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Machete Squad
Brent Dulak doesn't want to go to Afghanistan. Haunted by the memories of his two tours in Iraq and burnt out on soldiering, he wants nothing more than to drink to self-destructive excess and have meaningless sex with questionable women.
He's a U.S. Army medic who was recently promoted to sergeant, in charge of a team of soldiers whose job it will be patch up the wounded at a remote outpost as American forces prepare to turn Kandahar Province over to the Afghan forces. That won't be easy, Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban. It's filled with motivated insurgents, questionable local allies and countless ways to die.
Brutally honest and darkly funny, Machete Squad is the story of a soldier trying to keep people alive as America's longest war rages all around him. He must look out for the welfare of his men and their patients even as he doubts his own abilities-and at times his sanity.
He's a U.S. Army medic who was recently promoted to sergeant, in charge of a team of soldiers whose job it will be patch up the wounded at a remote outpost as American forces prepare to turn Kandahar Province over to the Afghan forces. That won't be easy, Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban. It's filled with motivated insurgents, questionable local allies and countless ways to die.
Brutally honest and darkly funny, Machete Squad is the story of a soldier trying to keep people alive as America's longest war rages all around him. He must look out for the welfare of his men and their patients even as he doubts his own abilities-and at times his sanity.
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 3, 2019
Plucked this off the library's new graphic novel shelf without reading a single word on the front and back cover beyond the title. Based on the cover I was expecting some sort of Punisher revenge drama or crime noir when I started reading it this morning. It wasn't until I set the book down at the end of my 15 minute work break that I realized the main character's name was listed on the cover as an author. This is a memoir? Oops. That explains why it was a little slow getting the plot rolling...
I also realized I had just read The 'Stan by the other two authors listed on the cover. This is a longer variation on that as a U.S. Army medic strings together a series of anecdotes from his tour in Afghanistan.
Like The 'Stan, the artwork strikes me as a gross mismatch. But where Delliquanti's cartoony style in The 'Stan at least had a smooth, finished quality to it, Berg's rough cartoony scrawl here is distractingly ugly, made the characters hard to distinguish, and kept me from connecting with the material.
I also realized I had just read The 'Stan by the other two authors listed on the cover. This is a longer variation on that as a U.S. Army medic strings together a series of anecdotes from his tour in Afghanistan.
Like The 'Stan, the artwork strikes me as a gross mismatch. But where Delliquanti's cartoony style in The 'Stan at least had a smooth, finished quality to it, Berg's rough cartoony scrawl here is distractingly ugly, made the characters hard to distinguish, and kept me from connecting with the material.
October 31, 2018
Dulak has a really interesting story to tell but that story was not served at all by the art style. The art seemed sloppy. There's stretches in the book containing panels of no dialogue and while this is absolutely fine, the images weren't strong enough to carry the silence. More detail, more grit, dust, sweat, blood, and sand would have served the story and really told readers how brutal and dull war can be.
I found myself wondering, "why did they go with this style of art? Why not something more realistic?" Is the lack of detail supposed to mirror how the days often run together? Do the details fade into the background because the medics are so focused on the patients they are saving? Did someone in the publishing house simply like the artist's style? Idk.
Five stars for the story, minus one or two for the art.
I found myself wondering, "why did they go with this style of art? Why not something more realistic?" Is the lack of detail supposed to mirror how the days often run together? Do the details fade into the background because the medics are so focused on the patients they are saving? Did someone in the publishing house simply like the artist's style? Idk.
Five stars for the story, minus one or two for the art.
March 28, 2022
After reading The ‘Stan, I noticed that Dead Reckoning had published another book on The Afghanistan War called Machete Squad. With the crazy cover art and provocative title I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but thankfully this book is far more subdued than what I expected. This is an autobiographical look at the hardships of a U.S. Medic station in the deepest Taliban regions of war-torn Afghanistan. Written partly by Brent Dulak, the book is a testimonial on what he went through as part of the titular squad during his tour. Sometimes funny, sometimes dark, and even occasionally hopeful, this book covers the wide range of emotions any soldier goes through when placed in the line of fire.
