Unknown Soldier

This is the title of a graphic novel written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Killian Plunkett. The story is that of lonely CIA agent William Clyde's quest to find an ultra-secret operative, Codename: Unknown Soldier. This operative was present at and responsible for some of America's most reprehensible moments, massacring indiscriminately in the name of democracy. As with most of Ennis' work, however, the story deals with more than just the easily approached political condemnations that one would expect to find as it follows Agent Clyde on his journey both to find the Unknown Soldier and into insanity. The book represents another respectable attempt on the part of Ennis to elevate comic books into a realm closer to literature than to the pulp superheroes that have now fallen out of fashion.

Artistically speaking, incredible levels of detail are present in this book. In the trade paperback version, the endnotes include reference sketches drawn and used by Plunkett that establish the exact layout of several important buildings in the script, as well as internal memos regarding the exact representation of relatively minor characters, all in the name of realism.

The upshot of all this is that if you like Preacher, you should probably purchase this book as well.

Smoke, dust, screams, blood, smells for gun powder, bullets flying everywhere, and fire. Fire burned everywhere. Cars and buildings burning, lighting up the night as bombs went off left and right. There he crouched, now the leader for his squad. His leading commander’s body lay lifeless in the street, eyes blank, head turned to where it seemed he was looking at him. Legs blown to the middle of BFE, arms broke and bent in ways that human’s arms should never be bent, and guts flooding out on the street. Eight men crouched behind him. Some injured mildly, others taken into shock, and the rest clueless on what to do, other than kill. There he crouched, first battle, first deployment, with eight men's lives in his hands. He knew what he had to do, but in order to do it he'd have to do the one thing he really didn't want to do.

Lt. Jordan gave his life up that night. All eight men are still alive, and he told one man before he took his last breath, "You're welcome."