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{{about|the Marvel Comics comic book|the war|Vietnam War|the country|Vietnam|other uses|Nam (disambiguation)}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
{{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| title = The 'Nam
| image = Nam 1.jpg
| caption = The premiere issue of the series, showing [[Vietnam]] split into Soviet-aligned [[North Vietnam]] and US-aligned [[South Vietnam]]
| image = Nam 1.jpg
⚫
| schedule = Monthly
| caption = The premiere issue of the series.
⚫
| ongoing = y
⚫
| schedule = Monthly
⚫
| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]
⚫
| ongoing = y
⚫
| date = December [[1986 in comics|1986]] – September [[1993 in comics|1993]]
⚫
| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]
| issues = 84
⚫
| date = December [[1986 in comics|1986]] – September [[1993 in comics|1993]]
| issues = 84
| War = y
| War = y
| Historical = first
| Historical = y
| multigenre = y
| multigenre = y
| main_char_team =
| main_char_team =
| creators = Doug Murray
| creators = [[Doug Murray (comics)|Doug Murray]]
| TPB = Volume 1
| TPB = Volume 1
| ISBN = 0-87135-284-2
| ISBN = 0-87135-284-2
| TPB1 = Volume 2
| TPB1 = Volume 2
| ISBN1 = 0871353520
| ISBN1 = 0871353520
| TPB2 = Volume 3
| TPB2 = Volume 3
| ISBN2 = 0871355434
| ISBN2 = 0871355434
| subcat = Marvel Comics
| subcat = Marvel Comics
| sort = Nam, The
| sort = Nam, The
}}
}}
'''''The 'Nam''''' was a [[war comics|war]] [[comic book]] [[ongoing series|series]] detailing the [[United States|U.S.]] [[Vietnam War|War in Vietnam]] from the perspective of active-duty [[soldier]]s involved in the conflict. It was written by [[Doug Murray (comics)|Doug Murray]], initially illustrated by [[Michael Golden (comics)|Michael Golden]], edited by [[Larry Hama]] and published by [[Marvel Comics]] for seven years beginning in [[1986 in comics|1986]], which was originally intended to roughly parallel the analogous events of the period of major American military involvement in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973.
'''''The 'Nam''''' is a [[war comics|war]] [[comic book]] [[ongoing series|series]] detailing the [[United States|U.S.]] [[Vietnam War|war in Vietnam]] from the perspective of active-duty [[soldier]]s involved in the conflict. It was initially written by [[Doug Murray (comics)|Doug Murray]], illustrated by [[Michael Golden (comics)|Michael Golden]] and edited by [[Larry Hama]], and was published by [[Marvel Comics]] for seven years beginning in [[1986 in comics|1986]], which was intended to roughly parallel the analogous events of the period of major American military involvement in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973.


==Plot==
==Plot==
The comic is structured as the narrative of a fictional soldier, [[Private First Class]] Edward Marks (but sometimes following other characters), as he experiences real events that occurred during the conflict. Each issue of the comic occurs one month after the previous issue, detailing events that occurred approximately 20 years prior to the publication date.
The comic was initially structured as the narrative of a fictional soldier, [[Private First Class]] Edward Marks (but sometimes following other characters), as he experiences real events that occurred during the conflict. Each issue of the comic occurs one month after the previous issue, detailing events that occurred approximately 20 years prior to the publication date.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Markstein |first1=Don |website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |accessdate=2 April 2020 |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/nam.htm |title=The 'Nam}}</ref>


The events depicted are sometimes famous ones, such as the [[Tet Offensive]] of 1968, and sometimes more personal ones, depicting the interaction between soldiers or between soldiers and the local populace of Vietnam, or between soldiers and their families, friends and others in the United States.
The events depicted are sometimes famous ones, such as the [[Tet Offensive]] of 1968, and sometimes more personal ones, depicting the interaction between soldiers or between soldiers and the local populace of Vietnam, or between soldiers and their families, friends and others in the United States.


