His latest Vertigo series is the best satire since Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg with which it shares many common traits. It happens in the near future, and sex is an integral part of the satire. The abiliy of Veitch to make fun of this grave subject demonstrates his mastery of the form. The mix of Corporate America values with the life of an occupation army has relevance with the post 9/11 world as well as Vietnam or World War Two. It comments on America’s influence in a way that transcends bipartisan politics, which is the power of satire. The publishers are to be commended for daring a satire on the Afghanisatn/Iraq occupations. (Of course the occupied country is a fictional Middle East country, but this is a normal feature of satire. The humor can be all the more biting and one escapes accusations of bias)
Vertigo was losing steam a couple of years ago. It had its huge successes, like Fables and Y the Last Man, and little else. With Army@Love, American Virgin, and Crossing Mignight the line has been reinvigorated. While these titles are not necessarily best-seller they break new ground.
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