Vietnam Journal


Vietnam Journal was a war comic book series written and drawn by Don Lomax and published by Apple Comics from November 1987 to April 1991.
After the cancellation of the original series, Apple Comics published a number of Vietnam Journal limited series and one-shots through 1994. Lomax continued the series in various forms, and in 2017, Caliber Comics revived the series with Vietnam Journal: Series Two, featuring all-new work by Lomax. Ultimately, enough material was created to furnish ten collections.

Plot

The story follows Scott Neithammer, nicknamed "Journal" by the American soldiers, a freelance reporter in the Vietnam War obsessed with reporting from the point of view of the G.I., whatever the consequences.

Background

Series creator Lomax was drafted in 1965 and served in Vietnam with the 98th Light Equipment Maintenance Company. During his tour of duty, he made notes and sketches which later were incorporated into Vietnam Journal.

Reception

Vietnam Journal and its collected editions were positively reviewed by Military Book Club and Publishers Weekly, which wrote, "Lomax bases his fictional work on his real experiences in Vietnam in 1966... with powerful results. It is Lomax’s concern for average soldiers that, in the end, makes his work significant." The British comics website DownTheTubes.net praised the "hard-hitting" series for its "gritty storytelling that might appeal to fans of Charley's War and Battle Picture Weekly." Comic Book Resources wrote that, "Even today, Vietnam Journal is one of the most gritty and brutally honest war stories ever published."
Vietnam Journal collections published by iBooks, and edited by Hilary Hughes and Dwight Jon Zimmerman, were nominated for a 2004 Harvey Award for Best Domestic Reprint Project.

Later series, collections, and reprints

After the demise of the original series, in 1992 Apple published a number of comics continuing the adventures of Scott "Journal" Neithammer:
Vietnam Journal was revived as a monthly full-page strip from 2002 to 2006 by Gallery magazine.
Vietnam Journal collections were re-issued by iBooks in 2004.
The entire Vietnam Journal series was re-published in graphic novel form through Transfuzion Publishing in 2011.
Vietnam Journal: Series Two, featuring all-new material by Lomax, was published for 15 issues by Caliber Comics starting in 2017.

Collections

  • Book One: Indian Country — collects Vietnam Journal #1–4 plus an original story, "The 5.56 Blues"
  • * *Book One: Indian Country
  • Book Two: The Iron Triangle — collects Vietnam Journal #5–8 plus Vietnam Journal: The Iron Triangle
  • * Book Two: the Iron Triangle
  • Vietnam Journal: Delta to Dak To
  • Book Three: From the Delta to Dak To — collects Vietnam Journal #9–12 plus a story from The New Two-Fisted Tales #1
  • Book Four: MIA — collects Vietnam Journal #13–16
  • Book Five: Tet '68 — collects Vietnam Journal: Tet '68 #1–6
  • Book Six: Bloodbath at Khe Sanh — collects the Apple Comics series High Shining Brass #1–4 and Vietnam Journal: Bloodbath at Khe Sanh #1–4
  • Book Seven: Valley of Death — collects Vietnam Journal: Valley of Death and material from Lomax's website and Gallery magazine
  • Series Two, Book One: Incursion — collects Vietnam Journal: Series Two #1-5
  • Series Two, Book Two: Journey into Hell — collects Vietnam Journal: Series Two #6-10
  • Series Two, Book Three: Ripcord — collects Vietnam Journal: Series Two #11-15