Walking Wounded: Uncut Stories from Iraq

by Olivier Morel, Maël (Illustrator)

A gripping graphic novel illustrates the challenges of Iraq War veterans as well as their inspiring triumphs
 
After the shock of 9/11, for hundreds of thousands of young Americans there was Ar Ramadi, Baghdad, Abu Ghraib—the war in Iraq. Then came the trauma. From the torment of these vets to their reflections, Morel and artist Maël demonstrate the seemingly impossible return of those who aspire to get back to a normal life. The effort is huge; some can’t make it and others score their own victory by finally turning the corner. Walking Wounded is a parable for our country’s war sickness.

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

120 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Daniel Landsman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is not good for veterans in my opinion. It is way overly political, and the author makes the story more about himself than anything.

It also stigmatized combat veterans, implying that all or most of them are ticking time bombs with just a matter of time before committing suicide.

Nice pictures though, and drawings.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

The individual stories were powerful but the narrative as a whole didn't hold together. Felt like it jumped around too much and I wasn't able to keep track of who was who. I'm sure a second reading would have clarified everything.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad enough it's written by a communist who never served, but the air of smug that oozes over the whole production from opening essay to the biographies at the end is suffocating. One pr*ck goes so far as to describe himself as a 'sophisticated intellectual'. Avoid this self-appreciating circle-jerk of a work at all costs.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s a thin line between memory and trauma.”

It’s also a thin line between fiction and non-fiction in Olivier Morel and Mael’s Walking Wounded: Uncut Stories from Iraq.

See my review here: http://noflyingnotights.com/2016/03/1...

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel gives us several brief sketches of soldiers returning home from our recent wars, which might have been interesting if the author hadn't stolen focus from them by turning the book into an examination of how documenting their trauma has traumatized him. Umm. Really?

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

More like a supplement to Olivier Morel's Iraq war documentary "On the Bridge," Walking Wounded doesn't feature very many 'uncut stories' as it claims. Unsurprisingly, it tries to group anti-war sentiments to left-wing political causes like the failed Occupy Wall Street movement via an even more annoying Howard Zinn surrogate. Which becomes even more obvious when during halfway through the comic, Morel describes the process he went through to become an American citizen while simultaneously denigrating the American dream. And it doesn't even relate at all to the Iraq war, but instead dovetails to promote the redistribution of wealth. Rather than an effective pacifist statement, the comic is simply political propaganda.

[Imillar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This superb graphic novel should get 10 stars out of 5. Why it took two Frenchmen talking to American Iraqi veterans to write the best book I've ever seen about the human cost of war I'll never know, but this should be mandatory reading for anyone with a conscience. It's also visually striking, because as the veterans tell their stories, you see the landscape change before their eyes into the dusty Iraqi war zone. Wendy the anesthesia technician, Vince the Marine, Jason from the National Guard - these and other veterans are vivid on the page, and it's so powerful that I continue to re-read it. It's full of hope and tragedy simultaneously, because all of them joined up with the noblest of intentions - and then the war took over. I'd nominate this book for a PEN award, an Eisner and an Amnesty International Media Award. Just to start with.

[Dustyloup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope that this book gets translated into English. In fact, I am surprised that this book was not published in English as it is about American veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan after their return / reintegration into society. The author made a documentary as well called "On the Bridge" (L'âme en sang), that was not widely distributed.

Maybe most American publishers shied away from presenting a negative picture of war, staring at PTSD in the face is not easy, but we need to do it.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really sure how I feel about this. The struggle is real, but different, in my experience. I understand what he was trying to do, but the final product seems... like it's missing something. (I do, however, appreciate the attempt, even if I don't necessarily agree with all of it.) The use of color sparingly is striking -- bonus points to the illustrator. 3*

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate what they were trying to do here, but is was disjointed and confusing.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful work on Vets PTSD.