“Brent Dulak doesn’t want to go to Afghanistan. Haunted by the memories of his two tours in Iraq and burnt out on soldiering, he wants nothing more than to engage in self-destructive behavior. He’s a U.S. Army medic who was recently promoted to sergeant, in charge of a team of soldiers whose job it will be to patch up the wounded at a remote outpost as the Americans prepare to turn Kandahar Province over to the Afghan forces. That won’t be easy: Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban. It’s filled with motivated insurgents, questionable local allies, and countless ways to die. Brutally honest and darkly funny, Machete Squad is the story of a soldier trying to keep people alive as America’s longest war rages all around him. He must look out for the welfare of his men and their patients even as he doubts his own abilities–and at times his sanity.”
This is an interesting comic in that autobiographies have a real tendency to glorify the author, and in many cases an effort is made to create a folk hero out of a person that has no real business being revered (coughAmericanSnipercough). Brent Dulak shows his struggles with PTSD, emotionless relationships, alcohol dependency, and other issues that military personnel deal with after tours of foreign countries, but nobody seems to want to talk about. While the story does show how he uses this background to improve himself and become a beacon of good, his road getting there is VERY rough. Hats off to Dulak for not sugar-coating anything.
The artwork by illustrator Per Darwin Berg is not your typical comic art, and somewhat sets this apart from other books. It has an intentionally sketchy style that initially looks somewhat underdrawn, that is until you see some of the gorgeous landscape scenes or action-packed battle scenes. It’s one of those styles that really grows on the reader as they consume the book. As for other members of the creative team, one of the authors is David Axe, former war correspondent and author of The ‘Stan. His name keeps popping up on all sorts of Afghanistan War comics, and with one more that I plan to read, I will likely get real acquainted with his name.
Overall, this book was pretty good and did a good job of showing how Hellish “America’s longest war” was. The book has a competent story, interesting characters and a good message. It has to be stressed that the content within the story is not necessarily for kids, and the artwork can get pretty grizzly at times, although it never gets too explicit. That said, I always firmly believe that war needs to be shown for what it is, and not some nationalistic “Go team America!” cheering session. Machete Squad does a great job of being a compelling and realistic war memoir, and I’d love to see the creative team do more. Another solid offering from Dead Reckoning and the US Naval Institute.
https://arcadiapod.com/2022/03/28/rev...
“Brent Dulak doesn’t want to go to Afghanistan. Haunted by the memories of his two tours in Iraq and burnt out on soldiering, he wants nothing more than to engage in self-destructive behavior. He’s a U.S. Army medic who was recently promoted to sergeant, in charge of a team of soldiers whose job it will be to patch up the wounded at a remote outpost as the Americans prepare to turn Kandahar Province over to the Afghan forces. That won’t be easy: Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban. It’s filled with motivated insurgents, questionable local allies, and countless ways to die. Brutally honest and darkly funny, Machete Squad is the story of a soldier trying to keep people alive as America’s longest war rages all around him. He must look out for the welfare of his men and their patients even as he doubts his own abilities–and at times his sanity.”
This is an interesting comic in that autobiographies have a real tendency to glorify the author, and in many cases an effort is made to create a folk hero out of a person that has no real business being revered (coughAmericanSnipercough). Brent Dulak shows his struggles with PTSD, emotionless relationships, alcohol dependency, and other issues that military personnel deal with after tours of foreign countries, but nobody seems to want to talk about. While the story does show how he uses this background to improve himself and become a beacon of good, his road getting there is VERY rough. Hats off to Dulak for not sugar-coating anything.
The artwork by illustrator Per Darwin Berg is not your typical comic art, and somewhat sets this apart from other books. It has an intentionally sketchy style that initially looks somewhat underdrawn, that is until you see some of the gorgeous landscape scenes or action-packed battle scenes. It’s one of those styles that really grows on the reader as they consume the book. As for other members of the creative team, one of the authors is David Axe, former war correspondent and author of The ‘Stan. His name keeps popping up on all sorts of Afghanistan War comics, and with one more that I plan to read, I will likely get real acquainted with his name.
