September 24, 2024 – Abrams ComicArts, a division of ABRAMS, has published Drafted, cartoonist Rick Parker’s original graphic novel memoir about his time in the U.S. Army after being drafted to serve during the war in Vietnam. A real departure from Parker’s fan-favorite work on MTV’s Beavis and Butthead comic book and his work in the Marvel Bullpen, this beautifully drawn and deeply personal memoir tells a compelling, thought-provoking story that’s sure to stick with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
In Drafted, Rick Parker, a shy, inexperienced, and overly protected teenager gets drafted into the United States Army at the height of the war in Vietnam. The looming threat of deployment informs every aspect of his life, from the most ludicrous experiences to the grimmest tests of endurance. Determined to do his patriotic duty, Parker wants nothing more than to serve his time and return to civilian life to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. In telling this story, he shows how Vietnam was the last war in the United States that instituted the draft; how the draft affected those who served; and how we as Americans think of war and our soldiers once they return from service. Parker also shows how being an artist helped him to survive his time in the army.
Here’s what people are saying about Drafted:
“Rick Parker’s remarkable graphic novel Drafted is a painfully honest, funny, and often troubling account of his time in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. It’s a page-turning tale of a young rube sucked into the dysfunctional war machine, packed with details that can only come from enduring that experience firsthand. Engaging, insightful, and wonderfully drawn, Drafted is a fascinating read by a master storyteller.”—Derf Backderf, My Friend Dahmer, Kent State
“Parker mixes dark humor and genuine pathos in this cockeyed account of his Vietnam-era tour of duty. . . . [His] wartime stories tickle the funny bone and jab at the heart.”—Publishers Weekly
“Rick Parker went through basic training a few years before I did, but man, everything in his graphic novel rings true and clear. This is observational graphic storytelling at its best. If you’ve never been in the service, this will be an eye-opener, and if you are a vet, this will trigger some long-forgotten memories.” —Larry Hama, G.I. Joe, The ’Nam, and Vietnam veteran
“Deftly balances dark themes and topics with a sense of humor, offering a unique perspective on war, soldiers, service and art as a means of survival.”―Portland Press Herald
“Rick Parker’s graphic novel is about an incredibly important part of the American experience, a subject that should appeal across party and ideological lines. He writes and draws as an everyman soldier, much like everyone’s kid or sibling who went into service, but he happens to have the skill to render it viscerally as a comic. And in this endeavor, Parker brings all of his expertise to bear; all of his humor, empathy, and humanity, and his sense of right and wrong. Drafted is his magnum opus.”
—James Romberger,7 Miles a Second
“Rick Parker’s recall of his harrowing youth in the military is so clearly told that it will make your stomach sink while your eyes are glued to the page. I loved every minute of this book!”
—Noah Van Sciver, Joseph Smith and the Mormons
“Compelling.”—AIPT
“I loved everything about this thoroughly engaging graphic memoir of a young artist coming of age in the 1960s, with the draft unavoidable and the Vietnam War looming large—a sensitive, funny evocation of cluelessness, vulnerability, and emerging focus as a fledgling recruit becomes a man in the U.S. Army.”
—Louise Simonson, New Mutants and Superman: The Man of Steel
Rick Parker is a letterer and cartoonist and the artist of the MTV Beavis and Butt-Head comic book series published by Marvel Comics. He is also the illustrator of the Ghoulunatics and a series of parody comics for Papercutz, which includes titles such as Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid, Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring, Breaking Down (a Twilight Saga parody), Percy Jerkson and the Ovolactovegetarians, The Hunger Pains, and The Farting Dead. Drafted is his first graphic novel. He lives in Falmouth, Maine.
