The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan

January 11, 2016
This graphic novel uses an ancient story of conflict, displacement, and longing for home to draw attention to the plight of the modern soldier. On the eve of returning home after a grueling tour in Afghanistan, Sgt. Jack Brennan gathers his troops together for one final chat. But instead of a simple farewell, Brennan tells his soldiers the story of Homer’s Odyssey, connecting their experiences to the ancient epic. For instance, post-conflict drug addiction is related to Odysseus’s men’s reluctance to leave the land of the lotus eaters, and erratic, stimulus-seeking behavior by soldiers suffering from PTSD is compared Elpinor’s death by misadventure on the island of Circe. Doerries is the founder of Theater of War, a project that uses ancient texts as therapy for real-life veterans, and he carries out the same mission here. The five-person team of illustrators does an excellent job of differentiating between the two worlds in the story, but a number of panels are cleverly drawn to momentarily make the distinction less clear.

March 15, 2016

Writer/director Doerries (Theater of War project) draws on Homer's timeless Odyssey to dramatize the plight of veterans returning home. Preparing to leave Afghanistan, U.S. Marine Corps sergeant Brennan coaches his squad about challenges in reentering civilian life by comparing contemporary suicides and other PTSD tragedies with Odysseus's turbulent homecoming. Artist Ruliffson (Invisible Wounds) draws the frame story with a chiseled khaki feel and coloring. Joelle Jones (Lady Killer) takes up the mythical Trojan Horse episode and Queen Hecuba's curse in blocky, rich color and sweeping vistas. Justine Mara Andersen (Mara, Celtic Shamaness) depicts our hero's encounters with the winds and the Lotus Eaters in curvy, lighter tones, while Dylan Meconis (Family Man) lends a cartoonier style to Circe's enchantments, and Nick Bertozzi (Shackleton) depicts the Land of the Dead with dripping, greenish zombie touches, illustrating the Sirens, sacred cattle, and whirlpool with glowing realism. Yet the graphics remain consistent among the artists while the Greek costumes morph into modern dress by the end, creating a nice touch. VERDICT Smooth transitions between two compelling story arcs will keep adults and teens solidly in thrall for both message and entertainment. Useful for educators and therapists. [See Prepub Alert, 10/12/15.]--M.C.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016

Using the classic tale of Odysseus's journey home from the Trojan War as a metaphor, Sgt. Jack Brennan mandates storytelling for the last night of his Marines' deployment in Afghanistan. Each of Odysseus's adventures is paired with a modern struggle faced by returning soldiers. For example, after Brennan tells the story of Odysseus's men being trapped by the Lotus Eaters, one of his soldiers relates how his recovery from shrapnel led to Oxycontin abuse, a DUI, and stripped rank. The theme of soldiers helping one another through post-traumatic stress disorder runs through the work, which was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Five different artists illustrated the book, and their sections are scattered, which makes for minor character inconsistencies. Containing no graphic language or sex, this title can be easily paired with Homer's The Odyssey in a classroom setting. VERDICT Perfect for school libraries in military communities or where The Odyssey is part of the curriculum.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2016
Marine sergeant Jack Brennan's platoon is on the way home from a grueling deployment to Afghanistan. It's not the first time through this cycle for Brennan and a couple others, but this time, He wants to tell us a story, as one man gripes, before they go homeseveral stories, actually, from the greatest saga of a soldier going home, The Odyssey. Like most other soldiers from time immemorial, Odysseus seems to be intact, but he discovers he's permanently affected by combat. Brennan selects from Homer episodes that best show Odysseus receiving the emotional shocks and dealing with the psychological scars of war. He backs up Homer by interjecting his and others' hard times during previous spells back home. Lastly, remember Semper fi (the U.S. Marines' motto), he says, and have each other's back at home as in country. Like a sergeant himself, writer Doerries makes a platoon of artists fall into a consistent stylea kind of stripped-down Swamp Thing lookin both Homeric and contemporary scenes to keep this exercise in comics-as-therapy compelling.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)