Some of the stories are typical of those in war comics of any era, such as the interaction with a callous officer or a description of combat, while others are unique to Vietnam, such as the experience of soldiers on leave bearing the personal burden of animosity from civilians opposed to the war.
Some of the stories are typical of those in war comics of any era, such as the interaction with a callous officer or a description of combat, while others are unique to Vietnam, such as the experience of soldiers on leave bearing the personal burden of animosity from civilians opposed to the war. Issue #8 introduced the character of Frank Verzyl, the Tunnel Rat, who appeared again briefly in #26.


==Publication history==
==Publication history==
===Background and concept===
Vietnam War veteran Larry Hama contacted fellow vet Doug Murray in 1984 about doing a Vietnam War series for his black-and-white magazine, ''[[Savage Tales]]''.<ref name="jacks">{{Cite web | last=Jacks | first=Brian | title=Interview: Doug Murray | work=Slushfactory | date=May 25, 2002 | url=http://www.slushfactory.com/features/articles/052502-murray.php | accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> Hama teamed Murray up with artist Michael Golden and together they created ''The 5th of the 1st'', which was well received.<ref name="Khoury">{{Cite web | last=Khoury | first=George | title=''The 'Nam'' Veterans Day Special | work=[[Comic Book Resources]] | date=November 9, 2008 | url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18745 | accessdate=2008-12-11}}</ref> In 1986, [[Marvel Comics]] Editor-in-Chief [[Jim Shooter]] approached Hama with a mock-up of a comic book cover that was, as Hama remembers, "a color copy of the artwork from a ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' cover, one that showed an Infantryman in camo face paint peering through dense jungle foliage. A logo had been pasted over the art that read: THE 'NAM."<ref name="hama">{{Cite book | last=Hama | first=Larry | title=The 'Nam | publisher=[[Marvel Entertainment Group]] | date=May 1999 | isbn=978-0-7851-0718-7}}</ref> Shooter told Hama to come up with a book to go along with the cover and produce it. Hama suggested that Murray put together a proposal for a regular comic book about the Vietnam War.<ref name="jacks"/>
Vietnam War veteran [[Larry Hama]] contacted fellow vet [[Doug Murray (comics)|Doug Murray]] in 1984 about doing a Vietnam War series for his black-and-white magazine, ''[[Savage Tales]]'' Vol. 2.<ref name="jacks">{{Cite web | last=Jacks | first=Brian | title=Interview: Doug Murray | work=Slushfactory | date=May 25, 2002 | url=http://www.slushfactory.com/features/articles/052502-murray.php | accessdate=2007-08-20 | archive-date=2009-05-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515012230/http://www.slushfactory.com/features/articles/052502-murray.php | url-status=dead }}</ref> Hama teamed Murray up with artist [[Michael Golden (comics)|Michael Golden]] and together they created "The 5th to the 1st", which was well received.<ref name="Khoury">{{Cite web | last=Khoury | first=George | title=''The 'Nam'' Veterans Day Special | work=[[Comic Book Resources]] | date=November 9, 2008 | url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18745 | accessdate=2008-12-11}}</ref>


