War is Boring: Bored Stiff, Scared to Death in the World's Worst War Zones

by David Axe, Matt Bors

The war memoir as graphic novel-an utterly unforgettable and highly original look at war in the 21st century.
Street battles with spears and arrows in sweltering East Timor. Bone- jarring artillery duels in Afghanistan's mountains. Long patrols on the sandy wastes of southern Iraq. For four years, war was life for David Axe. He was alternately bored out of his mind and completely terrified. It was strangely addictive.
As a correspondent for "The Washington Times," C-SPAN and BBC Radio, Axe flew from conflict to conflict, reveling in death, danger, and destruction abroad while, back in D.C., his apartment gathered dust, his plants died, and his relationships withered. War reporting was physically, emotionally, and financially draining-and disillusioning. Loosely based on the web comic of the same name, with extensive new material, "War Is Boring" takes us to Lebanon and Somalia; to arms bazaars across the United States; to Detroit, as David tries to reconnect with his family-and to Chad, as David attempts to bring attention to the Darfur genocide.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Comics, Memoir, War, History, Politics

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2010

Reviews

[Tom LA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel about a war correspondent who worked in many war zones is interesting, although focusing almost exclusively on the author's own thoughts and inner demons. Unfortunately, these demons do not get resolved - in any way - by the end of the book. No personality development, or any hint that the author has reached something that could from very faraway look like a grain of wisdom.

That's bad. For the reader, sure, but mostly for the author. I wish him well with his issues.

The guy seems to be constantly in pain. Not physical, but mental pain. A part of him realizes that what he is doing by going to these war-torn countries is fundamentally a childish self-aggrandizing act, but another part of him loves the hero narrative, that goes like this: "I'm special, superior, and better, because i go and report in these countries while most citizens of my country are ignorant fools who don't care about this noble mission". And also, of course: "I'm too special to wear a tie".

I bet many people who go to war, both soldiers and non soldiers, also have this hero narrative going on in the back of their mind (attention! I said "many", not "all of them"!), but often they do not even see it or acknowledge it. They just enjoy the kick they get in telling themselves this cool story.

The author does see it, and yet cannot find an escape from this vicious cycle. He cannot find a path that would lead him to grow and mature as a human being.

Quick comment on the drawings: I liked the style, clear and simple but with a strong personality kick (from the side of the artist). Initially I thought maybe a slightly more realistic style might have been a better match with the war-correspondent narrative, but as I understood where the author's thoughts were, I realized that external reality has little to do with his story, and therefore the artistic style is just about perfect for this work.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst graphic novels I have ever read! The gist is that this guy goes to war because his life is boring. Oh the #FirstWorldProblems! His racism, short-sighted world view and incalculable self-absorption are untouched by empathy or real compassion. His (self-admitted) death wish drives him from conflict to conflict, despite the people he places in danger including his guides, translators and his own girlfriend. He says he hates being called a "war correspondent" then a few pages later introduces himself as exactly that. His heart finally softens enough for him to hand cash to someone who helped him - which he ruins by saying paternalisticly to the much older man "Don't spend it all in one place." He goes to his editor looking for work by saying "I need a war. Any war will do." He is oppressed by needing to wear a tie at a trade show - the horror!!! (He deals with this by getting a female colleague to stare the tie-oppressor down - really).

The title should have been enough of a tip-off that this book would be as pathetically white-boy self-love and zero understanding as it really was. But this line sums it up (again) "....as boring as war can be...peace is much worse." For who, asshole?

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think David doesn't feel alive, unless he's in danger.
I think that's probably not a good thing.
This book made me feel listless and hollow.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to empathise with Axe when he is apparently so fatalistic about war and peace. He himself ironically gets rather boring. He does highlight the sad truth how war is a necessity in the world, not just as an economic stimulant but as a means to self-worth and purpose. Does this make a correspondent (or anyone working in the line of fire) noble or just a coward running away from his or her own problems? I think the story could have been explored a bit deeper to challenge and consider these ideas.

