Don Lomax (born 1944) is an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

writer/artist best known for his long-running comic ''

Vietnam Journal ''Vietnam Journal'' was a war comic, war comic book series written and drawn by Don Lomax and published by Apple Comics from November 1987 to April 1991. Plot The story follows Scott Neithammer, nicknamed "Journal" by the American soldiers, a ...

''. A veteran of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, much of Lomax's adrenaline-fueled work centers on the military experience, and its gritty, unflinching depiction of the reality of war, specifically in Vietnam.

Biography

Early life

Growing up in

Bushnell, Illinois Bushnell is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,970 at the 2020 census. Geography Bushnell is located at (40.551667, -90.507921). According to the 2010 census, Bushnell has a total area of , of which (or ...

, Lomax's artistic influences included Jack Davis and

Berni Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

,Lomax profile
, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. as well as the war comics ''

Two-Fisted Tales ''Two-Fisted Tales'' is an anthology war comic published bi-monthly by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title originated in 1950 when Harvey Kurtzman suggested to William Gaines that they publish an adventure comic. Kurtzman became the editor of ...

'' and ''

Blazing Combat ''Blazing Combat'' was an American war-comics magazine published quarterly by Warren Publishing from 1965 to 1966. Written and edited by Archie Goodwin, with artwork by such industry notables as Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth ...

''.

Military service

Drafted into the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in the fall of 1965, Lomax did his basic training at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

. In the fall of 1966, he was shipped out to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

on the '' USS General John Pope'',Epstein, Daniel Robert
"Don Lomax's Vietnam Memories,"
Newsarama (August 28, 2003). deployed to the 98th Light Equipment Maintenance Company. During his tour of duty, Lomax made notes and sketches which later were incorporated into ''

''. According to Lomax, the War ". . . opened my eyes. Before I went into the war I trusted everybody, and when I came out I trusted nobody or the government."

Comics

Lomax's first professional comics work was ''Atilla the Frog'' for '' Heavy Metal'' magazine in 1979. In the early 1980s, he published comics stories in magazines like ''

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

'' and ''

Hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

Humor'', as well as contributing to

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

' ''Anything Goes!''. Lomax supplied art for

Pacific Comics Pacific Comics (PC) was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1981 to 1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began at a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes. Alo ...

' '' Twisted Tales'', and for back-up stories in

First Comics First Comics was an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991, known for titles like ''American Flagg!'', ''Grimjack'', ''Nexus'', ''Badger'', ''Dreadstar'', and ''Jon Sable''. Along with competitors like Pacific Comics and ...

titles like ''

American Flagg! ''American Flagg!'' is an American comic book series created by writer-artist Howard Chaykin, published by First Comics from 1983 to 1989. A science fiction series and political satire, it was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in th ...

'', ''

Starslayer ''Starslayer: The Log of the Jolly Roger'' was an American comic book series created by Mike Grell. Publication history Grell originally created ''Starslayer'' for DC Comics, but plans to publish it were halted after the mass cancellation of title ...

'', and ''The Black Flame''.

''Vietnam Journal'' and ''Desert Storm Journal''

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

, after doing some work for the fledgling publisher

Apple Comics Apple Comics, also known as Apple Press, was an American comic book publisher which operated from 1986 to 1994. Founded by Michael Catron, they began by taking over the publishing elements of comic production from WaRP Graphics, before expanding ...

, Lomax pitched Apple editor

Michael Catron Michael Catron (born October 9, 1954) is an American comic book editing, editor and publisher. He is former publisher of Apple Comics and co-founder of Fantagraphics. Biography Catron met Gary Groth while they were both enrolled at the University ...

his proposal for ''

''. Given the concurrent success of Vietnam-related films like ''

Platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

'' and ''

Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 novel ''The Short-Timers'' and stars Matthew M ...

'', Catron agreed to Lomax's proposal. Between 1987 and 1991, Apple published 16 issues of ''

'', which then spawned a selection of limited series and one-shots. ''Vietnam Journal'' tells the fictional adventures of war correspondent Scott "Journal" Neithammer. During this period, Apple also published Lomax's four-issue limited series ''High Shining Brass'', collecting the Vietnam War stories of Robert Durand. ''

'' collections were published by Apple Comics in 1987 and 1991. The publisher went bankrupt in 1994; right at that time Lomax published new ''

'' material in the short-lived

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

series ''Harvey Kurtzman's The New Two-Fisted Tales''. ''

'' was later revived as a monthly full-page strip from 2002 to 2006 by ''

Gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album * ''Gallery'' (Gr ...

''. ''

'' collections were re-issued by

iBooks iBooks may refer to: * iBooks, the former name of Apple Books. * ibooks Inc., a book and comics publishing company founded by Byron Preiss Byron Preiss (April 11, 1953 – July 9, 2005)Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

for Best Domestic Reprint Project. Lomax was at the time continuing the ''

'' series and posting it on his website in five-page increments twice a month. The entire ''

'' series was re-issued in graphic novel form through

Transfuzion Publishing Gary Reed (May 21, 1956 – October 3, 2016) was an American Comics, comic book writer, and the Publishing, publisher of Caliber Comics, an independent comic book company that released 1,300 titles in the 1990s and published early work by m ...

. In 2004, iBooks published Lomax's ''Gulf War Journal'', featuring the further adventures of "Journal" Neithammer. This time Journal is covering the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. Journal gets caught up in the war between

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

and the press, and heads off into the desert on his own, getting an unwelcome first-hand taste of the fury of American firepower. Then, years later, Journal once again finds himself dealing with the war in Iraq with the launching of

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

Other comics work

In 1992–1993, Lomax wrote

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

' Vietnam comic ''

The 'Nam ''The 'Nam'' was a war comic book series detailing the U.S. war in Vietnam from the perspective of active-duty soldiers involved in the conflict. It was written by Doug Murray, initially illustrated by Michael Golden, edited by Larry Hama and p ...

'', as well as providing inks for their comic '' Sleepwalker'', ''

The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

'', and others. He has also had comics and cartoons appear in dozens of national magazines, including ''Easyriders'', ''Heavy Metal'', ''CARtoons,'' various truck magazines, and numerous

pornographic Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of Human sexual activity, sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

magazines. His weekly comic, "Boomer Hayes" is created in collaboration with Steven Calitri of
American Towman Magazine
'. Some of Lomax's recent and ongoing projects include ''Guard Tales'', a nonfiction strip about

National Guard of the United States The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions.truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

heroes, published in ''Overdrive Magazine''; ''Above and Beyond'', true stories of

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...

personnel, published by '' Police and Security News''; and ''The Boys in the Basement'', a strip published in ''

Model Railroading Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...

Magazine'' from 1998 to 2006.

Personal life

Lomax lives in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

with his second wife Zenaida. He has four children, two of whom have also served in the military.

Bibliography

Comics

* ''Twisted Tales'' (issue 4, August 1983) * ''The 'Nam'' (issues #70-84, July 1992-September 1993) * ''Vietnam Journal'' (16 issues, November 1987–April 1991) * ''Vietnam Journal: Bloodbath at Khe Sanh'' (4 issues, 1992–December 1993) * ''Vietnam Journal: Indian Country'' (Apple Comics, 1 issue, 1990) * ''High Shining Brass'' (4 issues, 1990–June 1991) * ''Survive!''(Apple Comics, 1 issue, 1992) * ''Vietnam Journal: Tet '68'' (6 issues, March 1992 – 1993) * ''Vietnam Journal: The Iron Triangle'' (Apple Comics, 1 issue, 1993) * ''Vietnam Journal: Valley of Death'' (1 issues, June–August 1994)

Graphic novels and collections

*''Vietnam Journal Book One: Indian Country'' (reprints #1-4, plus original story) (Apple Press, 1990) *''Vietnam Journal Book Two: The Iron Triangle'' (reprints 5–8, plus original story) (Apple Press, 1991) *''Vietnam Journal: Delta to Dak To'' (reprints 9–12) (Apple Press, 1991) *''Gulf War Journal'' (reprints #1-9) (iBooks, 2004) *''Burlington Route Tower Cartoonist'' (''Boys in the Basement'' collection; South Platte Press, 2004) *''Vietnam Journal Book One: Indian Country'' (Transfuzion Publishing, 2009) *''Vietnam Journal Book Two: the Iron Triangle'' (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) *''Vietnam Journal Book Three: From the Delta to Dak To'' (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) *''Vietnam Journal Book Four: MIA'' (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) *''Vietnam Journal Book Five: Tet '68'' (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) *''Vietnam Journal Book Six: Bloodbath at Khe Sanh'' (Transfuzion Publishing, 2011) *''Vietnam Journal Book Seven: Valley of Death'' (Transfuzion Publishing, 2011) *''Vietnam Journal Series Two, Book One: Incursion'' (Caliber Publishing, 2017) *''Vietnam Journal Series Two, Book Two: Journey into Hell'' (Caliber Publishing, 2018) *''Vietnam Journal Series Two, Book Three: Ripcord'' (Caliber Publishing, 2020)

Notes

References

* * "Don Lomax: An Interview With The Creator of ''Vietnam Journal''," ''The Comics Journal'' #136 (July 1990), pp. 86–109. * "Don Lomax: An Interview with the creator of ''Vietnam Journal'',and Writer of the ''Nam' Comic for Marvel 'Vietnam Magazine" (June 2012) pgs 46–51.

External links

*
Vietnam Journal Continuum
— sample ''

'' pages {{DEFAULTSORT:Lomax, Don 1944 births Living people United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War People from Bushnell, Illinois United States Army soldiers