[Fei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragic stories of PTSD and the military industrial complex

[Piglet and her Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meine Meinung:
Dieser Comic ist im Zusammenhang mit der Dokumentation von Oliver Morel erschienen, und beschreibt wie Olivier Morel die Arbeit zur Dokumentation "Amerikas verletzte Seelen" von 2007 bis 2010 aussah. Ich muss gestehen, dass ich die Dokumentation noch nicht gesehen habe, dennoch war ein Einblick in die Aufarbeitung und Vorarbeit zu dieser speziellen Dokumentation über PTBS bereits schockierend genug. Man muss sich nur mal vorhalten, dass pro Tag 22 Suizide von Veteranen begangen werden. Menschen die diese schreckliche Zeit überlebt haben und dann mit Bildern und Entscheidungen nicht leben können.

Für seine Dokumentation hat sich Olivier Morel verschiedenste Personen ausgesucht, die ihre Geschichte vor der Kamera erzählen. Als Leser der Graphic Novel erfahren wir auch, was hinter der Kamera passiert ist. Dabei bezieht sich Olivier Morel nicht nur auf die Darsteller sondern eben auch auf sich selbst, was der Graphic Novel eine tiefere Ebene gibt und zu einem persönlichem Statement werden lässt. Selbst er, der doch "nur" der Filmemacher ist, kann nach den ganzen Erzählungen und Berichten nicht mehr los lassen und vergessen.

Vor allem die eindringlichen Bilder von Künstler Maël sind mir im Gedächtnis geblieben. Mit ganz wenig Farbakzenten, schwarz- weiß und rot, schafft er es Bilder für die Ewigkeit zu malen. Solche Bilder, die auch nach dem Lesen noch im Kopf bleiben und zum Nachdenken anregen. Nicht ohne Grund kann uns ein Bild manchmal mehr sagen als eine ganze Seite Text. Besonders bemerkenswert ist dabei der Einsatz von den wenigen Farben, die gegenwärtigen Szenen sind in schwarz-weiß gehalten, während die vergangenen beschrieben Szenen der Soldaten eben den roten Akzent erhalten und dadurch noch mehr hervorstechen.

Durch die Einteilung in Kapitel, die die Entstehung des Films zeigen, ist das Lesen und Nachvollziehen der Geschichte für den Leser schlüssig. Mich persönlich hat diese Graphic Novel wirklich berührt und nochmal verdeutlicht, dass unsere Gesellschaft sich mit diesen Themen auseinandersetzen muss.


Fazit:
Mit "Die Rückkehrer" von Olivier Morel und dem Zeichner Maël hält man ein Zeugnis jahrelanger Arbeit in den Händen, welches ernste und wichtige Themen anspricht. Krieg ist real und zerstört Leben, und selbst jene, die es schaffen, nach Hause zurückzukehren leiden unter dieser Herausforderung. Olivier Morel spricht damit offen ein Thema an, was unsere Gesellschaft viel zu sehr vernachlässigt hat.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a man who is on a journey to capture the after effects of the war and is looking at how it may change people drastically. As the story goes on, the main character has to find the right people to share their stories about their after effects of the war, in order to make this story the best it can be. The hard part is for veterans to go into detail without disturbing the people more than they already are. Can he put a full detailed story together? Read this book to find out!

This book is very hard to understand. The characters get switched around frequently. This book is about the the war and how the people who went into war will come back as another human being. War is extremely hard on people, and this book explains it very well. If you are the person who likes to read complicated books, then this book is for you. In my perspective, I truly didn't like the book because it was unclear and hard to understand. I did, however, like how the book was very detailed.

[WendyMcP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting, raw, bleak art matches the disturbing interviews with Iraq War vets. Excellent use of sepia tones for panels set in Iraq, as well as the clouded emotions still hanging over the vets now state-side (depicted in b&w). Well done.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful.

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if this is a teen read, really.... BUT, a book on trauma, specifically PTSD.

[Marsmannix · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this more without the heavy-handed moralizing. Other than that, it's a good book that brings needed attention to a tragic subject.

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book tackles an issue that needs more coverage, so I applaud it for that. But the "story" was a bit disjointed and hard to follow.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and moving.

[Marcela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great graphic novel about the issues many veterans who have return from Iraq are dealing with.