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Dong Xoai, Vietnam 1965
Joe Kubert, one of the most influential storytellers in comics history, tells the harrowing, true story of a detachment of Special Forces soldiers on a simple recon mission into the village of Dong Xoai, Vietnam, that turned suddenly deadly.DONG XOAI, VIETNAM 1965 has a unique perspective, since Kubert based the story on extensive information gathered from the surviving members of the unit. It will cover not only the action of the event but the details of deployment and buildup that lead to the deadly encounter for these young American G.I.s.
For decades Joe Kubert has shown readers the true face of war — all the suffering, horror, loss and heroism of our fighting forces. With DONG XAOI, he goes a step beyond to tell a gut-wrenching tale of sacrifice that will linger long after you are done reading.
For decades Joe Kubert has shown readers the true face of war — all the suffering, horror, loss and heroism of our fighting forces. With DONG XAOI, he goes a step beyond to tell a gut-wrenching tale of sacrifice that will linger long after you are done reading.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Joe Kubert
716 books57 followersJoe Kubert was a Jewish-American comic book artist who went on to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. His sons, Andy Kubert and Adam Kubert, have themselves become successful comic-book artists.
Kubert's other creations include the comic books Tor, Son of Sinbad, and Viking Prince, and, with writer Robin Moore, the comic strip Tales of the Green Beret.
Kubert was inducted into the Harvey Awards' Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997, and Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998.
Kubert's other creations include the comic books Tor, Son of Sinbad, and Viking Prince, and, with writer Robin Moore, the comic strip Tales of the Green Beret.
Kubert was inducted into the Harvey Awards' Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997, and Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 4, 2010
This was a surprisingly ineffective effort by a master storyteller and the king of war comics. Kubert eschewed standard panel-to-panel storytelling for a series of illustrations, one to three on a page, surrounded by captions that either contain dry, factual narration or bits of dialogue from the characters. No word balloons, then, instead a caption next to the speaker (maybe), with his name/colon/the line, like in a script. It so distances the reader from the characters, I never knew who anyone really was. This is more like reading a report than a comic.
The art is interesting. Kubert only pencilled the book, he never inked it, and we even see some of the rough layouts beneath the more polished figures. He drew in where he wanted the caption boxes to go, too, so the digital lettering has a pencil halo around it, making the book seem rushed and unfinished.
I give Joe credit for still testing the limits of his craft, but this one really didn't work for me.
The art is interesting. Kubert only pencilled the book, he never inked it, and we even see some of the rough layouts beneath the more polished figures. He drew in where he wanted the caption boxes to go, too, so the digital lettering has a pencil halo around it, making the book seem rushed and unfinished.
I give Joe credit for still testing the limits of his craft, but this one really didn't work for me.
January 11, 2013
This kind of beautifully-drawn, but vapid and overly-simplistic crap is what gives honest-to-god real graphic novels a bad name. I should have realized what I was getting into, but I didn't see the DC comics logo on the book until after I had committed to reading it. This is a book about a battle in Vietnam, a battle that was basically lost through incompetence and poor planning, much like the whole war. And yet, the book treats it as a thing to be glorified, a type of "America got beat, but now it's okay because we used overwhelming force to take the land back again." The book is laden with the typical militaristic cockiness that got us involved in Vietnam, and despite the fact that it was written 40 years later, doesn't seem to recognize that it was one of the worst foreign policy decisions in our history. Finally, on top of an already putrid story, the entire account is fictionalized. So, you think you're reading a true account with well-researched history, when you find out that the whole thing is fictionalized, and that nothing of the type really happened.
July 4, 2015
Perfect read for today. Not nearly as deep as it could have been but I feel like the Vietnam story market is saturated and influenced by cinema. Kubert does a nice job with artwork to convey the tragedies and frustrations of the war. All in all, not the best and certainly not the worst. Give it a read, it's short. Happy Independence Day!
September 13, 2010
The newest OGN from one of the masters of comics. Set during the early days of the Vietnam War, this book tells the story of a company of elite soldiers sent to a Vietnamese village to train a company of local soldiers. The training gets all too real when they find the village is directly in the marching lines of the northern army. Although fictionalized, the story is based on real events Kubert drew out of a series of interviews he conducted to create the book. The artwork is stunning---done in a loose, sketchy style, these are made to look like artifacts made someone creating on the fly during the conflict. The look really add to the energy and authenticity of the work. I wouldn't suggest this to general readers, but readers who really enjoy war stories or history from the time period should find this a very engaging story.
