Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq [Paperback]

Karl Zinsmeister (Author), Dan Jurgens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2005

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

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (August 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785115161
• ISBN-13: 978-0785115168
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,586,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karl Zinsmeister is now completing two new books--a memoir, and a regional culture book.

From 2006 to 2009 Zinsmeister served in the West Wing as President George W. Bush's chief domestic policy adviser. His responsibilities stretched across many issues:  the mortgage and student-loan credit crises, improving care for military veterans, the formulation of  new immigration policies, stem-cell and biotechnology innovation, school reform, issues in health, transportation, environmental quality, national competitiveness, and so forth.   


For nearly 13 years Zinsmeister was editor-in-chief of The American Enterprise, a national magazine of politics, business, and culture based in Washington, D.C. Author and former Cabinet Secretary William Bennett called it "one of America's finest magazines.... intellectually interesting, well-written, lively, wide-ranging, and above all useful."


Zinsmeister is the author of several books, including two influential Iraq War journals written during lengthy stints when he was embedded with infantry troops in urban war zones:  Boots on the Ground (2003) was the first book published by an embedded journalist; Dawn Over Baghdad was published in 2004 to describe the beginning of the U.S. counterinsurgency effort. At the invitation of Marvel Comics, he also wrote a non-fiction graphic novel entitled Combat Zone (2005) that chronicled the actions of actual American soldiers.


In concert with his wife Ann, Zinsmeister conceived and produced a feature documentary film entitled Warriors that aired nationally on PBS in 2007. The film presented personal profiles of America's fighting forces, via on-the-scene footage he and two cameramen shot in Iraq. It received major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.


Zinsmeister's work has been published in many national publications--from cover stories for The Atlantic Monthly and features in Reader's Digest to essays in the Wall Street Journal.

A graduate of Yale University, Zinsmeister did further studies at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. During college he won rowing championships in both the U.S. and Ireland. He was a U.S. Senate aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been an adviser to many groups, and has testified before Congressional committees and Presidential commissions.   


He originated a weekly radio commentary syndicated nationally to 100 stations, and has appeared often on a wide variety of national television and radio programs. He has lived, worked, or traveled in 40 countries, and nearly every U.S. state. He holds the highest U.S. security clearance.


Zinsmeister is married and has three children. He is an avid photographer, sings in his church choir, is an active gardener, and keeps hens. Old houses and woodworking are a personal love (he has restored seven 100-or-more-year-old homes). He delights in the outdoors, and bicycles, sculls, kayaks, skis cross-country and downhill, and enjoys extended wilderness backpacking trips.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

JK (Dairyland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq (Paperback)

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.

14 of 18 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 review is from: Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq (Paperback)

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.

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome tribute to the hard work of the 82nd Airborne in Iraq, August 2, 2005

By 

R. Guttersohn "Proud 82nd dad" (Canton, MI. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq (Paperback)

First off, let me just say that as a proud parent of a Paratrooper who has been a part of this historic war so far,I am thrilled at the job that Karl Zinsmeister and the folks at Marvel have done to bring the 82nds story with actual accounts of what they went through, to life via this comic novel. I recalled as I read the stories, of what my soldier had said happened and this brought some life to those battles.
Those that are expecting a normal comic will be disappointed, this is not an "Archie" comic book full of laughs. It is a real account of what took place during the first part of Iraqi Freedom. Thank you Karl Z. and Marvel.
Job well done!!