Joe Kubert, the legendary artist who has taken readers to war many times with DC Comics' Sgt. Rock, returns to the battlefield in his new graphic novel, "Dong Xoai, Vietnam 1965."
This time, though, it's a tale of real-life heroes. "Dong Xoai," written and illustrated by Kubert and published by DC, follows a team of Special Forces soldiers who found themselves pinned down by a seemingly never-ending tide of Viet Cong soldiers while on what was supposed to have been an assistance and observation mission in the village of Dong Xoai.
Although it's touted as a fictionalized account of the battle, "I tried to get as close to what happened as I could," Kubert said. "Dong Xoai" is based on extensive firsthand information compiled by the surviving members of Detachment A-342, 5th Special Forces Group -- information that's included at the back of the book.
Kubert's graphic novel has its roots in illustrations he did in 1967 promoting "Tales of the Green Beret," a syndicated newspaper comic strip he worked on with author Robin Moore. One of the illustrations featured Col. Bill Stokes, one of the survivors of the battle of Dong Xoai, being carried to safety.
"Go forward 40 years, about three years ago," Kubert said. It was then that he received an e-mail from Stokes, who had a dog-eared copy of the drawing from a newspaper but was seeking a clean copy.
Kubert had no idea where the original drawing was, so he agreed to redo it. Stokes offered to pay him, but the only thing Kubert asked for was to see the detailed account that had been compiled of the battle.
"I read the thing," Kubert said, "and it struck me with such strength that I felt this was something I wanted to do."
Stokes agreed to help Kubert, providing hundreds of photographs from the battle and more information on those involved. Kubert said it was the camaraderie and relationships between the men that compelled him to pursue the story.
