Page 45 Review by Stephen
"The screaming at night wasn't very Christmassy."
Part two of this stunningly well crafted rendition of an American soldier fighting to rescue his life - and himself - from the trauma of losing a leg in Iraq, without any easy glossing at all. The man has much to contend with - anger, nightmares, alcohol - and yet what is absolutely extraordinary is how the blackest of humour prevails in each and every four-panel strip. In fact I'm not sure "black humour" does justice to punchlines which really, really make you think…
"So tell me about the new nightmare, D.B."
"It's like the old ones, Doc, only more violent. This time the whole city is under attack, not just my platoon. I run from block to block, but there are corpses everywhere. The carnage is inescapable!"
"I see... Are you sure you weren't just watching the news?"
"Positive. My T.V.'s grainy, and this was hi-def."
... or smile with the characters themselves:
"So what's you counsellor like, B.D.?"
"Good guy... He's a Vet., so he's a lot easier to relate to than my old shrink. Plus, he's an amp.. He lost his leg when his Harley skidded out on an oil slick."
"Whoa... Bike okay?"
"Well, I asked, but he's still not ready to talk about it."
Humble and affecting introduction/tribute by General Richard B. Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
