drafted
Written and illustrated by Rick Parker
Edited by Charles Cockman
Design by Josh Johnson
Published by Abrams Books
The absurdity of war is well documented in pop culture. Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Catch-22, Waltz with Bashir, and Charlie’s War are just a few of the examples that best capture the strange nature of military culture and conflict. Not too much. Even the most patriotic war stories depict some of the most ridiculous aspects of war, such as the vitriol spouted by a drill sergeant during basic training or the short-sighted strategies that result in senseless deaths with little gain on the battlefield. It features several depictions. (Remember FUBAR from Saving Private Ryan?) For example, in his book Wartime (1989), World War II veteran Paul Fassel writes about the He mentioned nonsensical or patently illogical orders and talked about military nonsense. Irrationality is the norm, and most people serving today will attest to this still being the case.
Cartoonist Rick Parker adds his two cents to this world of pure nonsense with Draft, a graphic novel memoir about the author’s time in the Army during the height of the Vietnam War. However, Parker’s experience does not match the expectations that come with this type of story, in which the subject first goes through boot camp and then is deployed to a combat zone. The Draft tells the story of a soldier who, through cleverness, luck, and stupidity, manages to stay in his homeland and become a soldier. However, as this book shows, avoiding Vietnam does not mean avoiding the absurdity of war.
First and foremost, this is a story about finding your calling and defining your purpose. For Parker, it’s about his desire to paint. In fact, one could argue that his love of art determined what his military experiences ultimately meant to him. In fact, that’s how this book begins.
Parker begins by briefly discussing his family history and the awkwardness he had growing up, explaining the somewhat strange path that led to his love of drawing. . Teaching: Playboy magazine. After that, we now have a pretty good idea of who the United States quickly decided to draft into the military. From then on, we get to see how artistic minds navigate new realities based on command and controlled behavior.
Drafted is a masterclass in tone. Visuals are a big part of that because they convey multiple emotions very powerfully when needed. For example, Parker’s cartoon style lends itself to satire and humor, with occasional touches of “Sunday morning cartoon” exaggeration to capture the absurdity of situations and build the world he has stepped into. has been added. Drill Sergeant looks like a stick of dynamite ready to pop at the slightest provocation. Recruits seem comically indifferent to the alpha male energy the Army wants to project. And experienced police officers seem to be successfully immune to the crap they have to deal with on a daily basis.
As things get darker in tone, the art adjusts accordingly. In these parts of the story, the focus shifts to the idea of tragedy, trauma, and chaos as an essential part of the military experience. It’s true that these things affect everyone, whether you end up in a jungle surrounded by Viet Cong or not. Some of the events Parker witnesses are truly terrifying, and they show that domestic ministry can become very dark and domineering. But the point is not to compare or equate the experience with those of draftees who went to Vietnam. It’s about exploring different aspects of military life and how it had its own challenges.
The Draft is an important addition not only to Vietnam War literature, but to war literature as a whole. It presents the concept that war does not begin and end with battle. Instead, it is presented as a kind of living entity at odds with itself. Rick Parker has a lot to say about this last point, especially as it relates to the amount of institutional insanity that comes with military service. And it tends to involve insanity, so either admit it or go crazy trying to understand it. Parker masterfully overcame this problem, realizing that pen, ink, and paper were always the most reliable soldiers.
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