cover image The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan

The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan

Bryan Doerries et al. Pantheon, $19.95 trade paper (160p) ISBN 978-0-3757-1516-7

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. (Apr.)