The 'Nam
Encyclopedia
The 'Nam was a war
comic book
series
detailing the U.S.
War in Vietnam
from the perspective of active-duty soldier
s involved in the conflict. It was written by Doug Murray
, initially illustrated by Michael Golden, edited by Larry Hama
and published by Marvel Comics
for seven years beginning in 1986
, which was originally intended to roughly parallel the analogous events of the period of major American military involvement in Vietnam from 1966 to 1972. When initially announced, it was described as a "twelve year limited series
."
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 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.
. Hama teamed Murray up with artist Michael Golden and together they created The 5th of the 1st, which was well-received. 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." 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. 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." Murray was surprised when Shooter greenlit the series, but felt that he "wanted to try different experiments in different sub-genres." Even then, Murray figured that it might last for 12 issues, but it sold quite well, with the first issue outselling X-Men
the month it came out.
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." 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. 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." Murray decided to do the comic book in real-time so that one issue equaled one month to convey the concept of short-time. 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." The actions of the 23rd Infantry were based on fact. This did not mean that they were in every action depicted in the book — only that that historical event actually occurred. In addition, every issue featured a back-of-the-book glossary explaining the authentic lingo of the characters.
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. 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
.
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.
Vietnam veteran Don Lomax
, creator of the independent title Vietnam Journal, took over writing duties for The 'Nam in the early 1990s
. Flagging sales drove Marvel to place the then-popular character The Punisher
in several guest appearances in The 'Nam during this period. 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.
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.
War comics
War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II.-American war comics:Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began including stories of wartime adventures in the multi-genre...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
detailing the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
War in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
from the perspective of active-duty soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s involved in the conflict. It was written by Doug Murray
Doug Murray (comics)
Doug Murray is an American comic book writer. He served in the Vietnam War, and was the main writer on the popular comic book series The 'Nam.-Bibliography:*The 'Nam #1-45, 49-51, 75 Dec 1986-Dec 1990*Mark Hazzard: Merc #5-12, March 1987-October 1987...
, initially illustrated by Michael Golden, edited by Larry Hama
Larry Hama
Larry Hama is an American comic book writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s....
and published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
for seven years beginning in 1986
1986 in comics
-Year overall:* Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a four-issue limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller and published by DC Comics, debuts...
, which was originally intended to roughly parallel the analogous events of the period of major American military involvement in Vietnam from 1966 to 1972. When initially announced, it was described as a "twelve year limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
."
Plot
The comic is structured as the narrative of a fictional soldier, Private First ClassPrivate First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
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 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.
Publication history
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 TalesSavage Tales
Savage Tales is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics-magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics , and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment.-Marvel/Curtis:The first of the two volumes of Savage Tales ran 11 issues, with...
. Hama teamed Murray up with artist Michael Golden and together they created The 5th of the 1st, which was well-received. In 1986, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
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
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
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." 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. At the time, Golden was planning to work on Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
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." Murray was surprised when Shooter greenlit the series, but felt that he "wanted to try different experiments in different sub-genres." Even then, Murray figured that it might last for 12 issues, but it sold quite well, with the first issue outselling X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
the month it came out.
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." 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. 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." Murray decided to do the comic book in real-time so that one issue equaled one month to convey the concept of short-time. 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." The actions of the 23rd Infantry were based on fact. This did not mean that they were in every action depicted in the book — only that that historical event actually occurred. In addition, every issue featured a back-of-the-book glossary explaining the authentic lingo of the characters.
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. 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
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
.
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.
Vietnam veteran Don Lomax
Don Lomax
Don Lomax is an American comic book writer/artist best known for his long-running comic Vietnam Journal. A veteran of the Vietnam War, much of Lomax's adrenaline-fueled work centers around the military experience, and its gritty, unflinching depiction of the reality of war, specifically in...
, creator of the independent title Vietnam Journal, took over writing duties for The 'Nam in the early 1990s
1990s in comics
See also:1980s in comics,other events of the 1990s,2000s in comics and thelist of years in comicsPublications: 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999-1992:See also: 1992 in comics...
. Flagging sales drove Marvel to place the then-popular character The Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
in several guest appearances in The 'Nam during this period. 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.
Awards
During its run, The 'Nam was nominated for the Best New Series category of the 1987 Jack Kirby Awards.Reaction
Marine Corps veteran and former NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
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.
Collected editions
- Volume 1 (collects The 'Nam #1-4), 1987, 96 pages, ISBN 0871352842
- Volume 2 (collects The 'Nam #5-8), 1988, 96 pages, ISBN 0871353520
- Volume 3 (collects The 'Nam #9-12), 1989, 96 pages, ISBN 0871355434
- The 'Nam (collects The 'Nam #1-4), 1999, 96 pages, Marvel's Finest, ISBN 0785107185
- The 'Nam (collects The 'Nam #1-10), 2009, 248 pages, ISBN 978-0785137504
- The 'Nam (collects The 'Nam #11-20), 2010, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0785149576