Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq (Paperback)

~ Karl Zinsmeister (Author), Dan Jurgens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Longtime embedded journalist Karl Zinsmeister (Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq) and penciler Dan Jurgens (Thor, Superman) chronicle three months in the lives of the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq in this groundbreaking series. Collects Combat Zone: True Tales of GI's In Iraq #1-5.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (August 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785115161
• ISBN-13: 978-0785115168
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,067,980 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unintentionally funny., February 17, 2006

By	JK (Dairyland) - See all my reviews

I bought this because of the positive reviews and because it sounded like it might be pretty good. It's not. The drawings are well-done. Beyond that, this could easily have been written during the WWII Africa campaign with a few updates on weapons and jargon.

All the sterotypes are here. There's Duhon, the dumb but friendly Southerner, Kulzinski, the brawny Pole, Dean, the third-generation Army brat, Marco, the tough Texan, Gordon, the wet-behind-the-ears Lieutenant, and Brown, the token black. I'm pretty sure I've seen all these guys in a John Wayne movie or three. Oh, right, Wayne's there too, playing the cowboy sharpshooter.

The dialogue is wordy, freighted with needless backfill, and just plain corny. Here are a couple of example quotes:

Lt. Gordon: "I know we're still in shock over losing Sgt. Kramer. But we've got a job to do. Now I know I'm just a kid out of college, and that my joining the Army to try to make the world safer may seem a little goofy to you. But we all agree we have to succeed here."

Capt. Kirkwood: "There's a good chance one of those cavalry gun trucks could get ambushed and pinned down. If that happens, I want you to treat it like a downed helicopter, understand? We are not going to lose another one of those men. You drop everything until those soldiers are saved. That's what we do for other Americans who risk their lives with us."

One unintentionally funny scene has Gen. Swank deciding how to handle his current problem: he needs to assasinate some local Baathist leaders. He decides that the Air Force's "just drop a big bomb on them" solution is too messy; he opts instead to do it his way, the Army way. No one is stupid (or gutsy) enough to stand up and say that Swank's hare-brained Plan B--to use noisy Army helicopters firing Hellfire missiles as snipers--probably won't work. When the plan does indeed go awry, an underling is quick to point out that while the Air Force option would have gotten the job done, Swank still made the right decision.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic idea, August 2, 2005

By	chrisreeve1969 (Ft. Myers FL) - See all my reviews

This was a fresh surprise. A gritty, realistic take, so different from the "fantasy" themes I've grown sick of in comics. This is full of human beings and jokes and frustrating dilemmas and sadness and triumphs. No robots!

I've been waiting for the war on terror, which has changed our lives so much, to trickle down into the world of storytelling and entertainment. Have been surprised how little has appeared before now. So kudos to Marvel for taking a chance on something very different from today's usual comic book and graphic novel format.

This works. It's not like anything else out there. It put me in Iraq, on battlefields, with soldiers and mind-boggling problems. And tension! It made me see angles I had never expected.

The relaxed calm and humor of these fighters surprised me, but it rings true. And the "enemy" are given credit, and even some sympathy.

Many techy details are very cool and well researched. I thought I could find mistakes in the uniforms, weapons, etc. But I've read three times now, and found nothing yet except one dorky small set of night vision goggles. Details are excellent, believable, and by all appearances accurate.

Wish the faces were more distinct, however. There are about 8-10 guys you care about, and in places it is hard to tell some apart. Partly that's a function of everybody wearing the same uniforms, helmets, etc. But stronger and more consistent portraits would have helped.

Other than that, I loved it. I've got images stuck in my mind from the helicopter attack, bridge fight, some of the buddy lines.

This is a very unusual comic, one that stands out from pack like nothing else I can think of right now. I should probably shut up and keep this to myself, because this will be highly collectible.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One Point of Not-So-Trivia, March 13, 2007

By	T. Bayview "tbayview" (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews

One point the reviews of this comic seem to have missed, or avoided, is that the author Karl Zinsmeister is in fact Domestic Policy Advisor to one George W. Bush. Take it as you wish -- interesting factoid or evidence of bias. But it should be disclosed.