Also pretty appalled by how Axe treated his girlfriend—she should've got away sooner if this account is to be believed...

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the teens at my library had finished reading this and I asked him to tell me about it. His description was excellent and made me want to read it, so I'll borrow from him. This book is about David Axe, a war correspondent who is addicted to war. If this man has a drug, it's being in the middle of a war zone. And as you follow him on his journey from third-world country to military bases, you wonder if Axe just has a deathwish, or is really looking for a deeper meaning in all the horror that he sees.

This description really hooked me... unfortunately, I think that the description is more intriguing than the actual story. Axe has led an interesting life and witnessed countless atrocities. However, there's not a lot of depth to this book. We know he's struggling with his desire to be out seeing wars, trying to figure out why he feels so strongly about being in the midst of danger. But there's no great sense of discovery or any sort of epiphany, which I suppose would be fine if Axe didn't present the book that way. He acts as if we've peered deep into his soul and discovered something.

I think this book is just pulled in too many directions. Is it about his need to witness war - and perhaps to die doing something meaningful? Or maybe about the countries subject to so much war? That it's important to document these stories? Or something else entirely? I ended up feeling confused by Axe's story. The artwork often said more about what was happening and the emotions he felt than his narration ever did.

While this is an interesting story in concept, I didn't enjoy reading it. Not because of the content, but because of the lack of focus and reflection.

[TAP · Rating 1 out of 5]

A boring graphic novel about boredom. It’s hard to tell if the racism is meant to be ironic, I think not.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

….

[Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a lot of people said already, this guy kind of sucks! But if that was my barometer for a review, I'd hand out a lot of 1*s. Really, this just...isn't interesting. It isn't much of anything. It's mercifully short, at least.

[Mateo · Rating 5 out of 5]

War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y'all
War, huh, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
Ohhh, war, I despise
Because it means destruction
Of innocent lives
War means tears
To thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go to fight
And lose their lives
I said, war, huh
Good God, y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War, whoa, Lord
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothing
But a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker
Ooooh, war
It's an enemy to all mankind
The point of war blows my mind
War has caused unrest
Within the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die
Aaaaah, war-huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it, say it, say it
War, huh
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again y'all
War, huh, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War, it's got one friend
That's the undertaker
Ooooh, war, has shattered
Many a young mans dreams
Made him disabled, bitter and mean
Life is much to short and precious
To spend fighting wars these days
War can't give life
It can only take it away
Ooooh, war, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War, whoa, Lord
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker
Peace, love and understanding
Tell me, is there no place for them today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord knows there's got to be a better way
Ooooooh, war, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
You tell me
Say it, say it, say it, say it
War, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
Stand up and shout it
Nothing

This relates to my book because they both agree that there is no point of war. Also that war is only bad not good.

[Gerard]

Ugh - I couldn't even finish this book. After reading about the various war-torn places where Axe works as a reporter, the reader still knows nothing at all about this places. All you really get to know is how boring David Axe is. And Ted Rall, though I respect him a lot more, should be ashamed of using a term like "third world shithole" in the introduction. It is exactly this kind of perspective that makes this book useless to anyone but perpetually amateur "political scientists" with well-rehearsed jadedness who like to show off their ultimately superficial adventures to naive college students. Pathetic and insulting.

[Tatyana Kagamas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Nope. I hated this book from the first sentence of the introduction. This book is why people hate Americans. The only way it could've redeemed itself is if David Axe finally got what he "wanted" and died. Boooooo this book.

[Dave-O · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is boring.

[Cesar Leon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Te permite conocer la guerra desde el punto de vista de un reportero que a podido estar en muchos sitios presenciando estos conflictos belicos y las luchas que ocurren en su cabeza cada que vuelve a su casa o parte a una nueva zona de guerra pero lastimosamente esto queda inconcluso ya que no vemos un cierre a estos problemas que tiene el como nuestro protagonista acaba sin ese desarollo.