In 1986, [[Marvel Comics]] editor-in-chief [[Jim Shooter]] approached Hama with a mock-up of a comic book cover that was, as Hama remembers, "a color copy of the artwork from a ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' cover, one that showed an Infantryman in [[Camouflage|camo face paint]] peering through dense jungle foliage. A logo had been pasted over the art that read: THE 'NAM."<ref name=hama>{{Cite book | last=Hama | first=Larry | title=The 'Nam | publisher=[[Marvel Entertainment Group]] | date=May 1999 | isbn=978-0-7851-0718-7}}</ref> Shooter told Hama to come up with a book to go along with the cover and produce it. Hama suggested that Murray put together a proposal for a regular comic book about the Vietnam War.<ref name="jacks"/> Hama specified that the series would play out in real time, such that no one character would remain in the series for longer than 12 issues (since during the Vietnam War soldiers returned home after the completion of a 364-day [[tour of duty]]), and that it should be as realistic as possible.<ref name=back127>{{cite magazine |last=Arndt |first=Richard |title=The 'Nam Revisited|magazine=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=127|pages=49–61|publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] |date=June 2021|location=Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> Murray has stated that having the series take place in real time was a joint decision between him and Hama.<ref name=back127/> He said, "[l]iterally everybody had a calendar that kept track of how long they had to go in-country. I really wanted a way to kind of reflect that in the comic book."<ref name="jacks"/> Though he chose Murray and Golden for the series in part because of their having done "The 5th to the 1st", Hama has denied that ''The 'Nam'' itself in any way sprang from "The 5th to the 1st", and mentioned that he did not think Shooter was even aware of those stories.<ref name=back127/>
⚫
At the time, Golden was planning to work on ''[[Batman]]'' for [[DC Comics]] when Hama pitched him the concept for the comic book. Golden had grown tired of drawing superheroes and was looking to do something different: "Being part of that generation, I wanted to do this."<ref name="nolen">{{Cite book | last=Nolen-Weathington | first=Eric | title=Modern Masters, Volume Twelve: Michael Golden | page=38 | publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] | date=July 2007 | isbn=978-1-893905-74-0}}</ref> Murray was surprised when Shooter greenlit the series, but felt that he "wanted to try different experiments in different subgenres".<ref name="jacks"/> Even then, Murray figured that it might last for 12 issues, but it sold quite well,<ref name="jacks"/> with the first issue outselling ''[[X-Men]]'' the month it came out.<ref name="nolen"/>


===Early success===
Murray wanted to work on a [[Comics Code]]-approved series in order to reach a broader audience. He said, "I wanted a way to at least tell a part of the story to the kids and maybe get other people to talk about it as well."<ref name="jacks"/> However, because of the Code, he was not able to address things like drug use or include swearing. Hama and Murray wanted to ignore politics and focus on the war from the average foot soldier's point of view.<ref name="span">{{Cite news | last=Span | first=Paula | title=Vietnam: The Comic Book War | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=September 10, 1986}}</ref> Murray said that the comic was "a pretty accurate view of the way the average soldier looked at the war. It was outside ordinary experience. The world was elsewhere."<ref name="span"/> Murray decided to do the comic book in real-time so that one issue equaled one month to convey the concept of short-time.
⚫
Golden was planning to work on ''[[Batman]]'' for [[DC Comics]] when Hama pitched him the concept for the comic book.<ref name=back127/> Golden had grown tired of drawing superheroes and was looking to do something different: "Being part of that generation, I wanted to do this."<ref name="nolen">{{Cite book | last=Nolen-Weathington | first=Eric | title=Modern Masters, Volume Twelve: Michael Golden | page=38 | publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] | date=July 2007 | isbn=978-1-893905-74-0}}</ref> Murray was surprised when Shooter greenlit the series, but felt that he "wanted to try different experiments in different subgenres".<ref name="jacks"/> Even then, Murray figured that it might last for 12 issues, but it sold quite well,<ref name="jacks"/> with the first issue outselling ''[[X-Men]]'' the month it came out.<ref name="nolen"/> The series had a publicity coup when ''[[The Washington Post]]'' did a big write-up on the first issue's release, which was picked up by other newspapers across the country; it was rare that the mainstream press gave significant recognition to doings in the comic book industry.<ref name=back127/>


