Post war

Hey all:

Just wanted to follow up on a few thoughts from class...I am still trying to figure out what I think about Shooting War. I reread the web comics and what I liked about that more than I did the book was that it was more raw. It was harder to read and the thoughts about American soldiers was very disturbing to me (part of me thinks, "how dare he? part of me is frightened by the connection to the Vietnam War and then to "events" like My Lai and wonder if Lappe is not offering a hard hitting cautionary tale).

But in the end, I just couldn't get past the slickness of the graphic novel. I think it just was "too cool for school" (no, he didn't just drop that archaic phrase, did he?) where it wanted to offer this hard hitting commentary but wanted to do it in a way that sexy and appealing. And that turned me off. Yes, throw in the Starbucks reference but then do something with it. Yes, show Jimmy as a macho guy but then either show him crushed or changed, but don't exalt him at the end (again in the web comic, it ends with him being crushed on the New Yorker cover). Yes, have a strong female character but then let her do more than just one single page headshot.

Maybe I'm being too hard on this book. I have been told that I don't like many things. That's not true, I just hate it when I see something having so much potential and then pulling a punch.

Anyway, we have Blackwatch this coming week. Make sure you go to our blackboard course and see the instructions. Have a great weekend!