Last Day in Vietnam
By Will Eisner
2000
Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/
Made up from several short stories that give you small snatches of action (and inaction) in the American wars in Vietnam and Korea - this is a moving and darkly humorous take on the ins and outs of army life that runs the full gauntlet of emotion from cowardice to heroism from lust to friendship. Most of the stories may only last a few pages - but that's just testimony to how skilled Eisner can be in getting his point across whilst locking you straight into the heart of the characters. Drawn in an inviting sepia-tone that gives the art a warm feeling that is then expertly under-cut by the dangers and craziness within - this is a comic resists the urges of more gung-ho war books and instead puts forward it's reality in a way that's always clear, concise and to the point.
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Links: The Comics Get Serious Review
Further reading: Alex's War, Battlefields, A Contract with God: and Other Tenement Stories.
All comments welcome.
