The 'Nam 41, page 4, February 1990 by Wayne Vansant and Geoff Isherwood
Artists: Wayne Vansant (Penciller) , Geoff Isherwood (Inker) , Phil Felix (Letterer)
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Description"Back in the Real World" by Doug Murray.You may ask why is this in my collection. Ruben DaCollector would. Well, fellow collector Miki Annamanthadoo offered the page to me. I hesitated. My focus is World War II. Okay, but I have some World War I and Korean War art because it's appealing, nostalgic, or depicts actual events. Moreover, Enemy Ace is a fascinating character. Okay, but I don't collect the Civil War....sort of. I had just finished Bruce Catton's "Never Call Retreat" that discusses the New York conscription riots of 1863 when I saw original art from Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's ghost story recounting the conscription act and subsequent riots. So now I'm collecting art from that story. Okay, but the history of the Vietnam War isn't a current interest. My Vietnam reading was decades ago -- "A Rumor of War" by Philip Caputo, "Dispatches" by Michael Herr, "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann And America In Vietnam" by Neil Sheehan, "The Best And The Brightest" by David Halberstam, "The Quiet American" by Graham Greene, "Fields of Fire" by James Webb. I had even cracked open the Stanley Karnow tome about the war. While it's quite a bit of reading, it was done in the previous century. Okay, but I have a Nick Fury page set in the war that I like it because it's a presidential page--President Johnson ordering Nick and the Howlers into North Vietnam on a secret mission. Plus it has a splashy SHIELD helicarrier. Okay, but this 'Nam story features Marvel superheroes...what if Earth's mightiest superheroes save America's bacon? First up, the God of Thunder! Okay, I also like the first Viet Cong panel. But I'm not collecting Revolutionary War art...right? Anyway, it's Miki's fault... Social/Sharing |
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Ruben DaCollector 
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 8/2/2025
Now THIS description is more like it! I think I can sum up everything you said regarding your current interest being WWII, like this: Just consider yourself a collector of the War art genre in general! After all, the evidence points towards that being the case anyway. That way, you can still primarily focus on WWII pages and covers, but you simultaneously wouldn't have to feel guilty whenever art pages depicting other wars lead you into temptation.
I have to say, this title came out at the PERFECT time. Hollywood was infatuated with Vietnam War movies and they were mostly fun, even if completely fictional (Missing in Action I & II), and some were excellent (Full Metal Jacket). So when the news in the prozines about this title being launched with Golden on art came out, especially given their plan to tell it in real time over an 8 year period, I was over the moon and all about that. A 96 issue series telling factual stories about the Vietnam War? Sign me up! Of course when the Hollywood saturation of the topic killed the love affair and sales of the comic fizzled out, Marvel was left with two options: Cancel it (The usual and correct decision), or try to keep it going by turning it into complete fiction and bringing in the superheroes! Obviously they chose the latter, so I bailed. I never even continued flipping through any of the issues after that. So I have to say how absolutely kooky it feels to be looking at a Vietnam comic with Thor and Mjolnir appearing in it! So wild. I did like the Vansant/Isherwood team though, and as you mentioned, I love the establishing scene at the top. It's a great looking panel! Frankly, it's a fun page, because of its kookiness!
Miki Annamanthadoo
Member Since 2003
2 - Posted on 8/2/2025
Ruben DaCollector wrote:
Now THIS description is more like it! I think I can sum up everything you said regarding your current interest being WWII, like this: Just consider yourself a collector of the War art genre in general! After all, the evidence points towards that being the case anyway. That way, you can still primarily focus on WWII pages and covers, but you simultaneously wouldn't have to feel guilty whenever art pages depicting other wars lead you into temptation.
I have to say, this title came out at the PERFECT time. Hollywood was infatuated with Vietnam War movies and they were mostly fun, even if completely fictional (Missing in Action I & II), and some were excellent (Full Metal Jacket). So when the news in the prozines about this title being launched with Golden on art came out, especially given their plan to tell it in real time over an 8 year period, I was over the moon and all about that. A 96 issue series telling factual stories about the Vietnam War? Sign me up! Of course when the Hollywood saturation of the topic killed the love affair and sales of the comic fizzled out, Marvel was left with two options: Cancel it (The usual and correct decision), or try to keep it going by turning it into complete fiction and bringing in the superheroes! Obviously they chose the latter, so I bailed. I never even continued flipping through any of the issues after that. So I have to say how absolutely kooky it feels to be looking at a Vietnam comic with Thor and Mjolnir appearing in it! So wild. I did like the Vansant/Isherwood team though, and as you mentioned, I love the establishing scene at the top. It's a great looking panel! Frankly, it's a fun page, because of its kookiness!
Actually, this story starts with a soldier nicknamed 'Iceman' reading a dead companion comics and imagining what would happen if superheroes were real and intervened in the war. Another soldier cynically says
"Well look who's reading comic books! The reason people like lookin' at a bunch of guys that can do no wrong and can't get beat is cause there's no such thing!"
Then another soldier proceeds to a give a critique of the John Wayne movie 'Green Berets' - "What a Farce!"
Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 8/2/2025
Miki Annamanthadoo wrote:
Actually, this story starts with a soldier nicknamed 'Iceman' reading a dead companion comics and imagining what would happen if superheroes were real and intervened in the war. Another soldier cynically says
"Well look who's reading comic books! The reason people like lookin' at a bunch of guys that can do no wrong and can't get beat is cause there's no such thing!"
Then another soldier proceeds to a give a critique of the John Wayne movie 'Green Berets' - "What a Farce!"
Omg, that's hilarious and makes it all even kookier! Thanks, Miki!
Derek Crabbe
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 8/2/2025
I was recently asked about this issue by a buddy of mine (curious about the title). I explained to him that aside from the Punisher appearances, this was the only (loose) appearances from any other Marvel characters in The 'Nam.
Miki Annamanthadoo
Member Since 2003
2 - Posted on 8/2/2025
Derek Crabbe wrote:
I was recently asked about this issue by a buddy of mine (curious about the title). I explained to him that aside from the Punisher appearances, this was the only (loose) appearances from any other Marvel characters in The 'Nam.
Here a page with Frank Castle on it.
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 8/2/2025
By 1990, everything they wanted to say about the Vietnam War had been exhausted. The only holdout was China Beach on ABC in its last season when they told the drama of being back home. Cap, Iron Man, and Thor would have changed the course of history and we would have gotten to a more Watchmen like world.
Derek Crabbe
Member Since 2020
2 - Posted on 8/2/2025
Marcus Wai wrote:
By 1990, everything they wanted to say about the Vietnam War had been exhausted. The only holdout was China Beach on ABC in its last season when they told the drama of being back home. Cap, Iron Man, and Thor would have changed the course of history and we would have gotten to a more Watchmen like world.
China Beach!
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 8/2/2025
Derek Crabbe wrote:
China Beach!
Who didn't like Dana Delaney?
Kavi H
Member Since 2018
1 - Posted on 8/2/2025
Man lots to take in here from the interessting hyrbid content/nature of the page itself, to your motivations/reasoning for adding it to your collection, to your overall interests/collecting...but most importantly I will take away that you blame Miki!
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