With the exception of the comic strips that were inserted in the Sunday edition of the Star Tribune newspaper, I did not read comic books as a child. I do seem to remember an occasion when I was young where a whole box of Spiderman comic books was haphazardly thrown into our front lawn. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I think my dad confiscated them all right away, presumably to read them all himself. So with that level of experience kept in mind, I write to you about a relatively new series of “Graphic Novels,” Called Black Powder\Red Earth (BPRE).
I first discovered BPRE whilst perusing Facebook. A few of the pages I follow were talking about the series release, and since I was sitting confinements at USAFA at the time, I figured “Why not?” so with a shrug and a click, I had ordered the first issue off of Amazon. Within a few days, I had all but forgotten about my impulsive on-line purchase, which made it all the more exciting to get a package in the mail later in the week. When I opened the package back in my dorm room, I was immediately intrigued. A black cover containing bold, yellow lettering over a serious looking man holding a rifle is featured on the front cover, with a FNH M249 machine gun variant over text reading “Non Permissive Environment Specialist” in white garnishes the back cover. While the cover might intrigue you enough to open the book, what is held inside holds your attention in the best way possible.
Set in a splintered Iraq in 2019, BPRE follows a team of private security contractors as they conduct operations across Basran, one of the newly created states after post-American withdrawal Iraqi civil war. (Also, read this for a bit more understanding). Being my first graphic novel, it took me a little while to figure out that you cannot expect to understand the story fully if you only read without analyzing the illustrations. Luckily for me (and for you), the illustrations are quite captivating, and really do a good job of making you feel like you are in a gloomy, sweaty environment that might explode with violence any moment.
Speaking of violence, the action in the series is phenomenal, with dialogue that feels authentic to the reader. You can tell that the story line and the action were created with the help of true subject matter experts. From what I understand, much of the technical aspects were developed alongside Haley Strategic Partners and Travis Haley (who I have mentioned before), which helps explain the attention to detail. (Travis Haley makes a cameo in Issue 7 of BPRE as well). There is a significant amount of blood and gore (which is why it is for “Grown-Ups” as I say in the title), but it feels appropriate, as if it is the right amount of carnage for what can easily be called a “messy business.”
Currently, there are seven issues of BPRE for sale, and you can order them all off of Amazon, and you can order more merchandise from their website here. Supposedly, there is also a video game in the works, but I haven’t seen much, if anything, about it in recent memory. I for one, love the heck out of these comic books. Every time I get a new one, I go back and read them all again in order just to make sure I don’t miss anything.
So, if you are looking for something a little different from your usual routine of Calvin and Hobbes or regular books/novels, take a look at Black Powder\Red Earth. It has a compelling story line, interesting characters, and a complex and frightening plausible setting. The action is gripping, if somewhat cold-blooded at times, and the illustrations are amazing. You don’t have to be a military or tactical dork to appreciate Echelon Software’s work. Pick it up, you won’t regret it.
-Spencer