"Combat Zone"

Marvel Comics' "Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq" offers a similar though more patriotic take on the conflict. This new graphic novel portrays a month in the life of soldiers in the 82nd Airborne division during major combat operations in the spring of 2003, as penned by former embed and American Enterprise editor-in-chief Karl Zinsmeister. All the characters depicted in the story have names except the embed, who is known simply as "Reporter," a nice antidote to the media celebrity cult.

In some respects, the tough, well-trained soldiers follow in the mold of classic comic-book characters like the 1950s Sgt. Rock but without some of the more cartoonish aspects of the genre. "Combat Zone" is closer to the somewhat propagandistic comics produced during World War II that also depicted actual battles. It is scrupulously realistic, with meticulously drawn vehicles and equipment and command situations taken from real life.

The comic lacks the "superhero" genre's emphasis on one or a few indestructible characters saving the world; here every soldier plays a role, and the emphasis is on teamwork, bravery and self-sacrifice.

They soldiers are not perfect but benefit greatly by comparison with their benighted enemy. The fedayeen in "Combat Zone" (and in real life) use children as human shields, set up sniper posts in hospitals and mosques, and exploit flags of truce and ambulances to mount surprise attacks. Faced with this criminal behavior, the Captain reminds his men: "We're Americans. We don't shoot women and children....We don't shoot people who are trying to surrender."

In most post-Vietnam stories, a speech like this would be the setup for some kind of atrocity committed by Americans; but in "Combat Zone" the U.S. troops fight by the rules and win. It says a lot about our culture when a comic book offers greater moral clarity than most American universities.
(Thanks to OpinionJournal.)