The 'Nam, Vol. 3

The 'Nam #3

by Doug Murray, Wayne Vansant (Illustrator), Sam Glanzman (Illustrator)

It's 1967, and Andy Clark, Dennis Daniels, Pig Meachum, Jimmy Rubino and the rest of the 23rd Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) are on the Ho Chi Minh Trail for the holidays. Meanwhile, back in the World, Sen. Robert Kennedy has an important day of his own. New soldiers enter the war, and old ones leave it - and there are too many bad ways to leave a war. Plus: The battle lines get even blurrier as enemies display their humanity, and soldiers show their darker sides. Includes rarely seen stories from Marvel's black-and-white magazines.

Collects:

- The 'Nam #21-#30
- Savage Tales #1, #4

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, War, Historical Fiction, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yup, painfully obvious why they didn't finish compiling the series in trade format. The art is downright lazy and lacking the rich details of the OG artist. I imagine demand fell off as well. I'll never understand why comics rotate artists or take them off projects. Ah well, a shame honestly, the writing itself is good.

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 3 is more action oriented, and the bias is stronger. It is clear the war was lost by politicians and reporters in this telling. A part where the ARVN do poorly is explained as them being certain we would leave them (reminds me of current events in Ukraine). Yet, a few things come out. The communists get character moments, a welcome relief from previous volumes. The characters seem better fleshed out and their relationships more interesting in general. There is also a mood of exhaustion, for even as the Americans win the Tet Offensive, the grind of the war goes on.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've said most of what I think of this series in my reviews of the first two volumes, mainly that it's great. One thing I didn't mention was the format, at least in early issues. Each monthly issue represented one month of time in the story. Doug Murray, the writer, wanted to keep things realistic so he would have each character focused on in the "real time" of what would be his tour of duty. Little things like that really enhance the overall story.

Marvel really needs to do some omnibus volume and collect this entire series.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvel's attempt at a serious war comic could have failed miserably given the restrictions placed on violence, language, and drug use by the Comics Code. Instead, artists skillfully rendered scenes of horrific violence without blood while writers were able to convey the frustrations and emotional highs and lows of an actual combat situation without the f-bomb or joints or colorful discussions about sex.

The concept behind this comic, that each issue would approximate a month, is rewarding to the reader who can literally follow along in real time as characters slowly push through their term of service. Multiple veterans worked on this book throughout its publication history and it shows in the attention to the smallest of details. Larry Hama of G.I. Joe fame oversaw the book as editor and made sure to preserve that authentic feeling of being there as much as anyone could ever understand without actually experiencing it.

The 'Nam is a great read if you enjoy war comics or even just good character studies. Because of the real-time nature of the comic, soldiers cycle in and out as well as die in the field. No one is safe, and just because a character may serve as the narrative center of a multi-issue storyline does not mean they won't die in the next one.

The truly unfortunate part is that, aside from the three collected editions that can be purchased digitally as well as in trade paperback form, there is no way to buy any of the issues beyond #30 without tracking them down on eBay or (more preferably) at your local comic shop in single issue form. Either way it's still worth tracking down the easily available first 30 issues. You may find yourself fervently searching out the remaining books if you're not careful.

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m reading single issues on MU and marking the volumes here for a lot of comics.

I read the first 20 issues of NAM years ago when I first had an MU subscription. I’m back for another year (Merry Christmas to me) and this was one of the first titles I wanted to check in on. They added about 15-20 issues, so I’m digging in.

I did not read the Savage Tales issues from this volume as MU doesn’t have them currently.

The issues read really fast. Sometimes references to the war are disorienting. There is continuity, but people come and go, and one issue was older guys back home telling stories of their tours. I felt lost a small handful of times.

It was nice to read issues that correspond with our current season. Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve issues made it seem more real.

Goddamn war sucks. These tales are pretty tame, but you can feel on some level the fucking horror of war. My God.

It was cool to see covers by Bob Camp (of Ren and Stimpy fame).

And the stories were alright too. I’m not a huge fan of war comics, but for some reason these really appeal to me.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this title because it gives a detailed view into what the Vietnam War was like from the soldier's perspective. Like the line between Cambodia and Vietnam on the West that our soldiers couldn't cross. Our guys were always fighting with one hand tied behind their back and the actions of our leadership made the people of Vietnam (North and South) both not trust us. Really tough spot to be in for a soldier that just wants to get their tour done and get home. I didn't like the new guys as much as the old ones, Marks and Little. I think the characters weren't even distinguishable until the end where they started giving them more items that they'd wear all the time to tell them apart. Also starting to see some story arcs that last more than one issue, which I appreciated. Still, several loose ends left to tie up as the story moved on with the war.

[B. McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of Style, Good Stories & Great Art. I wish there was more after this volume

This one’s a really interesting and well executed series with great stories and a sense that the writers and artists actually cared about the topic. It was very well done and I just wish there was another volume to follow. Three just doesn’t seem like enough. But it’s highly recommended. Get all three volumes and if you’re a fan of historicaltales or the Vietnam war in and of course comics, you won’t regret it

[Dkolacinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all the people that died, died. For those who fought valiantly, in fear, looking for valor and finding only chaos and confusion. For all those who sacrificed their lives, their feelings, their love for one another. And for those who put them in harm's way, safe in their politics, both military and socially and for a society who rebukes them for serving and sacrificing their all, we sing.

[Clint the Cool Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

It's good but I just didn't connect with this volume the way I did the first two. Probably because the characters are all just kind of nameless. Not the best, but still good.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Volume 3 is by far the weakest of the three. I feel like the story wasn't the same after Ed Marks left. The final issue (#30) ends the run abruptly.

[Dominic Thomas]

It was a really good book gave a lot of perspectives of the Nam war.

[Mhorg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only the art isn't as good

While the stories still tread the line on the outdated comics code, the art seems a bit rushed. Like the real war, characters come and go, the situation gets murkier. One of the best comics.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Same quality as the first two volumes. It is a shame that these have not all been collected in a deluxe hardcover. It would make a great supplement for the classroom.

[Timo · Rating 4 out of 5]

More social commentry type of stories, but still loads of war story fun.