[Mark Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

War Is Boring feels less like journalism and more like a man's confession to his priest. It details the author's unhealthy preoccupation with war and the mundane global realities of violence and corruption in a way that completely flattens any preconceived notion of what a journalist, or a war, is supposed to be. It's not about the battles and killing that normally dominate what we see and hear about war, rather it tells about the craters the battles leave behind, both in societies and in people's lives, long after the bullets have stopped flying.

Axe's storytelling alternates between the intimate and harrowing and Bors' artwork adds a dimension to the work, often revealing with a facial expression or a background figure a depth of detail which would normally take pages to explain. Whether it's how the rebels in East Timor paint their faces like raccoons or gay Afghani men reuniting in the streets after the Taliban leaves, in a single panel Bors manages to give you the sense that you actually know something about life in these war zones, though you'd have to be a real asshole to imagine that to really be the case.

Once I started War Is Boring, I couldn't put it down. I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like it.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, in some ways I think we're all always bored and searching for something else - but geez, must you constantly whine about it?

Also, I couldn't figure out if this was an anti-war book, or one that glorifies it...

And what's with McGraw-Hill? And DTI? It seems like they're happy to keep the military-industrial complex ball rolling.

Also, Axe snaps at a man for calling him a "war correspondent" on page 52, yet this is how he refers to himself on page 67?

Pg. 89 upset me the most and I think best outlined the thesis and dichotomy of the book: Axe is upset and angry at Americans for being ignorant of the tragedies and horrors that surround them. Maybe he's not angry and upset, maybe he's just "jealous" because he can never go back to thinking like that.

Maybe it's up to all of us to do what we can where we are to make the world a better place.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not really sure what I just read. I agree with many of the other commenters- I picked it up because it seemed to be about a lifestyle foreign to me, and I wanted to learn more about those countries and their wars. Unfortunately, this book is not at all about that, and Axe doesn't really grace us with any sort of detail about each country. As far as I know, any one of the countries could have been exchanged for another based on how much detail he provides. He's also not a sympathetic character, he's cynical and selfish and makes no apologies for it. Kudos for being direct, but with those two elements, it leaves the book without much substance. At least it was short, and the illustrations were good.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something disturbingly fascinating about feeling like a voyeur into someone else's life and that's what this graphic memoir felt like. We are able to look through the window of what it's like to be a war correspondent. And while David Axe certainly leads a fascinating life, I'm not sure he's someone I would want to be friends with. Then again, you don't have to be likeable to be interesting. And I think what makes Axe so unlikeable is that his war coverage feels cynical and completely self-serving. Axe appears to feel very little empathy for his fellow man.

[Moe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a solid way of showing that humans do everything for themselves. The author goes around chasing wars and taking pictures. He was living close to death, but I say props to him for living the way he wants to live. One part that I thought was interesting is when he said he had three maxed out credit cards, but only because he expected to die before ever having to pay them off. With this clever book that doesn't glorify war or diss war, he shows there is a stagnant line of boringness in war as well. War is everything, and David does a good job of showing it.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay, it's fun and interesting, but not a lot of substance. The drawings are nice

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

True experiences in conflict, but I think this guy really needs a Prozac. Parallel story of personal and societal struggle, but without any hint of passion- only obsession and destruction.

[Ada]

This book was published in 2010, during the heyday of South Park fandom, when a glowing sense of post-Bush exceptionalism blinded many to the corruption that was slowly breaking free from the roots of America’s history and clawing its hateful way to the surface.

That being said, this book is very much a product of its time. The introduction includes an unironic line about “third world shitholes”. And the panels were drawn by a former Nib cartoonist whose prolific output would later include many strips lampooning the boorishness of an electoral college winner who was roundly criticized for an eerily similar, unironic line.

Which really tells you all you need to know about the rampant pseudointellectual superiority that runs through this short graphic memoir. Readers quickly realize that Axe's reporting efforts (as presented here, anyway), lack empathy or a sense of the survivors' stories as anything more than set dressing and plot devices for his own.