January 7, 2018
This graphic novel is a fictionalized account of the Battle of Dong Xoai, fought between June 9th and 13th, 1965 in the Phuoc Long Province of South Vietnam. The story follows a twelve man “A-Team” of the U.S. Army’s 5th Special Forces Group, Airborne, known as Detachment A-414, (twice re-designated later as A-313 and A-342) The Plot follows the unit’s time in Vietnam, from it’s arrival in-country, to it’s training of the local Civilian Irregular Defense Group, and finally it’s participation in the battle of Dong Xoai. The story is told from the perspectives of multiple team members, which during the later portion of the novel gives the reader a clearer understanding of the enormity of the battle’s combat. The artwork took some time getting used to, as most graphic novels I read are more colorful than this one. However, I think that this novel is one of Kubert’s best works.
August 27, 2019
This is an illustrated account of a base in Vietnam that came under massive assault. Many died. Having lived through this war and being subjected to the draft (although I had a high draft number in the lottery), this folly of the U.S. still interests me, especially of the debacle that is the result of our invasion of Iraq.
December 7, 2012
The line drawing black and white style is beautiful. Can't say that I like the writing and the storytelling, but the art makes this a worthwhile read.
April 23, 2023
In 1965, the United States Special Forces (USSF) A-Team designated A-342 was assigned to be advisors to a rag-tag bunch of Vietnamese farmers, tribesmen, 'draft dodgers' and neighboring Cambodians. It was the soldiers' mission to train these volunteers into fighters against the forces of the National Liberation Front. Due to their location, these trainees would be among the first line of defense against the Vietcong Army.
Stationed at a makeshift base in Dong Xoai, the USSF team were getting very high indications of an attack. Several spies were caught around the base perimeter and nearby smaller villages were being raided by the VC. The advisers made a request for further reinforcements. They were granted a grand total of 9 Seabees, Navy personnel whose expertise is in building temporary and permanent military infrastructures.
At nearly midnight of 9 June, VC forces began their attack of the Dong Xoai compound. Artillery and ground forces numbering anywhere from 2-4,000 VC troops swarmed the combined forces of American and South Vietnam troops (50 years later and both sides still can't confirm the exact number of soldiers or fatalities). The first attack lasted until late morning the next day. As it appeared that the Communists were going to win the battle, nearly all of the native and Cambodian forces fled the base leaving a handful of Americans to battle for their lives until their extraction, around 2pm.
After nearly 13 hours of fighting, 3 of A-342 and 2 Seabees lost their lives in the battle. The remaining American soldiers were taken to the relative safety of the Phuoc Vinh Base Camp. Every survivor required medical attention ranging from minor to critical. A fourth member of the USSF team died of their injuries in transport.
The slew of South Vietnamese forces aided by American 'advisers' retook Dong Xoai just a couple of days later. The battle was considered a turning point in the Vietnam conflict and resulted in President Johnson increasing the number of military trainers to be sent to the region. At least 4 of the members of A-342 returned to active duty. The team's Executive Officer, Charles Q. Williams earned the Medal of Honor, with 3 members receiving distinguished service crosses. Numerous Bronze and Silver stars were awarded and every American soldier involved in the first night of battle earned purple hearts.
In the late 2000s, war art legend Joe Kubert decided to chronicle the battle. Dong Xoai, Vietnam 1965 features artwork that is very much like and unlike the numerous works of Kubert devoted to the history of the fighting forces, both real and imagined. Every pose is action packed and the faces of the characters bear that Joe Kubert trademarked pained look of 'war is hell'. However, Kubert decided to not ink this book. Instead all 166 pages of story are penciled sketches with some images still bearing the establishing marks artists use to frame faces and physiques.
At the end of this book, surviving members of A-342 crafted an extensive dossier on the events leading up to the battle of Dong Xoai, along with an hour-by-hour narrative of the attack and a brief follow-up into the post-Vietnam lives of the veterans. These pages are filled with dozens of photos and charts that make the reader feel even more familiar with these heroes. (When I learned that one of my favorite characters in the book died in 2008, I was heartbroken.)