Overall, this book was pretty good and did a good job of showing how Hellish “America’s longest war” was. The book has a competent story, interesting characters and a good message. It has to be stressed that the content within the story is not necessarily for kids, and the artwork can get pretty grizzly at times, although it never gets too explicit. That said, I always firmly believe that war needs to be shown for what it is, and not some nationalistic “Go team America!” cheering session. Machete Squad does a great job of being a compelling and realistic war memoir, and I’d love to see the creative team do more. Another solid offering from Dead Reckoning and the US Naval Institute.
https://arcadiapod.com/2022/03/28/rev...
August 6, 2020
A powerful GN about life as a medic in Afghanistan.
Brent Dulak is a young U.S. Army medic, being deployed to Afghanistan. He relates his experiences in this hazardous, war-torn country where anything might happen at any time - from sniper bullets zipping by to IEDs exploding to amputations to bomb blasts. Death is everywhere - hence the name "Machete Squad" for the medics. Low morale is rampant; drinking, drug abuse, and suicide is not an unusual means of escape from the horrors of war experienced by these brave soldiers during a tour of duty.
Dulak, Kevin Knodell, Davis Axe have teamed up to write a gripping, gritty text. Readers will be as on edge as Dulak as he retells some of the major events he experienced with the help of Knodell and Axe, both respected journalists specializing in warfare. Conversations of the soldiers are rough and often peppered with course language that rings true. Per Darwin Berg's graphic illustrations are graphic and disturbing - sight of a soldier with both legs blown off and a child injured with legs blown off by a bomb blast. His use of green and black during the nighttime sortie is effective - it is as if seen through night goggles. A two-page Afterward by Dulak reads as if he is speaking to his buddy who has no experience in war; it is very emotional writing of strategies he used to survive.
Young people who are considering entering the military should be encouraged to read this. It shows war for what it is - horrifying, scary, and ugly - and does not glorify a soldier's return to life in the States after a deployment.
Highly Recommended for grades 10-adult.
Brent Dulak is a young U.S. Army medic, being deployed to Afghanistan. He relates his experiences in this hazardous, war-torn country where anything might happen at any time - from sniper bullets zipping by to IEDs exploding to amputations to bomb blasts. Death is everywhere - hence the name "Machete Squad" for the medics. Low morale is rampant; drinking, drug abuse, and suicide is not an unusual means of escape from the horrors of war experienced by these brave soldiers during a tour of duty.
Dulak, Kevin Knodell, Davis Axe have teamed up to write a gripping, gritty text. Readers will be as on edge as Dulak as he retells some of the major events he experienced with the help of Knodell and Axe, both respected journalists specializing in warfare. Conversations of the soldiers are rough and often peppered with course language that rings true. Per Darwin Berg's graphic illustrations are graphic and disturbing - sight of a soldier with both legs blown off and a child injured with legs blown off by a bomb blast. His use of green and black during the nighttime sortie is effective - it is as if seen through night goggles. A two-page Afterward by Dulak reads as if he is speaking to his buddy who has no experience in war; it is very emotional writing of strategies he used to survive.
Young people who are considering entering the military should be encouraged to read this. It shows war for what it is - horrifying, scary, and ugly - and does not glorify a soldier's return to life in the States after a deployment.
Highly Recommended for grades 10-adult.
October 12, 2018
war is real
July 8, 2019
Could not put it down. Exciting and sad memoir about war in Afghanistan and the consequences of being in a conflict zone over a period of time.
October 21, 2019
Dark and heartbreaking graphic novel about the war in Afghanistan and the experience of a medic. Very sad and hard to read, but well done.
July 31, 2025
Another title in the genre of modern realist war memoir. Fans of this genre have probably read most, if not all of the titles and would be glad to locate this one. Smaller publisher and more obscure/esoteric; definitely an interesting find and well worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews