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Black Powder Red Earth V1 Paperback – August 24, 2011

by
Jon Chang (Author)
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Jon Chang (Author), Kane Smith (Author), Josh Taylor (Illustrator)
3.5 out of 5 stars 35 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 72 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 24, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1463631898
  • ISBN-13: 978-1463631895
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.2 x 10 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsC+ for Effort
By sessquipedalian on September 14, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
As both a comic connoisseur and someone interested in military/middle eastern issues, this series seemed right up my alley. Perhaps because I had such high hopes, I had set the series up with some unreachable goals. Some things that resonated with me both positive and negative:

-Art: Spot on, but still a little generic, which is hard to avoid in the comics world.

-Dialogue: Excellently researched military jargon. You could tell the amount of time the author had spent immersing himself in the world of private military contractors, learning the lingo, references, and personalities.

-Authenticity and Setting: Oozes out of the page. This is the highlight of the series! Setting accurately deals with the sectarian divide in Iraq, as well as the intercine and shifting tribal and political alliances. It also (presciently) projects a civil war, which, to be fair, is hardly out of left field.

-Characterization: Flat as a iPad. This is where the book begins to bog down for me. The characters are not just one-note, they're stock types. There are the burly contractors, the shifty Iraqis... and that's it. Perhaps the development got lost in the shuffle to use all that cool jargon.

-Plotting and Pacing: Moves glacially, really for no good reason (again... gotta fit in that jargon). No dramatic arch of any sort, and seems to violate the obvious cardinal rule of visual media (show, don't tell).

In summary, I prefer... you know..."story" in my comics. I was expecting something in the vein of "The Losers," or "Queen and Country," but what I got was a cross between a textbook and an army field manual. That's not to say that the series doesn't have potential, but I hope that the writers wake up and start to read some classics for inspiration.

I give it a C+.
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5.0 out of 5 starsWell worth the money! A great opener...
By the gold don on December 9, 2011
Format: Paperback
I am not sure exactly what the first reviewer is on about - and I don't think they properly understand the way a Graphic Novel is supposed to be read.

I hope others see the irony in a reviewer using barely more than a dozen words to describe a great book like this as "too short".

I can, with hand on heart, say that this is by far the most accomplished way of showing us mere mortals what it is like to work in the Close Protection/Private Military Industry. You can tell that there has been some serious consulting done with the actual guys in the business.

The effort spent in ensuring that the dialogue, tactics and procedures are accurate bleeds from every page, and like any plot-driven action movie, the pace is set nicely. I loved the characters (and can't wait to see more of them) and I loved the style. The gritty artwork and solid coloring is also top-notch.

I had VERY high expectations of this series and Chang et al have made a fantastic start with BRPE. I, for one, cannot wait to see more.

Great work guys - roll on episode 2!
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1.0 out of 5 starsWhen I read the other reviews I have to wonder what awesome product they got compared to what I got
By cityofthesouth on September 19, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I ordered this because of all the art I had seen in connection with it. There seemed to be this fully developed cannon, so to speak, surrounding the series that suggested a specific attention to detail in the art, but V1 certainly contains none of that. It's page after page of talking heads in a style of art half as detailed as even the grey cover. On the rare occasion that a firearm is depicted, it's unrecognizable. When I read the other reviews I have to wonder what awesome product they got compared to what I got. I can't believe that V1 encouraged anyone to take a risk on V2 - I'm not going to. Talking heads are fine in a Tom Clancy novel when you want to get some shut eye. But a graphic novel is driven by the art, and given value in this case, by what I thought was going to be strong attention to detail and realism in the gear and firearms department. At the very least I would have been satisfied to "own" some of the really great supporting art that is seen all over the net to promote the series. I tried the digital version but I found that I personally want to hold a graphic novel, be able to examine the supporting artwork and feel like I really got something for my money. This doesn't deliver.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Future History of Covert Ops in the Middle East
By Daniel de Wit on October 8, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
When it comes to a fictional portrayal of what the future of the Middle East is likely to turn into, Black Powder Red Earth is as solid as they come.

The art work is great both for its portrayal of the scene (Basra circa 2019, but it could be any major city in the Arab world) and for the specifics of how characters are visually portrayed. Weapons manipulation, movement techniques...its all there.

However, the real value of these comics is for the story they tell of a future Middle East that is all too likely. Security contractors are already on the ground throughout the region protecting both US national and corporate interests. As the military withdraws from the region and draws down in size, private contractors will likely pick up a large part of that tab for securing the flow of both oil and intelligence to the US. Black Powder Dark Earth is a realistic if fictional glimpse into their world.
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent!
By Amazon Purchaser on May 26, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I did not know about these graphic novels until after I visted Travis Haley's site and picked up some Black Powder \\ Red Earth decals and morale patches.

The art work is powerful. When they say an image speaks a 1000 words, you just have to look at one page in this book. Solid, believable story line. Found myself re-reading the book and just admiring the artwork.

Hope they come out with a hardbound coffee table book with all the volumes. I would be one of the first pre-ordering and telling them to take my money now!

Keep up the good work guys. Outstanding and job well done.
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