Creative Staff
Story and Art: Will Eisner
What They Say
In the Spring of the year 2000, at the age of eighty-three, a still-young Will Eisner brought his newest work to Dark Horse Comics, sparking a lasting creative relationship and, one year later, garnering the Harvey Award for Best Original Graphic Album. Last Day in Vietnam is a deeply personal memoir of the legendary artist’s own experiences in the military during World War II and later, through the many field trips he made for the army’s PS Magazine. Some of the stories collected herein are comical, some heartrending, some frightening, yet all display the incredible insight into humanity characteristic of Eisner’s entire oeuvre.
Printed in hardcover for the first time, with a brand-new foreword by writer Matt Fraction, this updated edition gives Eisner’s modern classic the literary presentation it deserves.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I firmly believe it’s impossible to quantify the impact that Will Eisner had on the comic industry. Without him, modern comics would look or read nothing like they do today. He had an amazing talent for panel placement, camera eye position, and character acting and he did things in the medium that are still being copied today.
However, as brilliant as he was with the technical aspects of the genre, he was just as good with what lied under the technique. Eisner was a born storyteller and all of his tales—the tragic, the heroic, the comedic—all possessed a strong human element, and that is what touches people to this day. A piece of art can be technically perfect, but without true human emotion and understanding behind it, it’s just a flat, empty piece that tells nothing and leaves nothing.
Eisner did tell something, and he did leave something. In this particular case a book of memories from his time in the army during trips to Korea and Vietnam while working for PS Magazine. The stories are told in order of importance, not chronological, and they range from the tragic—“A Purple Heart for George”—to the comic—“The Casualty”—to the terrifying—“A Dull Day in Korea.” The first story, the titular “Last Day in Vietnam,” is impressive for its use of first-person point of view. We see the events through Eisner’s eyes as he’s escorted to a base by a Major who is on his last assignment before ending his tour of duty. Ninety-five percent of the story is just the Major talking to Eisner as they fly on a helicopter to the base and the way in which Eisner indicates the helicopter taking off and moving is just brilliant, as is the irony of the Major’s statements and what occurs around them. It’s more of a character piece than anything else and it’s wonderfully told with the wit and humor for which Eisner is deservedly known.
Perhaps my favorite story in the collection, though, is “The Casualty.” It’s told completely through pictures as we are shown the recollections of an injured soldier. We see him remembering the time he picked up a Vietnamese girl in a bar, took her to a motel, and her leaving a grenade under his bed. While the technique with which this story is told makes it worth mentioning, what makes it my favorite is how it ends—which I won’t spoil here.
The final story in the collection, however, is the masterpiece: “A Purple Heart for George.” George works at headquarters far away from the fighting while his best friend, Big Benny, fights on the front lines. Every weekend he gets drunk and types a request to be transferred to the front lines to be with his friend, and every Monday the staff sergeants tear it up before the Captain can see it. George never remembers his benders, and the scene plays out again and again. The story breaks your heart and the way that Eisner presents George’s drunken soliloquy is amazing. It’s perhaps the best example out of this entire collection of the power of Eisner’s technical talent and his honest grasp of humanity.
In Summary
Last Day in Vietnam collects Will Eisner’s memories of his time in the army. The stories are amazingly told, befitting the talent of the man, but also contain a solid core of human emotions. There is a reason that the man is considered the Da Vinci of comics, and one need look no further than this volume to see why. This is a beautiful hardback collection showcasing some of the last work the man did in the field he helped define and is well worth the price. Highly recommended.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 19, 2013
MSRP: $17.99