He said, "Literally everybody had a calendar that kept track of how long they had to go in-country. I really wanted a way to kind of reflect that in the comic book."<ref name="jacks"/> The actions of the [[23rd Infantry Regiment (United States)|23rd Infantry]] were based on fact.<ref name="span"/> This did not mean that they were in every action depicted in the book — only that that historical event actually occurred.<ref name="tran">{{Cite news | last=Tran | first=Mark | title=Vietnam War Breaks Out Again in Comic Strip | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date=September 20, 1986}}</ref> In addition, every issue featured a back-of-the-book glossary explaining the authentic lingo of the characters.<ref name="span"/>
Murray wanted to work on a [[Comics Code]]-approved series in order to reach a broader audience. He said, "I wanted a way to at least tell a part of the story to the kids and maybe get other people to talk about it as well."<ref name="jacks"/> However, because of the Code, he was not able to address things like drug use or include swearing. Hama and Murray wanted to ignore politics and focus on the war from the average foot soldier's point of view.<ref name="span">{{Cite news|last=Span|first=Paula|date=September 10, 1986|title=Vietnam: The Comic Book War|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/09/10/vietnam-the-comic-book-war/0b6c7970-3733-4eb9-a8b0-24b706a416d0/|access-date=September 30, 2020}}</ref> Murray said that the comic was "a pretty accurate view of the way the average soldier looked at the war. It was outside ordinary experience. The world was elsewhere."<ref name="span"/>


The actions of the [[23rd Infantry Regiment (United States)|23rd Infantry]] were based on fact.<ref name="span"/><ref name="tran">{{Cite news | last=Tran | first=Mark | title=Vietnam War Breaks Out Again in Comic Strip | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | date=September 20, 1986}}</ref> In particular, most of the stories in the first 13 issues were based on incidents which had happened to Murray or one of his acquaintances during the war.<ref name=back127/> In addition, every issue featured a back-of-the-book glossary explaining the authentic lingo of the characters.<ref name="span"/>
Many changes occurred in the series after the first 12 issues; the use of newsprint was abandoned in favor of slicker paper with higher color intensity. Artist Michael Golden was also replaced. Murray left when changes in editorial policies took place. Don Daley took over and wanted to include superheroes and not continue the series in real-time.<ref name="jacks"/> Had he continued with the book, Murray wanted the main character from the first year, Ed Marks, to come back to Vietnam as a reporter and deal with the subject of [[Agent Orange]].<ref name="jacks"/>

===Changes in creative team===
Many changes occurred in the series after the first 12 issues; the use of newsprint was abandoned in favor of slicker paper with higher color intensity. The series went [[direct market]]-only with ''The 'Nam'' #18.<ref name=back127/> Artist Michael Golden quit the series, and was replaced by Wayne Vansant. Vansant had in fact been involved with the series from before its launch; Hama, who knew Vansant through his work on ''Savage Tales'', told him that though Golden had been chosen as the [[penciller]] for ''The 'Nam'', he wanted Vansant in reserve as a fill-in artist, since Golden had a tendency to fall behind on his work.<ref name=back127/> Thus, Vansant drew ''The 'Nam'' #7 as a fill-in and was seen as the natural successor to Golden when he left. Vansant said he was so enthusiastic about working on the series that at one point he was seven months ahead on deadlines.<ref name=back127/>

Hama left the series after a year and a half. He was briefly replaced as editor by his assistant, Pat Redding, who maintained similar policies to Hama.<ref name=back127/> However, when Don Daley took over, he wanted to include superheroes and not continue the series in real time.<ref name="jacks"/> Murray sharply disagreed with Daley over the direction of ''The 'Nam'', in particular the appearance of superheroes in the series. After months of bitter arguments between Murray and Daley, Murray quit, recalling that one of the last straws was when he discovered that Daley had commissioned a ''The 'Nam'' script from [[Chuck Dixon]] in which a pre-[[Punisher]] Frank Castle guest-starred.<ref name=back127/> His run ended with ''The 'Nam'' #45, though he briefly returned to write issues #49–51. Though the Punisher story was written during Murray's run, it was not published until a year later, in ''The 'Nam'' #52–53 (January–February 1991).<ref name=back127/> Had he continued with the book, Murray wanted the main character from the first year, Ed Marks, to come back to Vietnam as a reporter and deal with the subject of [[Agent Orange]].<ref name="jacks"/>


From 1988 to 1989, Marvel published ten issues of ''The 'Nam Magazine'', which reprinted in black-and-white the first twenty issues of the comic on magazine-sized paper.
From 1988 to 1989, Marvel published ten issues of ''The 'Nam Magazine'', which reprinted in black-and-white the first twenty issues of the comic on magazine-sized paper.


