[Zacharie]

Vietnam Journal by Don Lomax
Requirements: CBR reader, 105 Mb
Overview: Lomax bases his fictional work on his real experiences in Vietnam in 1966, with powerful results. Narrator Scott Neithammer, in Vietnam as a war correspondent, follows foot soldiers' combat experiences, with each chapter focusing on a personality, a battle or even, as in the first chapter, the history of a lucky field jacket. Lomax's characters and topics include an opportunistic television reporter, a military attack dog, helicopters and the first contact between American and North Vietnamese troops in the Ia Drang Valley. Although Lomax doesn't have much patience for antiwar protesters, he doesn't think the U.S. should've gotten involved in the war. In commenting on the age of Vietnamese civilization, a GI remarks, "Thousands of years of tradition. That's why it's so damned arrogant of us to force these people to live their lives on our terms.... Anyone can see the stupidity here-on both sides." Eventually, a number of American troops have had their fill of war of any kind. A career soldier announces, "Twenty years and I'm out. Then I'm moving into the backwoods as far away from the phonies and the politicians as I can get." It is Lomax's concern for average soldiers that, in the end, makes his work significant. The author sees them as "caught between a rock and a hard place," urged on by politicians but with nothing much to gain by fighting. Lomax's drawing is lean and solid, with strong characterization that never veers into the maudlin. Adults will best understand the book, although junior high and high school students can certainly learn from it.



Sample page
Review
More comics from this writer

Adult/High School-A powerful collection of stories and history of the Vietnam War, created by a veteran of both the war and of war comics. While some of the work is reprinted, the mix of fact and fiction will be fresh to most readers. Sent to Vietnam to report on the conflict, Scott "Journal" Neithammer expects to do no more than produce another sterilized war report. However, he soon realizes that, "the real story was in the bush with the slime, the stink, the constant fear and frustration." Each episode is a mix of the absurd and horrific as Journal befriends an ever-changing cast of doomed soldiers. As he confronts the death, illogic, and contradiction around him, he becomes as conflicted as the war itself, finally losing his journalistic objectivity in a fit of frustrated rage. The black-and-white artwork is powerful, and Journal's world is a rumpled fusion of realism and caricature. Particularly moving are the few instances where a single image fills the page, but, unfortunately, the colorful, gung-ho cover illustration belies the work's complex content. Very strong language, brutal violence, and sexuality make this one most appropriate for older teens.

Stories in this issue:
- The Field Jacket
- The Dogs of War
- Scorched Earth By the Numbers
- Birds of Prey
- Hawks of the Darkhorse
- Tradition
- American involvement Vietnam
- The 5.56 blues
- CIB

Download Instructions:
Vietnam_Journal.part1.rar: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/m8vxd52p/Vietnam_Journal.part1.rar
Vietnam_Journal.part2.rar: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/30brvult/Vietnam_Journal.part2.rar

Mirrors MU:
Vietnam_Journal.part1.rar: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D7KIBEHS
Vietnam_Journal.part2.rar: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=30QAR9PB

Bonus: A coloured reprint of some stories not contained in this issue (7.6 Mb):
Dopwnload link: (Closed Filehost) https://ul.to/iz4h9e4r/Vietnam_journal_color.cbr
Mirror: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NW5FBX70

[merry60]

Nice release zach, 10 WRZ$ reward plus 3 WRZ$ for mirror. Category: Comics.

[Ojay]

Added Mirror: Vietnam Journal by Don Lomax
Requirements: CBR reader, 103 MB.
Overview: When journalis Scott Neithammer arrived in Vietnam, he expected to write about body counts and the winning of hearts and minds. But he very quickly discovered the real story lay elsewhere –with the rank-and-file soldiers, fighting a war they did not understand and were not allowed to win. A stunning fact-based look at the Vietnam War.

Vietnam Journal is a look at the Vietnam War through the eyes of a war journalist as it chronicles the lives and events of soldiers on the front line during the Vietnam War.

Don Lomax’s incredible saga of the Vietnam War told through the eyes of a journalist. Nominated for a Harvey Award, written and drawn by Don Lomax, a Vietnam War veteran.


“Lomax bases his fictional work on his real experiences in Vietnam in 1966, with powerful results. It is Lomax’s concern for average soldiers that, in the end, makes his work significant.” — Publishers Weekly

“This is, without a doubt, the most graphic, realistic and emotionally powerful portrayal of the Vietnam War that’s ever been seen in comic form.” — Jason E. Aaron, Wizard’s 2008 Best Writer

Vietnam Journal

Don Lomax penciler, inker
Published by Apple, 1987-1993


One of the Absolute Best War Comics EVER!!, Reviewed by Jason E. Aaron on May 17, 2003.

Don Lomax was drafted into the Army in 1965, and during his tour of duty in Vietnam, he made notes that would later serve as reference for his comic book work. In the early 90s, Lomax worked as writer for the tail-end of the Marvel Comics series The 'Nam, but it was with his own series, Vietnam Journal, published through obscure Apple Comics, that Lomax really got to shine. This is, without a doubt, the most graphic, realistic and emotionally powerful portrayal of the Vietnam War that's ever been seen in comic form. It's also the best overall war title since EC's Frontline Combat in the 1950s (and that's saying a lot). Lomax's art is gritty and detailed, and his stories are well-researched and honest. This book never glorifies war, but instead shows it just the way it was: complicated, brutal and disturbing.

Vietnam Journal is the story of journalist Scott "Journal" Neithammer, a veteran of the Korean War, who comes to Vietnam in February 1967 to write about the average American soldier. This trade paperback collects the first six issues of the series:


Issue one: The Field Jacket (Journal relates the story of a tattered filed jacket that's supposed to be a good luck charm.)
Issue two: The Dogs of War (Journal gets lost, alone in the jungle, and comes across a wounded grunt and his dog, sitting among the dead in an overrun compound, waiting to die.)
Issue three: Scorched Earth--By the Numbers (A heartless network journalist, who cares nothing for the common soldier, leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, searching madly for a sensational story.)
Issue four: Birds of Prey (Journal encounters a dangerous CIA operative.)
Issue five: Hawks of the Darkhorse (In the midst of a daring helicopter rescue, Journal learns that he can't always remain a "noncombatant".)
Issue six: Tradition (Amid the remains of an ancient Buddhist temple, an American squad faces desperate odds.)

This trade also includes a few short stories that have apparently never been published before. Let's hope ibooks will published the rest of the series. It's definitely worth it.

Download Instructions:
Vietnam Journal -- http://novafile.org/vd1npct8yz3z
Vietnam Journal (colors) -- http://novafile.org/31n7532ucjqc