Shooters [Hardcover]

Brandon Jerwa (Author), Eric Trautmann (Author), Steven Lieber (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: April 24, 2012 | Series: Shooters

A veteran of the Persian Gulf war returns home to a broken life after a tragic friendly fire incident, only to return to Iraq for a last shot at redemption as a private military contractor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An uncompromising look into a world most people only hear about on the news. SHOOTERS is brutal, raw, compelling, and undeniably human. Brandon Jerwa, Eric Trautmann and Steve Lieber have produced a story that'll stay with readers for a long, long time."—Kurt Busiek, ASTRO CITY

About the Author

Eric Trautmann is began his writing career roleplaying games. He worked on staff for Microsoft, where he wrote and edited a variety of Xbox and PC game properties including MechWarrior, Vengeance, Crimson Skies and Halo. For DC Comics he has written JSA VS. KOBRA, FINAL CRISIS: RESIST, CHECKMATE and more.

Brandon Jerwa has written comics based on Battlestar Galactica, Highlander, G.I. Joe, Army of Darkness and more. He wrote the series THE SHIELD for DC Comics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (April 24, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401222153
• ISBN-13: 978-1401222154
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Trautmann is an American writer best known for his work at Microsoft Game Studios, DC Comics and Dynamite Entertainment.

For nearly eight years, Eric Trautmann contributed to Microsoft Game Studios properties such as ALLEGIANCE, CRIMSON SKIES and HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED. He also wrote prose fiction and non-fiction related to those properties, including a CRIMSON SKIES novella and a non-fiction art portfolio book, THE ART OF HALO. In 2006 he left Microsoft to become a full-time freelance writer.

His first comic book work was for Prima Games, a comic series based on the Perfect Dark franchise. His six issue miniseries titled PERFECT DARK: JANUS' TEARS debuted in August 2006.

In August 2007 he wrote issue #17 of the DC Comics series CHECKMATE, with series writer Greg Rucka.

As a result of his work on CHECKMATE #17, Trautmann became the regular co-writer of the series alongside Greg Rucka, beginning with issue #21 and continuing through issue #25.

Following this, Trautmann and Rucka collaborated again on the one-shot FINAL CRISIS: RESIST, illustrated by Ryan Sook and Marco Rudy. He later wrote or co-wrote several DC Comics titles, including THE SHIELD, THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS, ADVENTURE COMICS, and ACTION COMICS.

Dynamite Entertainment comics work includes the monthly adventures of RED SONJA, VAMPIRELLA and venerable space-opera hero Flash Gordon in a series entitled FLASH GORDON: ZEITGEIST.

Now available is the long-awaited DC/Vertigo graphic novel, SHOOTERS, written with frequent collaborator Brandon Jerwa, and illustrated by Eisner award-winning artist Steve Lieber.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Veteran Approved January 10, 2013

By DannyC

Format:Hardcover

First let me say I'm a veteran of Baghdad where I put in time as a Cavalry Scout in the Army, I have also struggled with PTSD for 7 years. Because of this I am VERY critical of any type of media that is military related as 99% of it is sensationalist entertainment garbage with barely a shred of truth to be found anywhere, so when a friend recommended this book to me I was highly skeptical. Even more so after reading Kotaku's review which mentioned the "thrill" of combat and still more when I learned the author was a civilian.

I picked it up anyway and soon learned the author had a lot of close family members with military service and friends of the same caliber. He quite obviously enlisted them as research for this project and he also very obviously listened to them and listened well. In the end this book proved to be fairly authentic. The scenes of combat were depicted tastefully and without any amount of pandering to an action craving crowd or any desire to make some kind of cheap shocker thrill, it simply proceeds as it does with the focus being on how it affects the people who are taking place.

The remaining parts after the protagonist returns home and attempts to deal with civilian life remain honest and truthful, depicting soldiers how soldiers often are with all of the good and all of the bad put right out in the open without attempting to glorify or vilify them.

Beyond the refreshing honesty and impressive accuracy I feel this book can be a very helpful healing aid to soldiers and families dealing with these types of issues. As soldiers re-adjust to civilian life we typically leave a lot of things unsaid, this particular book goes right on ahead and says some of those things which affect a great number of us.

If you want to know about this part of the human experience or would like to gain some small understanding of a loved one or if you would just like to find some truth in a media hurricane of lies, please pick up this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars EVERYONE needs to read this. June 9, 2012

By Michael C.

Format:Hardcover

I have never read anything that has made me feel the way that I have reading this. This book is not some feel good action adventure its a real and true story of a HUMAN dealing with war and life. The way it should be. If you don't read this you will be missing out its more then a graphic novel its an experience. This is not call of duty this is really life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Shooters be read by adults like Maus is by kids. May 23, 2012

By Tom

Format:Hardcover

Remember back in school when you were forced to read the graphic novel Maus? You were probably like "awesome a comic!" Then you read it and you really didn't know how you felt about it because the cats are really awful to the poor mice. That story probably stuck with you for years to think about and if you didn't pick up comics since then you remember it whenever someone says graphic novel or comics. Shooters is considerably as important for adults as Maus is for kids.

Shooters reads as a straight forward account of how terrible war can be on a man during and after a war. Amazingly it also shows in honest terms why people feel the need to go back to the battlefield and help out anyway they can (via contractors) even when its not ideal. This isn't a cry about war being terrible or a rosy spotlight on it. It is an honest view of it that could probably not be expressed as well in a normal novel. Using word balloons and narration you get to feel as if you are really the only person in the world that understands what Terry Glass is going through. This leads to a more intense emotional hold on you while you read it allowing for the book to punch you in the guts. After reading this you will probably have something extra to think about whenever you hear about wars, contractors or see a service man.

Shooters does what any great book can do leave you thinking about it for a long time later and maybe even change your views on things that happen in the world.