Immediately following Murray's departure, the real time progression of the stories stopped, and the 23rd Infantry squad were dropped as the main characters.<ref name=back127/> Dixon replaced Murray as the regular writer.
⚫
Vietnam veteran [[Don Lomax]], creator of the independent title ''[[Vietnam Journal]]'', took over writing duties for ''The 'Nam'' in the early [[1990s in comics|1990s]]. Flagging sales drove Marvel to place the then-popular character The [[Punisher]] in several guest appearances in ''The 'Nam'' during this period.<ref>''The 'Nam'' #52-53 (January–February 1991)</ref> After the series' conclusion, an epilogue of sorts was published in the form of a ''Punisher'' special, ''The Punisher in the 'Nam: Final Invasion'', which included the unpublished issues #85 and 86.

===Final months===
⚫
Daley re-assigned writing duties for ''The 'Nam'' to Vietnam veteran [[Don Lomax]], creator of the independent title ''[[Vietnam Journal]]'', and directed Vansant to begin inking the series as well as penciling it, both starting with ''The 'Nam'' #70 (July 1992).<ref name=back127/> After the series' conclusion, an epilogue of sorts was published in the form of a ''Punisher'' special, ''The Punisher in the 'Nam: Final Invasion'', which included the unpublished issues #85 and 86.


The character Michael "Ice" Phillips would go on to reappear in ''[[The Punisher War Journal]]'' Vol. 1, #52-53, and ''[[The Punisher War Zone]]'' Vol. 1, #27-30.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/phillipsicenam.htm|title = Ice Phillips|publisher = marvunapp.com|date = 7 July 2012|website = The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe|accessdate = 3 September 2015}}</ref>
The character Michael "Ice" Phillips would go on to reappear in ''[[The Punisher War Journal]]'' #52–53, and ''[[The Punisher War Zone (1992 series)|The Punisher War Zone]]'' #27–30.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/phillipsicenam.htm|title = Ice Phillips|publisher = marvunapp.com|date = 7 July 2012|website = The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe|accessdate = 3 September 2015}}</ref>


==Awards==
==Awards==
During its run, ''The 'Nam'' was nominated for the Best New Series category of the 1987 [[Jack Kirby Awards]].<ref name="jacks"/>
During its run, ''The 'Nam'' was nominated for the Best New Series category of the 1987 [[Jack Kirby Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=1987 Jack Kirby Awards|url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/kirby87.php|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=September 30, 2020|website=Comic Book Awards Almanac}}</ref>


==Reaction==
==Reaction==
Marine Corps veteran and former ''[[Newsweek]]'' editor [[William Broyles, Jr.]], praised the comic for having "a certain gritty reality," but Jan Scruggs, President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, questioned if the Vietnam War should be the subject of a comic book and if it might trivialize it.<ref name="span"/>
Marine Corps veteran and former ''[[Newsweek]]'' editor [[William Broyles Jr.]] praised the comic for having "a certain gritty reality", but Jan Scruggs, President of the [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund]], questioned if the Vietnam War should be the subject of a comic book and if it might trivialize it.<ref name="span"/> The comic was praised by the Bravo Organization, a notable Vietnam veterans' group, as the "best media portrayal of the Vietnam War", beating out [[Oliver Stone]]'s ''[[Platoon (film)|Platoon]]''.<ref>Boyle, Brenda M.; Lim, Jeehyun (2016). ''Looking Back on the Vietnam War: Twenty-first-Century Perspectives''. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. p. 157. {{ISBN|0813579961|}}</ref>