Before one gets upset that I refer to these real life members of American history as characters, it's important to point out that in Kubert's narrative, the participants in Dong Xoai really are characters. None of the soldiers' real names are used in Kubert's account. Like with a 'based on a true story' movie, some of the events are edited or condensed to make for a more cohesive story. Some actions that one soldier performed are given to another, possibly to make the artwork or script a bit more polished. There are literally dozens of names floating around in this historical graphic novel and truly it is an undertaking keeping everyone straight. Especially if you try to read the dossier simultaneously with Kubert's story.
The Vietnam War is a complicated subject in American history. There are still citizens that adamantly despise anyone who fought in the conflict even though hostilities ended way back in early 1975. For those veterans who are still alive, the scars of the war still bleed. Love them or hate them, the men of A-342 and that tiny group of Navy Seabees were heroes. Grossly out-numbered, this small handful of men did not back down nor did they stop fighting until they breathed their last breath. And 5 of those men did this very thing in the battle of Dong Xoai.
For those who served in not just Vietnam but at any point during wartime and peace- thank you for your service.
Stationed at a makeshift base in Dong Xoai, the USSF team were getting very high indications of an attack. Several spies were caught around the base perimeter and nearby smaller villages were being raided by the VC. The advisers made a request for further reinforcements. They were granted a grand total of 9 Seabees, Navy personnel whose expertise is in building temporary and permanent military infrastructures.
At nearly midnight of 9 June, VC forces began their attack of the Dong Xoai compound. Artillery and ground forces numbering anywhere from 2-4,000 VC troops swarmed the combined forces of American and South Vietnam troops (50 years later and both sides still can't confirm the exact number of soldiers or fatalities). The first attack lasted until late morning the next day. As it appeared that the Communists were going to win the battle, nearly all of the native and Cambodian forces fled the base leaving a handful of Americans to battle for their lives until their extraction, around 2pm.
After nearly 13 hours of fighting, 3 of A-342 and 2 Seabees lost their lives in the battle. The remaining American soldiers were taken to the relative safety of the Phuoc Vinh Base Camp. Every survivor required medical attention ranging from minor to critical. A fourth member of the USSF team died of their injuries in transport.
The slew of South Vietnamese forces aided by American 'advisers' retook Dong Xoai just a couple of days later. The battle was considered a turning point in the Vietnam conflict and resulted in President Johnson increasing the number of military trainers to be sent to the region. At least 4 of the members of A-342 returned to active duty. The team's Executive Officer, Charles Q. Williams earned the Medal of Honor, with 3 members receiving distinguished service crosses. Numerous Bronze and Silver stars were awarded and every American soldier involved in the first night of battle earned purple hearts.
In the late 2000s, war art legend Joe Kubert decided to chronicle the battle. Dong Xoai, Vietnam 1965 features artwork that is very much like and unlike the numerous works of Kubert devoted to the history of the fighting forces, both real and imagined. Every pose is action packed and the faces of the characters bear that Joe Kubert trademarked pained look of 'war is hell'. However, Kubert decided to not ink this book. Instead all 166 pages of story are penciled sketches with some images still bearing the establishing marks artists use to frame faces and physiques.
At the end of this book, surviving members of A-342 crafted an extensive dossier on the events leading up to the battle of Dong Xoai, along with an hour-by-hour narrative of the attack and a brief follow-up into the post-Vietnam lives of the veterans. These pages are filled with dozens of photos and charts that make the reader feel even more familiar with these heroes. (When I learned that one of my favorite characters in the book died in 2008, I was heartbroken.)
Before one gets upset that I refer to these real life members of American history as characters, it's important to point out that in Kubert's narrative, the participants in Dong Xoai really are characters. None of the soldiers' real names are used in Kubert's account. Like with a 'based on a true story' movie, some of the events are edited or condensed to make for a more cohesive story. Some actions that one soldier performed are given to another, possibly to make the artwork or script a bit more polished. There are literally dozens of names floating around in this historical graphic novel and truly it is an undertaking keeping everyone straight. Especially if you try to read the dossier simultaneously with Kubert's story.
