MILITIA #4
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Jethro Morales
Colorist: Bryan Arfel Magnaye
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Cover: Cleber Souza Lima
Creator: Dimitrios Zaharakis
Publisher: Black Box Comics
Rating: 8/10
Song: Put’Em in the Grave by Jedi Mind Tricks
There aren’t really many comics set in the modern War in Afghanistan. That fact is troubling to me. We can talk about serial killers, super-powered mass murderers, and Metal-Faced dictators all day. But can we talk about child soldiers in Africa? Can we talk about human trafficking? Can we talk about sexism in the American military? With so many operations going on within our military, why not have comics talk about that stuff too?
Militia is a young, foolhardy Army Ranger wash out, Melissa May. After failing Ranger Camp twice, she sits behind her desk longing for the day for some kind of action happens. Her call sign was given to her after a successful mission in East Africa where she singlehandedly saved a bunch kidnapped little girls from a group of guerrillas and child soldiers. After saving them from their captors, the girls give her the name “Mi-Lee-sha.” The call sign sticks as her first successful mission catches national attention. That attention prompts the US Military higher-ups to ride the modern feminism train for the sake of public opinion. Their response is to form a unit “whose task will be to liaise with female non-combatants in conflict areas.”
Issue 4 goes down in a conflict zone when May and her handpicked group of female soldiers are deep on the other side of the line searching for Afshan Madad, the wife of Naffi Madad, an Emir (Commander) with ISIS. Their search going through rural and remote places is cut short when they stumble across some men loading opium in the back of a truck. A firefight ensues but it’s short. The soldiers “apprehend” the truck full of opium but little do they know that they’re on a road to ruins .
This comic has a lot of fun stuff going for it. There’s action, tension, humor, and heaps of military jargon. The action brought to life by Jethro Morales’ pencils and inks. The tension is heavy moments of feeling outnumbered. Humor as only the US military can deliver which also applies to the military jargon.
What stands out to me the most is the parallel of sexism on both sides. The US Military men don’t really take the idea of an All-Female combat unit too seriously and the men in the Afghani side don’t even give them any real answer aside from sexist remarks. Although all this is being pushed on to our Platoon, the soldiers don’t falter. So long as May keeps making the right decisions. Either way, I’m sticking around for it. There’s a lot of crazy thing are in store for May.