==Collected editions==
==Collected editions==
*''Volume 1'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #1-4), 1987, 96 pages, ISBN 0-87135-284-2
*''Volume 1'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #1–4), 1987, 96 pages, {{ISBN|0-87135-284-2}}
*''Volume 2'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #5-8), 1988, 96 pages, ISBN 0-87135-352-0
*''Volume 2'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #5–8), 1988, 96 pages, {{ISBN|0-87135-352-0}}
*''Volume 3'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #9-12), 1989, 96 pages, ISBN 0-87135-543-4
*''Volume 3'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #9–12), 1989, 96 pages, {{ISBN|0-87135-543-4}}
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #1-4), 1999, 96 pages, Marvel's Finest, ISBN 0-7851-0718-5
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #1–4), 1999, 96 pages, Marvel's Finest, {{ISBN|0-7851-0718-5}}
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #1-10), 2009, 248 pages, ISBN 978-0-7851-3750-4
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #1–10), 2009, 248 pages, {{ISBN|978-0-7851-3750-4}}
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #11-20), 2010, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-7851-4957-6
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #11–20), 2010, 240 pages, {{ISBN|978-0-7851-4957-6}}
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #21-30), 2011, 248 pages, ISBN 978-0-7851-5898-1
*''The 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #21–30 and short stories from ''[[Savage Tales]]'' Vol. 2 #1 & 4), 2011, 248 pages, {{ISBN|978-0-7851-5898-1}}
*''Punisher Invades the 'Nam'' (collects ''The 'Nam'' #52–53, #67–69, ''Punisher Invades The 'Nam: Final Invasion'' #1, ''Punisher War Journal'' #52–53, and ''Punisher War Zone'' #26–30), 2018, 352 pages, {{ISBN|978-1-3029-1177-5}}


==References==
==References==
Line 73: Line 84:
|publisher=Naval Institute Press
|publisher=Naval Institute Press
|year= 2014
|year= 2014
|ISBN= 9781612514772
|isbn= 9781612514772
|oclc=
|oclc=
}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{gcdb series|id=3197|title=''The 'Nam}}
* {{gcdb series|id=3197|title=The 'Nam}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id=3187|title=''The 'Nam}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id=3187|title=The 'Nam}}


{{Punisher}}
{{Punisher}}
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[[Category:1993 comics endings]]
[[Category:1993 comics endings]]
[[Category:Punisher titles]]
[[Category:Punisher titles]]
[[Category:Vietnam War comics]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics set during the Vietnam War]]

Latest revision as of 20:56, 1 September 2024

This article is about the Marvel Comics comic book. For the war, see Vietnam War. For the country, see Vietnam. For other uses, see Nam (disambiguation).

The 'Nam
The premiere issue of the series, showing Vietnam split into Soviet-aligned North Vietnam and US-aligned South Vietnam
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
Genre
Publication dateDecember 1986 – September 1993
No. of issues84
Creative team
Created byDoug Murray
Collected editions
Volume 1ISBN 0-87135-284-2
Volume 2ISBN 0871353520
Volume 3ISBN 0871355434

The 'Nam is a war comic book series detailing the U.S. war in Vietnam from the perspective of active-duty soldiers involved in the conflict. It was initially written by Doug Murray, illustrated by Michael Golden and edited by Larry Hama, and was published by Marvel Comics for seven years beginning in 1986, which was intended to roughly parallel the analogous events of the period of major American military involvement in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973.

Plot

[edit]

The comic was initially structured as the narrative of a fictional soldier, Private First Class Edward Marks (but sometimes following other characters), as he experiences real events that occurred during the conflict. Each issue of the comic occurs one month after the previous issue, detailing events that occurred approximately 20 years prior to the publication date.[1]

The events depicted are sometimes famous ones, such as the Tet Offensive of 1968, and sometimes more personal ones, depicting the interaction between soldiers or between soldiers and the local populace of Vietnam, or between soldiers and their families, friends and others in the United States.