The Vietnam War is a complicated subject in American history. There are still citizens that adamantly despise anyone who fought in the conflict even though hostilities ended way back in early 1975. For those veterans who are still alive, the scars of the war still bleed. Love them or hate them, the men of A-342 and that tiny group of Navy Seabees were heroes. Grossly out-numbered, this small handful of men did not back down nor did they stop fighting until they breathed their last breath. And 5 of those men did this very thing in the battle of Dong Xoai.
For those who served in not just Vietnam but at any point during wartime and peace- thank you for your service.
April 4, 2018
Joe's fictionalization of the journey of the A-313's nine-month tour, culminating in an early major battle in Vietnam is good. It's fiction, but there are accounts from the surviving soldiers in the back section of the book, and the only liberty Joe seems to have taken was to change their names. I'm not 100% on the decision to reproduce the pencil roughs, and Joe's assistant, who handled the lettering, should've cleaned up a few of the pencil lines indicating where the captions and balloons should go, but Joe captures the turmoil of the conflict beautifully and gives a upstanding presentation of American soldiers. Looks great, reads well. Not Joe's best work, but a good one.
February 7, 2017
Nothing special. A graphic novel covering a pivotal battle that led to heightened U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The tone is a little more rah-rah than I like and the structure/substance is very basic, though the sketch art is really something. There are some neat resources in the appendix to assist in learning the details of the real event. Overall, I wouldn't really recommend it unless you're a huge buff for this stuff.
March 6, 2026
Some of the other reviewers miss the point. This is work of historical fiction, not a book of history, though a factual account, with sources (both primary and secondary), are provided towards the end of the book. If you had learned enough about the Vietnamese War from respectable sources rather than tendentious accounts written by political activists disguised as historians or journalists, you would realize that this is a fairly decent story in terms of the level of realism.
March 21, 2017
This is a fictionalized account of real events, but I don't understand why the author fictionalized it. All he did was change most of the names, make up dialog, and consolidate some characters and events. The overall narrative is the same, including the disjointed bits that are excusable in an actual history, but are the main reason you would "fictionalize" an account in the first place.
The decision to do sketch book style art with no panel borders is interesting, and probably the best part of the graphic novel section of the book.
After the graphic novel is finished, there's a non-fiction text section detailing the actual events which the graphic novel fictionalizes. This was the best part of the book, but was hampered by a tiny font size and pictures that are hard to make out because of how small they are reproduced.
The decision to do sketch book style art with no panel borders is interesting, and probably the best part of the graphic novel section of the book.
After the graphic novel is finished, there's a non-fiction text section detailing the actual events which the graphic novel fictionalizes. This was the best part of the book, but was hampered by a tiny font size and pictures that are hard to make out because of how small they are reproduced.
November 12, 2018
Not really a graphic novel, more of a graphic after action report. The art lends itself well to a gritty story of a small engagement in Vietnam in 1965. Feeling more like a sketchbook made at the time then a longer work done decades after.
May 31, 2020
Based on actual events, this is the story of the strategically placed village of Dong Xoai during the Vietnam War and the battle to protect it as a staging post by a US Army unit. Beautifully written and pencilled by industry legend Joe Kubert.
June 21, 2023
Comic book like account of a battle during the early portion of the Vietnam War.
September 23, 2011
É com alguma ironia que se anota que Kubert foi um dos responsáveis de Sgt. Rock, personagem clássico da DC que representa o heroísmo glorificado do homem de combate e da guerra como ambiente sedutor. Mas nas mãos de Kubert e Kanigher o personagem conseguia fugir a estes estereótipos, algo de revolucionário para a época e para o meio.
Neste genial Dong Xoai não há guerras glorificadas, heróis que enfrentam chuvas de balas com um sorriso e uma frase máscula. Kubert conta uma história à volta de uma das muitas história da guerra do Vietname com um enorme respeito pelos soldados, visão crítica dos contextos históricos e, principalmente, sem cair na glorificação do combate.
O formato desta obra é surpreendente. As regras compositivas da BD enquanto meio de comunicação são quebradas com mestria por Kubert. Desaparecem vinhetas e balões, as pranchas assemelham-se a um caderno de esboços que conta uma história. O estilo vive da grafite e do rascunho, sem arte-finalização extensiva, resultando num livro surpreendentemente intimista, onde um velho mestre dos comics dialoga com o leitor.
