Graveyard of Empires #1

Written by Mark Sable
Art by Paul Azaceta

I made the decision to order this comic based on three things.  Mark Sable and Paul Azaceta's Grounded was a very enjoyable take on the young superhero; the solicitation in Previews said something about it being a war comic (I don't read solicitations when I know I like a creative team); and finally, that cover is awesome.  The point being that I didn't really know what this book was going to be, and so the surprise at the end of this issue was something I didn't see coming until just moments before it happened.  That's something I always appreciate in comics, even when the big event is also the premise of another Image series right now...

Still, this is a good comic.  It is set in Afghanistan, although I'm not sure exactly where or during which phase of America's involvement in that country since 9/11.  There is a small base that is in a precarious position - the soldiers' CO is using heroin, and locals attack with mortars and small arms fire constantly, not to mention that there are a lot of suicide bombers about.  The soldiers are unhappy, and tend to fall into the usual categories of soldiers that we see in books like this (one is a noob, another is ready to kill anyone, etc.).

A new lieutenant shows up, and promises to make changes, tightening security, but also looking to engage the locals through the payment of restitution, the offering of medical aid, and a desire for a shura - a sit down meeting with local elders.  When his new policies immediately result in the death of a few of his soldiers, the others aren't too happy about it.  Then some stuff I'm not going to talk about happens, and it becomes clear where this series is headed.

Sable clearly has a strong sense of how things work in the military, and in Afghanistan.  Everything here fits with the articles and books I've read about this conflict, and I always admire authenticity (until that thing happens).  Azaceta's art has evolved quite a bit.  Previously, I saw him as being squarely in the Mike Mignola school of art, but this issue has more of a Daredevil-era David Mazzuchelli feel to it (high praise indeed).  I'm definitely sticking through the rest of this four-issue mini-series.