Some of the stories are typical of those in war comics of any era, such as the interaction with a callous officer or a description of combat, while others are unique to Vietnam, such as the experience of soldiers on leave bearing the personal burden of animosity from civilians opposed to the war. Issue #8 introduced the character of Frank Verzyl, the Tunnel Rat, who appeared again briefly in #26.

Publication history

[edit]

Background and concept

[edit]

Vietnam War veteran Larry Hama contacted fellow vet Doug Murray in 1984 about doing a Vietnam War series for his black-and-white magazine, Savage Tales Vol. 2.[2] Hama teamed Murray up with artist Michael Golden and together they created "The 5th to the 1st", which was well received.[3]

In 1986, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter approached Hama with a mock-up of a comic book cover that was, as Hama remembers, "a color copy of the artwork from a G.I. Joe cover, one that showed an Infantryman in camo face paint peering through dense jungle foliage. A logo had been pasted over the art that read: THE 'NAM."[4] Shooter told Hama to come up with a book to go along with the cover and produce it. Hama suggested that Murray put together a proposal for a regular comic book about the Vietnam War.[2] Hama specified that the series would play out in real time, such that no one character would remain in the series for longer than 12 issues (since during the Vietnam War soldiers returned home after the completion of a 364-day tour of duty), and that it should be as realistic as possible.[5] Murray has stated that having the series take place in real time was a joint decision between him and Hama.[5] He said, "[l]iterally everybody had a calendar that kept track of how long they had to go in-country. I really wanted a way to kind of reflect that in the comic book."[2] Though he chose Murray and Golden for the series in part because of their having done "The 5th to the 1st", Hama has denied that The 'Nam itself in any way sprang from "The 5th to the 1st", and mentioned that he did not think Shooter was even aware of those stories.[5]

Early success

[edit]

Golden was planning to work on Batman for DC Comics when Hama pitched him the concept for the comic book.[5] Golden had grown tired of drawing superheroes and was looking to do something different: "Being part of that generation, I wanted to do this."[6] Murray was surprised when Shooter greenlit the series, but felt that he "wanted to try different experiments in different subgenres".[2] Even then, Murray figured that it might last for 12 issues, but it sold quite well,[2] with the first issue outselling X-Men the month it came out.[6] The series had a publicity coup when The Washington Post did a big write-up on the first issue's release, which was picked up by other newspapers across the country; it was rare that the mainstream press gave significant recognition to doings in the comic book industry.[5]

Murray wanted to work on a Comics Code-approved series in order to reach a broader audience. He said, "I wanted a way to at least tell a part of the story to the kids and maybe get other people to talk about it as well."[2] However, because of the Code, he was not able to address things like drug use or include swearing. Hama and Murray wanted to ignore politics and focus on the war from the average foot soldier's point of view.[7] Murray said that the comic was "a pretty accurate view of the way the average soldier looked at the war. It was outside ordinary experience. The world was elsewhere."[7]

The actions of the 23rd Infantry were based on fact.[7][8] In particular, most of the stories in the first 13 issues were based on incidents which had happened to Murray or one of his acquaintances during the war.[5] In addition, every issue featured a back-of-the-book glossary explaining the authentic lingo of the characters.[7]

Changes in creative team

[edit]

Many changes occurred in the series after the first 12 issues; the use of newsprint was abandoned in favor of slicker paper with higher color intensity. The series went direct market-only with The 'Nam #18.[5] Artist Michael Golden quit the series, and was replaced by Wayne Vansant. Vansant had in fact been involved with the series from before its launch; Hama, who knew Vansant through his work on Savage Tales, told him that though Golden had been chosen as the penciller for The 'Nam, he wanted Vansant in reserve as a fill-in artist, since Golden had a tendency to fall behind on his work.[5] Thus, Vansant drew The 'Nam #7 as a fill-in and was seen as the natural successor to Golden when he left. Vansant said he was so enthusiastic about working on the series that at one point he was seven months ahead on deadlines.[5]