I will admit, there was a section in the middle that briefly had me believing that the narrative was on the upswing, and the sacrifices of the translators , guides, and drivers endangered to fill the void in Axe's spirit would be given the narrative weight they earned. That hey, maybe he would have some empathy for people who loved their country but were desperate to flee when its leadership not only did not return that sentiment, but espoused its vitriolic, violent opposite. But it quickly descended back into a chilling glimpse of the dismissive put-uponess through which certain parties viewed the people who were risking life and limb so that journalists could get a good story - however you define "good".

I suppose I am partially to blame for my disappointment, if only because I was foolish enough to assume that the blurb on the back actually reflected the content within it, and the initial navel-gazing, forced flippancy would give rise to something more substantial and empathetic. I wasn’t expecting Arendt-esque treatises on the mundanity of human violence, but I also was not expecting a panel at the end where the author-insert says “I look around this [American] restaurant…and I know, deep in my soul that I’m the scariest thing here.”

Yeah, I laughed. He is hardly dread incarnate. The same skin color and reporter status that blocked him from “getting access” also shielded/insulated him from much of the worst of the wars he covered. Although he is white, he is no Pearl.

Needless to say, I found the whole thing tediously self-important. This is not war as "boring". This is war as spectacle, a window into the minds of media personnel who treat the devastation of alienated nations as melodramatic shock theater. Of correspondents whose base knowledge of armed conflict comes from flatteringly-lit cinema stages and seductive camera shots. This was a narrow-angle story sold to a Penguin imprint, little different from the ones he sold to C-Span, The Washington Times, or Defense Technology International.

If anything, I thought that the representation of homegrown machinations of war were far more compelling and insightful. Apparently, even US military officers/contractors need booth babes to liven up their professional trade shows. And Axe may not have come out of East Timor knowing anything more about its people, but he sure did have a hell of an insight into why a white man would move there after the conflict started. In the past couple of decades, I have been treated to more footage of broken brown bodies than I would care for. But what about the people who settle into these broken places, so they can feed on those who fall through the cracks?

As I neared the end, I was unsurprised to find that the last line was a flat exhortation to “arm yourself, and be afraid.” In the absence of a canned laugh track, this landed about as well as it would have on some teenage edgelord's MySpace in the autumn of 2001, or some insurgent provocateur's Twitter twenty years later. But even if a series of stultifying chortles had accompanied it, I doubt I would have felt any less repulsed by this pat gesturing at punditry.

Summarily, I would like to mention that puerile nihilism of the conclusion is probably best reflected by the author's observation that “the more different people I meet, the less I believe in their humanity.” I wonder, would it be in poor taste to joke about replacing “people” with “Southern Baptists*”? If so, then this entire piece of shock-jock drivel could be considered in terribly poor taste, because that is the level of self-important analysis it offers.

*The author identifies as such.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found out about David Axe due to him being a contributor to The ‘Stan, one of the many books put out by Dead Reckoning. While that book focused on the US war in Afghanistan, this is a career spanning look at the authors work as a “war correspondent”, a term he absolutely hates to this day. It’s a sobering look at a young man that threw himself deep into some of the most heinous war zones seemingly to seek thrills initially, almost developing a self destructive death wish. Having troubles fitting back into society after see so many terrible things, he’s always on a plane heading somewhere terrible. As the title states, “…as boring as war can be…peace is much worse.”.

This book is pretty good, but at times felt as if it could have gone further. by that, what I mean is that I feel like the narrative is somewhat anemic in the way that describes the various conflict zones Axe is thrown into. We see him talking to some guys in Chad taking him to the site of a possible genocide in Darfur, they ask “why are you here?” then follow Axe as he recounts the last decade or so. Each chapter is largely one of these conflicts, but we never really get a good grasp of what is happening in the world other than the occasional moments when a villager mentions something in passing. I feel like this was a big missed opportunity, and fleshing this out more, even with some segments of prose, would have made this feel more complete.

The real story here is Axe’s transition from being a self-destructive and self-absorbed thrill seeker to a legitimate journalist trying to bring light to a genocide and actually help people. You can tell he suffers from some form of PTSD despite not being directly involves in battles, and has a callous view towards the citizens of the places he goes. This changes slowly but surely, which is good because otherwise the man seemed like kind of an ass at times.

