Last Day in Vietnam

Drawing on memories from his World War II service days and his army-sponsored trips to Korea and Vietnam, comics innovator Will Eisner put together Last Day in Vietnam, a six-story collection that reveals the strange feelings that arise in soldiers during wartime. From the long, rollicking title story to the somber, bureaucratic cautionary tale "A Purple Heart for George," Eisner consistently finds new angles on old material, while maintaining the mainstream position that war, though ridiculous, must be fought when necessary. The sepia tones of the stories and interspersed photos of Korea and Vietnam add gravity to the already weighty tales, but the book never becomes heavy-handed. Last Day in Vietnam is impressive work from an artist with an impressive record. --Rob Lightner