellermine 42 The Tellermine 42 (T.Mi.42) was a German metal-cased anti-tank mine, anti-tank blast mine used during the Second World War. The mine was a development of the Tellermine 35 with improved resistance to blast. It was followed by the simplified Tell ...

as a pet, naming it "Fridl". * Kristof Falbe: the 469's mute radio operator. Never speaks, just taps the radio microphone to communicate. Always seen holding a small stuffed dinosaur.

Bibliography

* Thoughts and Images: **The Desert Peach #1: Who is This Man? **The Desert Peach #2: The Bar Fight **The Desert Peach #3: A Day At The Beach **The Desert Peach #4: Is There A Nazi In The House? **The Desert Peach #5: Flight Of Fancy **The Desert Peach #6: A Day Like Any Other **The Desert Peach #7: Spoiled Fruit **The Desert Peach #8: Dressing Down **The Desert Peach #9: Scourge Of Love **The Desert Peach #10: Two-Timers **The Desert Peach #11: Straight and Narrow **The Desert Peach #12: Child Of The World **The Desert Peach #13: Nobody **The Desert Peach #14: Surprise, Surprise **The Desert Peach #15: The Triangle Trade **The Desert Peach #16: Plight Of The Phoenix **The Desert Peach #17: Culture Shock **The Desert Peach #18: Musical Program **The Desert Peach #19: Self-Propelled Target **The Desert Peach #20: Fever Dreams **The Desert Peach #21: The Good Uncle **The Desert Peach #22: Lady Luck **The Desert Peach #23: Visions **The Desert Peach #24: Ups And Downs **The Desert Peach #25: Beautiful **The Desert Peach Collection: Beginnings (issues 1 - 3) **The Desert Peach Collection: Politics, Pilots and Puppies (issues 4 - 6) **The Desert Peach Collection: Foreign Relations (issues 7 - 9) **The Desert Peach Collection: Baby Games (issues 10 - 12) **The Desert Peach Collection: Belief Systems (issues 13 - 15) **The Desert Peach Collection: Marriage and Mayhem (issues 16, 17, 19) **Ersatz Peach **Peach Slices (first edition - sold out) * A Fine Line Press (available at mupress till #30) **The Desert Peach #26: Miki **The Desert Peach #27: New And Different **The Desert Peach #28: Tongue **The Desert Peach #29: Out Of The East **The Desert Peach #30: Headaches **The Desert Peach #31: Pithed **The Desert Peach #32: Keeper **Peach Slices (second edition, with additional artwork and Desert Peach #25) *Seven Peaches contains the first seven Desert Peach issues *Bread and Swans, the Desert Peach Novel
Robot Comics has announced that it will re-release Desert Peach titles
on the

Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, Audible audiobooks, and other digital media via wireless networking ...

References

External links

Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Desert Peach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desert Peach, The 1988 comics debuts Comics publications LGBTQ characters in comics Fictional gay men Fictional German people Comics about Nazi Germany Cultural depictions of Erwin Rommel