New Graphic Novel from ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Comic Artist Perfectly Captures What it Was Like to Be Drafted for the Vietnam War

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Six decades after cartoonist Rick Parker was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War, his earliest memories of service are the same ones that likely stand out for many U.S. military veterans: leaving home for the first time, polishing boots to gleaming shine and a noticeably prolonged period of constipation. But what’s remarkable about his recollection is that he remembers almost every moment he spent in the Army — and it’s not hard to figure out why.

His new graphic novel, “Drafted,” is written, hand-drawn and hand-lettered by Parker himself. It follows his Army journey, beginning with his high school graduation, getting drafted, his boot camp and training experiences, everyday life and, finally, getting out of the military altogether. It’s a charming, funny and self-deprecating look at his own real experience as a draftee, vividly brought to life through the art form Parker spent his life mastering.

As a child in Savannah, Georgia, Parker spent many of his days reading the comic pages of the newspaper with his grandmother while his parents were away at work. He would grow up and become a comic artist himself, working for Marvel Comics (most notably for its “Beavis and Butt-Head” series), The New York Times and Time magazine, just to name a few. While he was growing up, he believed that someone, somewhere, someday would make a comic about his life. It turned out that someone was him.

Parker grew up wanting to be an artist but struggled with college after graduating from high school in 1963. He eventually dropped out, which meant he lost his student draft deferment. In 1966, he received a letter telling him to report for duty at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. It’s a point in his story where things get very interesting — not just for Parker, but for any veteran of any era.

Joining the military during the Vietnam War draft-era was a very different experience, one Parker illustrates with amazing clarity, even six decades later. He goes into detail about the draft selection process, how he narrowly avoided getting pulled into the Marine Corps and how he ended up in the Army infantry — but it wasn’t only the infantry. He trained to be a tank driver and an artillery officer and helped test the MGM-31 Pershing nuclear missile.

Some of his most poignant memories of service are ones to which veterans of most eras can relate, even if they weren’t drafted. Parker shares stories about life in the barracks, surprises on guard duty and the persistent, long-term constipation he suffered during his first weeks in military training. He even illustrates a two-page diagram about the ideal way to shine his Vietnam War-era boots (by lighting the polish on fire).

Parker offers an insight into what life was like for both an enlistee in training (he never gets sent to Vietnam) and as an officer in charge of drafted and volunteer enlisted men. In this role, many current and former company grade officers will notice that very little has changed, but what’s most interesting about Parker’s story is where his short Army career takes him. Toward the end of his service, he was appointed officer in charge of military funerals for Northern Texas, Oklahoma and Western Arkansas at a time when the Vietnam War was nearing its peak.

Despite his earlier failures to graduate, Parker would return to college after serving in the Army, attending the University of Georgia and getting a master’s of fine arts from Brooklyn, New York’s prestigious Pratt Institute. He started working for Marvel Comics in the late 1970s after finishing college. His comic work includes lettering and inking for some of Marvel’s all-time greats, such as Captain America, the Hulk and Spider-Man.

“Drafted,” Rick Parker’s humorous and thought-provoking reflections on his Vietnam War-era service in the U.S. Army, is in bookstores now.

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