If you tuned into last Friday's Comic Vine podcast you may have caught SHADE writer James Robinson slip and say that he will be working on an upcoming single issue story of MEN OF WAR for DC Comics. Today, DC confirmed the news on the Source stating that the series' seventh issue will be written by Robinson and fellow DC scribe J.T. Krul. Each creator will be providing individual, stand-alone stories for the series.
For those who are unfamiliar with the ongoing DC series, the book tells various war stories inspired by modern times and current events. While the issues thus far have revolved around the descendant of World War II comic hero Sergeant Rock, Joe Rock, the seventh issue written by Robinson and Krul will not. We asked James whether he personally feels it challenging to write a modern day war story, here's what he had to say.
There's a responsibility to portray war stories with realism, but if the story gets bogged down by that realism it can stop being fun to read, as odd as it is to say, a war story should be fun. I've tried to walk a fine line between the two. I've developed a new DC war hero, George Saint, a British SAS Soldier who has a unique way of handling problems.
JT Krul also spoke about the story he wrote, citing that he did a little bit of research and spoke to many members of the U.S. Armed Forces to get better perspective on the war in Afghanistan.
I’m telling a contemporary story about an American soldier serving in Iraq that finds himself fighting for his life along side his fellow soldiers after their helicopter is shot down. But, it’s got another component to it that digs deeper into the life of a soldier and the struggle to navigate through obstacles both on and off the battlefield.
I’ve had the chance to meet and talk with many members of the Armed Forces over the years (a lot of them comic fans). I am always impressed with their easy-going, low key nature. You’d never know that they live and work in hostile environments. It’s so above and beyond anything we as civilians experience. So, I wanted to tell a story about their resilience, but also confront some of the challenges they face in terms of living with that experience – the isolation it can bring when returning to family and friends.
The cover to MEN OF WAR #7 showcases a British soldier, based on Robinson's story, tangled in a fight with what appears to be a Afghan militant amidst a field of poppies. The poppy flower is symbolic to both Afghanistan and Great Britain, but for very different reasons. What do you think it represents? The cover is gorgeously illustrated by artist Viktor Kalvachev. Issue #7 of MEN OF WAR will be available in stores March, 2012.
Source: DC Source