WWI centennial: Klay and Mills on the cultural impact of the 'Great War'

A century has passed since the start of World War I -- and while the international conflict has been detailed in history books, its influence continues into present day. 

For insight on how the "Great War" affects modern culture, Jian speaks with author and Iraq war veteran Phil Klay as well as celebrated comic writer Pat Mills. 

Perspectives on the past

Mills, co-creator of the classic British comic Charley's War, explains why he felt the need to challenge narratives of WWI as "noble" war. 

"We desperately have to believe it was a just war, when it was anything but," Mills tells Jian.

He also speaks to how influential the war was on science fiction and post-apocalyptic imagery, and why we ignore the traumas of the past at our peril. 

Klay, a veteran of the Iraq war and the author of the acclaimed book Redeployment, comments on the ripple effects WWI has had on literature and why he resists the "incommunicability" of war.  

"We as a society go to war. We send marines and soldiers and sailors overseas -- but ultimately, we're all responsible for it, and so we have an obligation to understand."