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Futuristic Web Comic Echoes Reality
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That's the eerie world of "Shooting War," an arresting web comic from author Anthony Lappé and artist Dan Goldman. Only a half-dozen chapters of "Shooting War" have been published on SMITH magazine since May 15, yet this episodic series has already become a prescient commentary on the future of warring Iraqi factions, globalization and citizen journalism's struggle against mainstream media.
"The world of 'Shooting War' is half where I think things are headed and half satire," Lappé told me by phone. As executive editor of Guerrilla News Network, Lappé identifies with Jimmy Burns' dilemma in working for the ficticious Global News.
"Burns is a vulnerable hero with aspirations of fame and money, but his politics are grounded," Lappé explained. "So does he sell out to reach a wider audience?" According to Lappé, Global News is akin to Al-Jazeera (and for that matter, political blogs), in that it prides itself on being uncensored.
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| "Shooting War<" |
Like Lappé, illustrator Dan Goldman recognizes his audience's proclivity for video games, and has even subtly acknowledged this penchant in the narrative. During a U.N. press briefing in Chapter 5, a bored NBC reporter is seen playing a PSP videogame fighting Iraqis. "We're trying to keep things very meta," Goldman says with a laugh, "though we want to keep the story line very realistic. When I'm drawing this, my satirical bones are definitely twitching."
See more stories tagged with: war, future, graphic novel, comic, terrorism, iraq
Zack Pelta-Heller is a graduate student at The NewSchool and a regular contributor to AlterNet.
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