Having Dale Dye write the forward is almost as telling as the story itself. A man who has been there and done that and has a pretty unique perspective on it all, understanding that war is both a horror and unfortunately given our still arguably tribal ways, somewhat a certainty. It would be lovely to think that this book could help steer people away from war mongering… but I fear it will only reaffirm that belief in the readers who pick it up and those in power will continue to use people as mere pawns… lives throw to the wolves for the sake of nations claiming superiority over each other rather than working together for the betterment of us all. Read Full Review
The juxtaposition of Billy's and Dai's stories not only spotlights their significant differences but the common ground they share. Dai may be braver and more focused, but we see they both come from small communities, from similar nuclear families. While Billy's training may be lacking in how people are treated, the military facilities at Dai's people's disposal pale in comparison. The ultimate message is about how important attitude and ideology are in waging a war, but I'm fascinated by the connections - both subconscious and thematic - between these two protagonists. Read Full Review
The Other Side is a human story that takes place in a hellish war-zone. Weirdly, I'm not a huge fan of war comics, although I did thoroughly enjoy this book. I enjoy comic books because of their ability to transport me (the reader) to a place I'd never want to or be able to go to. I think Jason Aaron has successfully captured what I imagine to be the human side of fighting in a war. I think on I enjoyed this book so much is because of that. Because this is not a book about the Vietnam war. It's a book about two soldiers fighting in that war. It's a smaller story set inside a bigger, even more fucked up story. Read Full Review
So far, the comic is shaping up as more like a Viggo and less like a Gozer. (To translate: it's more like the second movie than the first.) Bummer. Read Full Review
The NVA side of the story is interesting because we don't usually get to see that part, but the American part of the story leaves something to be desired. He's already having visions of dead guys and talking guns after just starting training? Come on.
© 2024
Prev