War is Boring – Bored Stiff, Scared to Death in the World’s Worst War Zones by David Axe and Matt Bors is written in a self-deprecating style that is equal parts humorous and dark, and would be a great read for somebody that has served in the military. You get to see a side of war you never really get to see simply because “behind the scenes” takes from journalists are rarely a thing. Overall, I enjoyed this book despite its flaws, and would like to read more from this author if he ever decides to do a full-on memoir at some point. I will likely look into more of his graphic novels, seeing that he has one about Joseph Kony in print as well.

https://arcadiapod.com/2022/04/18/rev...

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Matt Bors' political cartoons so when I saw he illustrated this graphic novel I picked it up without hesitation. I knew nothing about David Axe at the time and now I wish I could go back to knowing nothing about David Axe.

The long and short is David Axe is kind of a shithead but he's a shithead who was able to land a cushy job as part of the military industrial complex that allowed him to travel the world filming war zones. He was always upset because everywhere he went he was still a shit head. 5 or so war zones later nothing changes except his girlfriend dumps him. The end.

Just skip the Axe and go read some of Bors work, his work isn't terrible her just serviceable and I hope he was at least compensated fairly for this.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Offered a different way of thinking for me.

Overall, I didn't appreciate his attitude surrounding his work. Axe seemed privileged and not aware of his conditioning from his native culture. He approaches this topic in a very negative manner stating in the afterword, "Everything falls apart. Everyone dies in time. In the great, slow reduction of our lives and history, the things we can believe in shrink into a space smaller than our own bodies. To preserve them, for as long as you might, arm yourself, and be afraid." It is not a belief that I agree with, and to be honest, I think it is quite depressing.

Edit: Also, parts of it are racist, especially the foreward. Wouldn't recommend.

[Raj Bowers-Racine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unflinching look inwards by a pretty fucked up guy.
David Axe is a war correspondent because that's all he knows how to be. It's ruining his life, is making him miserable, and it'll probably kill him. That last part is the part that he's most ok with.
Many of the reviewers here are seem to have been expecting a Atlantic-style think piece about how "gosh war is really bad actually and you know, imperialism was bad too!". This ain't it.
This book is more like a real time autobiography of some famous heroin junkie that you read because they know they can't stop, but it's all they know. Someone who is making tragic choices everyday but that's what makes it compelling.
It's a bizarre snapshot into a kind of life that I'd previously never thought about. I like that stuff.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a few interesting ideas in here, which could have blossomed, but don't. It's a quick read, which I like, but Axe doesn't know how to make the most of that compact delivery. Mostly he just gets in his own way, dishing nihilist platitudes and a rather insufferable reflection on his own suffering. We never get close to anyone he meets, none of them become characters or actual people. And while this alienation is interesting, it doesn't read here like an intentional move so much as Axe just not caring about anyone but himself. And that gets old.

[Michael Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at a library bookstore because I am an occasional fan of a blog by the same name. This was a short but interesting story about one man's love-hate relationship with war. I wouldn't have sought this book out, but since I happened upon it, I now know a war correspondent who lives in Columbia, SC, and that dengue fever makes you dream weird dreams and your skin fall off. Also, be careful what profession you choose. Not bad for a dollar.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is also a bit boring. Premise is that the author is so bored with his life that he must go into war zones overseas to cover the terrible atrocities happening to get a jolt of excitement in his life, but even that becomes boring eventually. So war is boring but middle class America is stifling.

[Berslon Pank · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book feels miles wide and less than an inch deep. We hear a lot from the author, but almost nothing from those around him except for a guy who just wants to get away with whatever he can in East Timor. I would have liked more of a story.

[Sharon Moores · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel is about David Axe — not war, or ethics, or foreign cultures, or victims of war, or soldiers, or warmongers and the military-industrial complex, or anything interesting. But Matt Bors’ art is good.