Last Day in Vietnam (2nd Edition)

by Will Eisner

Book Overview

Last Day in Vietnam is Will Eisner's memoir of stories about soldiers who are engaged not only in the daily hostilities of war but also in larger, more personal combat. During Eisner's years in the military, and particularly during the many field trips he made for P.S. Magazine, he observed camp life at close range.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1616551208
• ISBN13: 9781616551209
• Release Date: March 2013
• Publisher: Dark Horse Books
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.9" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Vignettes of rear echelon warriors

As the introduction for this books indicates, Will Eisner used his graphic talents to educate US armed forces in three conflicts -- WWII, Korea and Vietnam. His work in this small but impressive volume is mostly taken from Korea and Vietnam, and touches on peripheral stories of these conflicts. "Last Day in Vietnam" follows Eisner's guide to the war, a stocky, macho rearguard major who is suddenly confronted with fear on his last day "in country". "A Purple Heart for George" tells the tale of a young soldier who is bellicose when drunk and of the file clerks who try to keep him out of combat. "The Periphery" is about journalists -- those who "report" from the comfort of a Saigon café and those who return from hotter areas. "The Casualty" is about a wounded GI reminiscing about his Vietnamese lover and the pain she brought him. And "A Dull Day in Korea" tells the story of a bored GI on the DMZ in Korea, who has a loaded rifle but no enemy to shoot at. Each tale is told with Eisner's trademark brevity. The entire book can be read in less than half an hour. This leads to some disappointment as each of these too-brief stories ends. Some tales are a bit too comic-bookish for my taste -- a few too many situations are resolved by a characters facing out at the reader with a "so, what are you gonna do?" quizzical gesture. One story, about a soldir who loves killing, ends with a too-easy comic reversal. But as with all of Eisner's work, the images and stories stay with you long after you put the book down.While this is not my favorite Eisner work (check out the "Contract with God" trilogy) it is good stuff and worth a look.

Eisner true-to-life ordeal during war time; allegory; good

"Last day in Vietnam", the graphic novel by Will Eisner. This book constituted a series of short stories. An anthology. However, peering through the same wavelenght, it is indicative to another denotation-- a collections of short stories gleaned from factual encounters by the author, during those indelible memories of his life of actually in more than one war. The book title, explicitly pinpointing to the feature story that runs from the opening pages & as well endowed with the most abundant pages, with 32-page allotment."The last day in Vietnam", the installment, was one of best anthologies played out in this graphic novel, along with the poignant last anthology. This feature was told with a first-person narrative technique. As one of the military authority escorting a press agent, whose whole individual per se, in no way & none anyhow, could be chance upon by the readers, to their war camp. In short, the military man was chattering to akin in front to a virtual hand-held camera. The artwork veritably confirmed this take, clearly depicted this proposition.Overall, "the last day in Vietnam" feature is a prolific, little short anecdote. Although, I suspect, it is obligatory to re-read the story more than once like I did, to contemplate what the author, Will Eisner, furnishing to say. A slightly suspenseful & chilling effort.In my perspective, this book is not one of the author best of endeavors. However, the stories constituted here are wholly allegorical in nature, they are symphathetic & relatable in real life. The core genre of these stories are pertinent to war. More than once, Will Eisner was indeed drafted & participated with other novice draftees, as he was hurled into the horizon of war to fight for his mother country.The whole presented here are pleasant, heartwarming, some funny, some tragedic. This book was crafted during the latter years in the 1990's.The last story is one of the best, if not the best composed here. It was a story of a draftee who was a recidivist of a drunkard, hankering to vault from working a desk job to a full-blown military combatant, one who will actually tread into the wilderness & shall brazenly endures a real-life nightmare amidst with others. His friends, like a clockwork, doggingly showed earnest concern for his person by frequently like a ritual, tearing off his application to shift duty. However, one day his colleague, unfortunately, did not salvaged this inopportune circumstance, thus, their worst fear came to life. This particular short yarn turned out, surprisingly, a poignant & fulfilling story. They were as well evocative, pleasant & allegorical. It portrayed to us the unrevealed dimensions of war. Superior story.Will Eisner, one of the pioneers who help shaped the tumultuous maelstrom of the graphic novel industry. His name is a legend in the comicworld. I muse,in my opinion, as a token of appreciation, buying a copy from each one of us like this particular book, shall certainly re

Very enjoyable graphic novel

Not his best but among the best in general. If zou like Eisner you cannot miss this...

Maybe bitter, but good to the last drop

Parade of Tirade is about failed relationships, depression, and lonliness far more often than it's about the superhero genre. It might not be for everyone. The thing that really caught my attention about this one, though, is that Wheeler switches between the world of Too Much Coffee Man, and the equally bleak "real world." The "real world" part of the comics focus on an overworked cartoonist who creates TMCM, and a Generation X fan, Joel, whose life is steadily going downhill.