Don Lomax
Encyclopedia
Don Lomax is an American comic book
writer/artist best known for his long-running comic Vietnam Journal. A veteran of the Vietnam War
, much of Lomax's adrenaline-fueled work centers around the military experience, and its gritty, unflinching depiction of the reality of war, specifically in Vietnam.
, Lomax's artistic influences included Jack Davis
and Berni Wrightson, as well as the war comics Two-Fisted Tales
and Blazing Combat
.
. In the fall of 1966, he was shipped out to Vietnam
on the USS General John Pope, deployed to the 98th Light Equipment Company. During his tour of duty, Lomax made notes and sketches which later were incorporated into Vietnam Journal. 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."
magazine in 1979. In the early 1980s, he published comics stories in magazines like Cavalier
and Hustler
Humor, as well as contributing to Fantagraphics' Anything Goes!. Lomax supplied art for Pacific Comics
' Twisted Tales
, and for back-up stories in First Comics
titles like American Flagg!
, Starslayer
, and The Black Flame.
, after doing some work for the fledgling publisher Apple Comics
, Lomax pitched Apple editor Michael Catron
his proposal for Vietnam Journal. Given the concurrent success of Vietnam-related films like Platoon
and Full Metal Jacket
, Catron agreed to Lomax's proposal. Between 1987 and 1991, Apple published 16 issues of Vietnam Journal, 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.
Vietnam Journal collections were published by Apple Comics in 1990 and 1991. The publisher went bankrupt in 1994; right at that time Lomax published new Vietnam Journal material in the short-lived Dark Horse Comics
series Harvey Kurtzman's The New Two-Fisted Tales. Vietnam Journal was later revived as a monthly full-page strip from 2002–2006 by Gallery
.
Vietnam Journal collections were re-issued by iBooks
in 2004, and were nominated for a 2004 Harvey Award
for Best Domestic Reprint Project. Lomax is currently continuing the Vietnam Journal series and posting it on his website in five-page increments twice a month. The entire Vietnam Journal series is currently being re-issued in graphic novel form through Transfuzion Publishing.
In 2004, iBooks published Lomax's Gulf War Journal, featuring the further adventures of "Journal" Neithammer. This time Journal is covering the Gulf War
. Journal gets caught up in the war between the Pentagon
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.
' Vietnam comic The 'Nam
, as well as providing inks for their comic Sleepwalker
, The Punisher, and others.
He has also had comics and cartoons appear in dozens of national magazines, including Easyrider, Heavy Metal, CARtoons, various truck magazines, and many pornographic magazines.
Some of Lomax's recent and ongoing projects include Guard Tales, a nonfiction strip about National Guard of the United States soldiers published in GX Magazine; Knights of the Road, a nonfiction strip about truck driver
heroes, published in Overdrive Magazine; Above and Beyond, true stories of law enforcement
personnel, published by Police and Security News; and The Boys in the Basement, a strip published in Model Railroading Magazine from 1998 to 2006.
with his second wife Zenaida. He has four children, two of whom have also served in the military.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writer/artist best known for his long-running comic Vietnam Journal. A veteran of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, much of Lomax's adrenaline-fueled work centers around the military experience, and its gritty, unflinching depiction of the reality of war, specifically in Vietnam.
Early life
Growing up in Bushnell, IllinoisBushnell, Illinois
Bushnell is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,221 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bushnell is located at ....
, Lomax's artistic influences included Jack Davis
Jack Davis (cartoonist)
Jack Davis is an American cartoonist and illustrator, known for his advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art and numerous comic book stories...
and Berni Wrightson, as well as the war comics Two-Fisted Tales
Two-Fisted Tales
Two-Fisted Tales was a bimonthly, anthology war comic published 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 Two-Fisted Tales, and with the advent of the Korean War,...
and Blazing Combat
Blazing Combat
Blazing Combat was an American war-comics magazine published 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, and Wally Wood, it featured war stories in both contemporary and...
.
Military service
Drafted into the U.S. Army in the fall of 1965, Lomax did his basic training at Fort KnoxFort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
. In the fall of 1966, he was shipped out to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
on the USS General John Pope, deployed to the 98th Light Equipment Company. During his tour of duty, Lomax made notes and sketches which later were incorporated into Vietnam Journal. 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 MetalHeavy Metal (magazine)
Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
magazine in 1979. In the early 1980s, he published comics stories in magazines like Cavalier
Cavalier (magazine)
Cavalier is an American magazine that was launched by Fawcett Publications in 1952 and has continued for decades, eventually evolving into a Playboy-style men's magazine...
and Hustler
Hustler
Hustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. It was first published in 1974 by Larry Flynt. It was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter which was cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from a shaky start to...
Humor, as well as contributing to Fantagraphics' Anything Goes!. Lomax supplied art for Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics
Pacific Comics was an independent comic book publisher that flourished from 1981-1984. It was also a chain of comics shops and a distributor. It began out of a San Diego, California, comic book shop owned by brothers Bill and Steve Schanes...
' Twisted Tales
Twisted Tales
Twisted Tales was a horror comics anthology published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell.-Publication history:...