Neste genial Dong Xoai não há guerras glorificadas, heróis que enfrentam chuvas de balas com um sorriso e uma frase máscula. Kubert conta uma história à volta de uma das muitas história da guerra do Vietname com um enorme respeito pelos soldados, visão crítica dos contextos históricos e, principalmente, sem cair na glorificação do combate.
O formato desta obra é surpreendente. As regras compositivas da BD enquanto meio de comunicação são quebradas com mestria por Kubert. Desaparecem vinhetas e balões, as pranchas assemelham-se a um caderno de esboços que conta uma história. O estilo vive da grafite e do rascunho, sem arte-finalização extensiva, resultando num livro surpreendentemente intimista, onde um velho mestre dos comics dialoga com o leitor.
November 12, 2010
Joe Kubert is one of the comic book masters who writes about things I find interesting. While Eisner writes about everyday life, or the Jewish experience, Kubert mostly writes about war. Dong Xoai is a fictionalized account of a real battle that took place in the early part of the Vietnam War. It mixes personal accounts from soldiers on the ground with sketches and images, some of which are very accurate.
I've loved war comics since the Hama days at Marvel, but this story is real. In a real war, if you make it through the battle wounded, you're the lucky one.
Great stuff, especially since there isn't a lot of interest in Vietnam anymore. I know that we had a hate-love affair with Vietnam vets, but this conflict set the stage for every American war/military actions that has happened since. The way our military operates and is used was born in Southeast Asia.
January 30, 2013
I am usually not a fan of graphic novels, but this one is special. A very gripping story of real heroism. These men were all heroes and deserve the nation's respect and honor. For me, the graphic novel tends to move very slowly, but at the end of that story things really pickup. The back story and the supplemental material supplied by the actual team members who survived the battle are tremendous. First-person narratives tell the story from the perspectives of the actual participants which to me is the best way to tell a story. Recommended for anyone interested in Vietnam War history.
February 5, 2016
Excellent account of a special forces detachment in Dong Xoai, Vietnam, during one of the most important battles of the war. While it is based on true events, Kubert did fictionalize some of the team interactions before and during the battle. At the end, however, there is a prose section written by the survivors of the battle that is an invaluable resource for anybody wanting to learn more about American and South Vietnamese strategy, tactics, and operations during the Vietnam War.
November 22, 2016
It's Joe Kubert doing a war story set in Vietnam which doesn't quite work. The art is gorgeous but the horror of the story, based upon real accounts, is a little tepid. This may be THE battle that kicked off US involvement as more than "advisers" in the war and that isn't really portrayed. Still well worth reading but outside of the art pencil on gray paper with some white paint for texture is the best part of it. Beautiful work by a master.
August 6, 2011
This book glorifies war and the special forces soldier. That is no surprise since it was written from the perspective of a special forces soldier. Aside from that criticism, I liked reading this fictional account of a real event in the early stages of the Vietnam War. Readers interested in "war stories" will probably enjoy this one.
July 29, 2012
This feels more like a glimpse into Kubert's process than an actual finished work of art. Taken as such, I'm enjoying it, since Kubert is one of the best of the best, and it's a treat to get to look at his assured penciling. But as a reading experience, it's pretty non-notable so far.
December 16, 2010
Boring over-glorification of an American point of view of one battle of the Vietnam War. Illustrations were good, but I didn't really enjoy this one.
March 15, 2011
This tale of Special Forces activities in a remote part of Vietnam is interesting but is badly told and is very uncreative in its use of art.
November 28, 2011
Good art with basic story, brave attempt to do change the format of the graphic novel with different layouts and type.
August 4, 2014
a little boring
May 24, 2015
Well-drawn, but simplistic and quite primitive story glorifying the American Army; poorly-told and with no depth.
August 23, 2015
Beautifully drawn, but the worst kind of jingoistic, hyper-militaristic garbage.
May 13, 2024
Tomo único. Historieta/crónica que parece hecha a lápiz.
October 2, 2014
Fantastic work! Magnificent draughtsman!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews