The Other Side #1

Creators: Jason Aaron, writer; Cameron Stewart, artist
Vertigo, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? This is a comic worth reading to the end. It starts out fairly typically, especially given its pedigree with writer Jason Aaron the cousin of Gustav Hasford, who wrote the novel that became the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket.” Artist Cameron Stewart traveled to Vietnam to get the artwork as authentic as possible. But when Marine Pvt. Billy Everette starts seeing decaying soldier corpses and hears his rifle taunt him, basic training becomes even more hellish. His dreams are shared by Vo Binh Dai, a Vietnamese youth also training to fight in the war. Both are headed to a confrontation that promises to defy the genre and deliver a story that’s more than just another war tale. Grade: A-