, and for back-up stories in First Comics
First Comics
First Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
titles like American Flagg!
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 and was set in the U.S., particularly Chicago, Illinois, in the early 2030s. Writers besides Chaykin included...
, Starslayer
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 titles known as the DC Implosion. Instead, he offered it to...
, and The Black Flame.
Vietnam Journal and Desert Storm Journal
In 19871987 in comics
- Year overall :* Independent publishers continue to enter the comics arena, including Amazing, CFW Enterprises, Imperial Comics, Matrix Graphic Series, New Comics Group, and Rebel Studios...
, after doing some work for the fledgling publisher Apple Comics
Apple Comics
Apple Comics, also known as Apple Press, was a comic book publisher which operated from 1986–1994. Published by Michael Catron, they began as an imprint of WaRP Graphics, but had their own financing structure...
, Lomax pitched Apple editor Michael Catron
Michael Catron
Michael Catron is former publisher of Apple Comics and co-founder of Fantagraphics as well as a classically trained Shakespearian actor....
his proposal for Vietnam Journal. Given the concurrent success of Vietnam-related films like Platoon
Platoon (film)
Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
and Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is an adaptation of the 1979 novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford and stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Arliss Howard and Adam Baldwin. The film follows a platoon of U.S...
, Catron agreed to Lomax's proposal. Between 1987 and 1991, Apple published 16 issues of Vietnam Journal, which then spawned a selection of limited series and one-shots. Vietnam Journal tells the fictional adventures of war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
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.
Vietnam Journal collections were published by Apple Comics in 1990 and 1991. The publisher went bankrupt in 1994; right at that time Lomax published new Vietnam Journal material in the short-lived Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
series Harvey Kurtzman's The New Two-Fisted Tales. Vietnam Journal was later revived as a monthly full-page strip from 2002–2006 by Gallery
Gallery (magazine)
Gallery is a men's magazine begun by Montcalm Publishing in 1972. It is one of the more popular "skin" magazines that arose on the Playboy magazine pattern in the 1970s...
.
Vietnam Journal collections were re-issued by iBooks
Byron Preiss
Byron Preiss was an American writer, editor, and publisher. He founded and served as president of Byron Preiss Visual Publications, and later of iBooks.-Early life and career:...
in 2004, and were nominated for a 2004 Harvey Award
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
for Best Domestic Reprint Project. Lomax is currently continuing the Vietnam Journal series and posting it on his website in five-page increments twice a month. The entire Vietnam Journal series is currently being re-issued in graphic novel form through Transfuzion Publishing.
In 2004, iBooks published Lomax's Gulf War Journal, featuring the further adventures of "Journal" Neithammer. This time Journal is covering the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. Journal gets caught up in the war between the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
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.
Other comics work
In 1992–1993, Lomax wrote Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Vietnam comic The 'Nam
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...
, as well as providing inks for their comic Sleepwalker
Sleepwalker (comics)
Sleepwalker is a Marvel Comics character created by Bob Budiansky. He is named after his race, and is the star of a self-titled comic book which ran for 33 issues from June 1991 to February 1994, with one Holiday Special. All but two of the issues were written by Budiansky, with Tom Brevoort and...
, The Punisher, and others.
He has also had comics and cartoons appear in dozens of national magazines, including Easyrider, Heavy Metal, CARtoons, various truck magazines, and many pornographic magazines.
Some of Lomax's recent and ongoing projects include Guard Tales, a nonfiction strip about National Guard of the United States soldiers published in GX Magazine; Knights of the Road, a nonfiction strip about truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
heroes, published in Overdrive Magazine; Above and Beyond, true stories of law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
personnel, published by Police and Security News; and The Boys in the Basement, a strip published in Model Railroading Magazine from 1998 to 2006.
Personal life
Lomax lives in IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
with his second wife Zenaida. He has four children, two of whom have also served in the military.
Comics
- 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)
- 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 (Apple Press, 1990) ISBN 0927203022
- Vietnam Journal Book Two: The Iron Triangle (Apple Press, 1991) ISBN 0927203065
- Vietnam Journal: Delta to Dak to (Apple Press, 1991) ISBN 0927203073
- Gulf War Journal (iBooks, 2004) ISBN 0743486692
- Burlington Route Tower Cartoonist (Boys in the Basement collection; South Platte Press, 2004) ISBN 0942035658
- Vietnam Journal Book One: Indian Country (Transfuzion Publishing, 2009) ISBN 9780941613811
- Vietnam Journal Book Two: the Iron Triangle (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) ISBN 9780941613323
- Vietnam Journal Book Three: From the Delta to Dak To (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) ISBN 9780982654910
- Vietnam Journal Book Four: MIA (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) ISBN 9780941613767
- Vietnam Journal Book Five: Tet '68 (Transfuzion Publishing, 2010) ISBN 9780982654958
- Vietnam Journal Book Six: Bloodbath at Khe Sanh (Transfuzion Publishing, 2011) ISBN 9780982654965
- Vietnam Journal Book Seven: Valley of Death (Transfuzion Publishing, 2011) ISBN 9780982654972
External links
- Vietnam Journal Continuum — sample Vietnam Journal pages