Shooting War (Hardcover)

~ Anthony Lappe (Author), (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A scathing near-future satire of the Iraqi occupation that rings with eerie plausibility, this Web comic-to-print hardcover collection follows a cocky young journalist named Jimmy Burns, who finds himself video-blogging across the front lines of Iraq in the year 2011. An accidental Internet celebrity transplanted suddenly to the Baghdad battlefields, Jimmy quickly progresses from arrogant to regretful, then jaded—in short, he is America in Iraq. As the world slowly disintegrates around him, Jimmy finds himself caught between the competing agendas of Muslim insurgents, the American military and a sensational cable news network as they all clamor for blood on the battlefields. Journalist and first-time graphic novelist Lappé takes obvious delight in skewering all three with a whip-smart, left-leaning indictment of both American media and foreign policy that offers little hope and fewer heroes. The bleak prognostications are cut with black humor and a penchant for explosions that keep the narrative moving. The collection adds 110 pages of new content to the Web version, and Goldman's art, a cinematic blend of photography and digital painting, is framed in widescreen panels that lend an air of video documentary to a grim graphic novel that manages to make media—and the truth—seem more fluid than ever. (Nov.)
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Review

"A scathing near-future satire of the Iraqi occupation that rings with eerie plausibility...The bleak prognostications are cut with black humor and a penchant for explosions that keep the narrative moving." (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

"Astute, timely, entertaining...Predicts, in dramatic terms, the logical evolution of the war. Pundits say there's no good outcome. This book illustrates what that looks like." (Penthouse )

"Sharp, relevant and timely...It's, dare I say it, a webcomic for the rest of us." (The Beat Heidi MacDonald )

"The light-handed but searing political satire of SHOOTING WAR is taking the Sunday comic strip places it could never have gone before." (Village Voice Julian Dibbell )

"A scary-smart take on what the horrors of the future may hold." (Rolling Stone )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1st ed edition (November 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446581208
• ISBN-13: 978-0446581202
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #244,148 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This graphic novel kicks butt!, November 20, 2007

By	Robert Ellsworth "booktrailersonline" (HOLLYWOOD) - See all my reviews

Length:: 0:28 Mins

The Mist (Previously Published as a Novella in 'Skeleton Crew')Sicko (Special Edition)Heroes - Season OneThe Conscience of a Liberal9/11 Mysteries Part 1: Demolitions

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Political Satire & Very Human Coming of Age Story, November 5, 2007

By	Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Although the author and illustrator say their graphic novel is a political satire that extrapolates current events regarding the Iraqi War, the Mexican immigration issue, and emerging technology as well as a healthy dose of politics, SHOOTING WAR is also a wonderfully compelling read. I was blown away by the storyline, the art, and the voice that comes from the material. I was also completely surprised by the appearance of news anchor Dan Rather and his hefty part in the graphic novel's plot and action.

Lappe and Goldman obviously know their material and believe in their message. They don't hold back and reach out viciously to grab the reader by the hair of the head and drag them through the harsh world they've created. I'd read a preview of the graphic novel almost three months ago, but even that failed to prepare me for the emotional and thought-provoking odyssey I was embarking on when I first began to turn pages.

The book actually started out as an on-line comic. Lappe had written a nonfiction book, TRUE LIES, with Stephen Marshall that focused on the disservice they believe the media is doing to the American people. Lappe is also the executive editor of GNN (Guerilla News Network), has written for a number of magazines and other media, and was the producer of the Showtime documentary about Iraq: BATTLEGROUND: 21 DAYS ON THE EMPIRE'S EDGE.

Goldman writes and draws the strip, KELLY, for www.act-i-vate.com and co-authored the graphic novel, EVERYMAN: BE THE PEOPLE. His art is the result of a mixed media effort.

I liked the character of Jimmy Burns from the opening pages. He's just a big kid with a new toy, a wireless camera that allows him to video-blog from anywhere there's an internet connection. I liked his innocence, but I knew it was going to be blown out like a candle flame before the story ran its course.

In just the first few pages, Jimmy happens to be on-hand in front of a Starbucks (and you have to love the way iconic features of today's popular culture are used and destroyed in the book) where a terrorist bomb explodes. The building, including Jimmy's apartment, is destroyed and several people are killed. Almost overcome by the horror around him, Jimmy keeps talking into the video camera. But I got the impression that it was because he was freaked and wanted to share what was going on with someone else more than just to present a breaking news story.

Jimmy's transmission gets seized by a local network and pumped into an international grid where the world watches. In just a couple of pages, Jimmy gets hired by Global News, the television station that hijacked his video upload, as a troubleshooter, a reporter who's going to be in the middle of all the world's hotspots.

Before Jimmy knows it, he's launched into the middle of the Iraqi War. Since, in the book, it's the year 2011, there are a lot of changes. Sadly, which is one of the messages of the book, many things remain the same.

Goldman's art is beautiful. He overlays comics-style drawing over real photographs of places and events. The explosions are frozen, destructive poetry that draw the eye. The faces, though loosely drawn, convey strong emotions. He uses color like a weapon, subtle when he wants to stay out of the way of the reader and a barrage of attacks when he moves into a full assault on the reader's senses.

In addition to writing a terrific plot that's ripped from today's headlines and giving us characters we all know and understand, Lappe also designs link titles for Jimmy's webpage and magazine covers that are hilarious! Check out: Tom Cruise and Mary-Kate Olsen Call It Quits and let your imagination run wild.

Even though the grim material is salted with humor, Lappe and Goldman never step completely out of the darkness. The execution of a "traitor" at the hands of Abu Adallah and the Sword of Mohammed is horribly bloody business, callous and cruel.

Another aspect I truly enjoyed about the book was the use of technology. It's not going to go away and it will continue to change our lives on a daily basis in small and large ways. SHOOTING WAR uses the emerging tech constantly, whether it's on the handheld camera Jimmy uses or the PDAs or wallscreens on the sides of buildings. The military hardware also gets a lot of play, the older stuff as well as the newer defensive and offensive hardware.

One of the best examples of the emerging technology is the image of the recon and search and rescue teams. The blue faceplate glows and looks like a cross, making them look like instruments of some divine justice.

The authors are merciless in their views on the war. They bring in a lot of information about other freedom leaders, and point out when the United States aligned themselves with those leaders and when they didn't. Again, all of this information came from today's and recent headlines.

The scene where the United States soldiers get attacked and inadvertently shoot and kill a small boy is heart-wrenching to read. You can't read stuff like this and not think of what's going on over in the war. Innocents (and innocence) are being lost on both sides, and you can understand why people who would normally not take issue with occupying forces or domestic rebels, but how they are sometimes forced to.

I loved Dan Rather's presence in the book, and I have to wonder how the authors and publisher got him to agree to be presented with such a strong opinion on the war and the presidency. The line between fiction and non-fiction, reality and possibility, is definitely blurred at this point, and during several others.

SHOOTING WAR has a definite slant on the war and the American presidency, as well as politics. A lot of people aren't going to agree with everything in this book. That's all right. I feel the authors were really provoking their readers into at least thinking something, and feeling it as well.

And if you decide to leave politics out of the entertainment, I feel you'll be thrilled with the story that's drawn, rendered, and written so eloquently between the pages. SHOOTING HERO is a terrific read with enough tension to keep you nailed to the pages till you finish. Even without the political statements, readers are going to feel the rush of fear, the despair of failure, and the allure of triumph.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and edgy - makes a great xmas gift!, December 12, 2007

By	Lara Vaidya (Los Angeles, Ca.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Shiny, pretty, without too many words, Shooting War takes a look at the war, at our media, at the corporate take over of our country without taking itself too seriously. Hiding behind animation, Shooting War is able to face, head on, the brutality of the war without any danger of becoming a sensationalistic blood fest.

Makes a great gift for any socially active person!