The "Stan

The 'Stan is a collection of short comics about America's longest war. The tales in this book--based on reporting by David Axe and Kevin Knodell and drawn by artist Blue Delliquanti--are all true and took place in roughly the first decade of the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan. While the stories are from the recent past, The 'Stan is still very much about Afghanistan's, and America's, present. And likely future.

“As a former war correspondent and author of a previous graphic novel about his experiences, Axe admits to mixed feelings over the possibility of America's troop removal…. Such profound ambivalence runs through these stories, presented in collaboration with journalist Knodell and artist Delliquanti, whose bold colors bring a vividness reminiscent of pop art to the murkiness of the conflict.... There are no larger truths to be found in this brief graphic narrative, and perhaps there will never be. These comics do not depict a faceless enemy, but they suggest compassion, bravery, and even heroism despite the absurdities of a war with no purpose and seemingly no end.” —Kirkus Reviews