Hama left the series after a year and a half. He was briefly replaced as editor by his assistant, Pat Redding, who maintained similar policies to Hama.[5] However, when Don Daley took over, he wanted to include superheroes and not continue the series in real time.[2] Murray sharply disagreed with Daley over the direction of The 'Nam, in particular the appearance of superheroes in the series. After months of bitter arguments between Murray and Daley, Murray quit, recalling that one of the last straws was when he discovered that Daley had commissioned a The 'Nam script from Chuck Dixon in which a pre-Punisher Frank Castle guest-starred.[5] His run ended with The 'Nam #45, though he briefly returned to write issues #49–51. Though the Punisher story was written during Murray's run, it was not published until a year later, in The 'Nam #52–53 (January–February 1991).[5] Had he continued with the book, Murray wanted the main character from the first year, Ed Marks, to come back to Vietnam as a reporter and deal with the subject of Agent Orange.[2]

From 1988 to 1989, Marvel published ten issues of The 'Nam Magazine, which reprinted in black-and-white the first twenty issues of the comic on magazine-sized paper.

Immediately following Murray's departure, the real time progression of the stories stopped, and the 23rd Infantry squad were dropped as the main characters.[5] Dixon replaced Murray as the regular writer.

Final months

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Daley re-assigned writing duties for The 'Nam to Vietnam veteran Don Lomax, creator of the independent title Vietnam Journal, and directed Vansant to begin inking the series as well as penciling it, both starting with The 'Nam #70 (July 1992).[5] After the series' conclusion, an epilogue of sorts was published in the form of a Punisher special, The Punisher in the 'Nam: Final Invasion, which included the unpublished issues #85 and 86.

The character Michael "Ice" Phillips would go on to reappear in The Punisher War Journal #52–53, and The Punisher War Zone #27–30.[9]

Awards

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During its run, The 'Nam was nominated for the Best New Series category of the 1987 Jack Kirby Awards.[10]

Reaction

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Marine Corps veteran and former Newsweek editor William Broyles Jr. praised the comic for having "a certain gritty reality", but Jan Scruggs, President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, questioned if the Vietnam War should be the subject of a comic book and if it might trivialize it.[7] The comic was praised by the Bravo Organization, a notable Vietnam veterans' group, as the "best media portrayal of the Vietnam War", beating out Oliver Stone's Platoon.[11]

Collected editions

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References

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  1. ^ Markstein, Don. "The 'Nam". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Jacks, Brian (May 25, 2002). "Interview: Doug Murray". Slushfactory. Archived from the original on 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  3. ^ Khoury, George (November 9, 2008). "The 'Nam Veterans Day Special". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  4. ^ Hama, Larry (May 1999). The 'Nam. Marvel Entertainment Group. ISBN 978-0-7851-0718-7.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Arndt, Richard (June 2021). "The 'Nam Revisited". Back Issue!. No. 127. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 49–61.
  6. ^ a b Nolen-Weathington, Eric (July 2007). Modern Masters, Volume Twelve: Michael Golden. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-893905-74-0.
  7. ^ a b c d e Span, Paula (September 10, 1986). "Vietnam: The Comic Book War". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Tran, Mark (September 20, 1986). "Vietnam War Breaks Out Again in Comic Strip". The Guardian.
  9. ^ "Ice Phillips". The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. marvunapp.com. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  10. ^ "1987 Jack Kirby Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Boyle, Brenda M.; Lim, Jeehyun (2016). Looking Back on the Vietnam War: Twenty-first-Century Perspectives. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. p. 157. ISBN 0813579961

Further reading

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  • Scott, Cord (2014). Comics and Conflict: Patriotism and Propaganda from WWII through Operation Iraqi Freedom. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781612514772.
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