Haunted Tank #6

Written by Frank Marraffino
Art by Henry Flint

So, Haunted Tank has finished, and I'm not sure what the point was. It was an entertaining five issues, but ultimately, I don't feel like anything really happened in this series. We did get to learn why the ghost hasn't passed out of this world (I don't know if that was ever established before), but ultimately, I found I didn't care that much.

There wasn't enough going on in this series to have sustained five issues, and I found that as it progressed, I cared less and less about the characters. Jamal's anger got annoying around issue three, and then totally disappeared by this issue.

The art by Flint was excellent throughout, I must add. And this issue's cover is by Ted McKeever, although at first I thought it was Joe Kubert. It doesn't look like McKeever to me at all, but I like it. Actually, it's the best part of this issue.

Haunted Tank #4

Written by Frank Marraffino
Art by Henry Flint

This comic continues to be enjoyable, if more than a little aimless. I don't know why this is a five-issue mini-series; it seems like three or four issues would have been enough, as there doesn't seem to be any recognizable plot or growing sense of conflict to this story. If anything, the conflict between the two Stuarts - one living and black, the other ghostly and very white - has changed very little since the second issue. In many ways, this comic feels like it's being padded for the eventual trade.

At the same time, it's a good read. Flint's art is consistently fantastic, although Marraffino's dialogue does read like a poor-man's Generation Kill.

The sales numbers on this book don't look all that great - I expect that after next issue, we might not be seeing the Stuarts again for quite some time.

Haunted Tank #3

Written by Frank Marraffino
Art by Henry Flint

This is more or less a placeholder issue in this series. I found the first two issues more enjoyable, as the story was being established, but now I'm beginning to wonder if there really is a plot here beyond the race-based arguing between the ghost and his descendant. If there was an overall story to set the squabbling against, I feel this would be a much stronger comic. (I don't count 'invading Iraq' to be a plot - it apparently doesn't have an end).

There are more than a few good one-liners to keep me amused, and Flint's art is fantastic - he makes a tank battle dynamic, which is not easy to do.

Haunted Tank #2

Written by Frank Marraffino
Art by Henry Flint

This continues to be an amusing little series from a writer I'm completely unfamiliar with. A quick Google search shows that he's written a few things for Tokyopop, but I don't really read their stuff (unless it's by Cloonan or Graham - you know, the people they stopped publishing).

This issue sheds a little more light on the ghost Stuart, while he and the living Stuart (referred to here as the 'nigrah' Stuart) continue to trade quips of a racial nature. There is a fantastic moment where the living Stuart explains to the ghost Stuart that pretty much any variation of the n-word are completely unacceptable, while his friends rap in the background.

None of these exchanges would work so well if it weren't for Flint's ability to convey facial expressions. He does this as well as Kevin Maguire in this book.

My only complaint is that I'm not sure about the accuracy of the way in which they are portraying the first days of the Iraq war. I don't think that American forces were confronted with jihadist fighters, and I know for certain that they weren't expecting suicide bombers. Really, the beginning was a conventional war between the American and Iraqi armies - it's portrayal here rings false, and perhaps can be considered guilty of the same stereotyping that the ghost is accused of.

Haunted Tank #1

Written by Frank Marraffino
Art by Henry Flint

This is the second time in as many months that Vertigo has resurrected one of the classic DC war comics. Unknown Soldier is now set in 2001/2002 Uganda, and now The Haunted Tank is fighting in the early days of the Iraq War.

While Unknown Soldier is as serious as can be, this title is a little more of a HBO-style sitcom. The soldiers speak like your standard poorly-educated enlistee, blending military jargon, creative cursing, and back-home pearls of wisdom.

Their tank is attacked by a random group of jihadis, and they are rescued by the ghost of a Confederate general. As they discuss this, they learn that the black tank commander is a descendant of the general, and hilarity ensues.

It's a good comic. The art by Henry Flint is lushly coloured, and much easier to follow than the work he did on the recent Omega Men. His faces are very expressive, and he does a lot to convey the attitudes of the characters.

My only problem with the book, and I might be wrong here, is that I didn't think there was much of a defence of Iraq, especially with regards to tank battles in the middle of the desert. I like that they've updated the title from its WWII roots, but unless they start using their tank to explode IEDs, this isn't a very accurate portrayal of the situation in Iraq.

They might have had more fun playing around with racial politics in Afbaghistan, Rick Veitch's little war torn country (more on this later today).

Also, although I couldn't find an image of it on-line, I do really like Joe Kubert's cover to the copy that I bought. It's very fitting that he have some hand in this title.