2001.36.12

Sub-Title: "From Cedar Falls With Love" This issue takes the form of a letter from the participant in the demolition of an entire village. The images are very different from the letter, although NAPALM is brought up, and the importance that letters were to soldiers. Cover: US Soldiers with tanks and heavy machinery/weapons in jungle. Marvel signage on upper left, and black spiderman mask on lower left.

On the last page of the comic book, it reads:INCOMING- The 'NAM is the real thing- or at least close to the real thing as we can get- in a newstand comic book bearing the Comics Code seal. Every action, every fire fight is based on fact. That doesn't mean that the 23rd Infantry was in every action we show- it does mean that, in February of 1966, a contingent of U.S. Infantry met with a mechanized group of Aussie Infantry and together they discovered a Viet Cong tunnel system, just as shown in issue #1.Further more, the events in the 'Nam happen in real time. When thirty days pass for the reader, thirty days also pass for the characters in the story. When a full year- 12 issues- have gone by of the 'Nam, characters introduced in issue #1 would have rotated back to the states, just like in the real world.Yes, we had to make some compromises. The real language used by soldiers in the field can be quite raw. The most common appellation for a new troop was not "greenie." The word itseld was printable, but the explanation gets a bit touchy. We all know that General McAuliffe didn't say "nuts" to the German commander Bastogne...Now, I can't promis that we will show everything, every action that everyone's father or brother ever took part in during the Viet Nam War. But I will promise that we will show, in basic terms, what the War was really like for those who fought in it.*Each issue has a glossary in the back: ex. NAPALM: a chemical that creates a wall of flame. Used for destroying large areas, or stubborn enemy strongpoints.This issue also includes letters to the editors.**The Marvel Signage is an illustration of an army grunt, which changes color often. Typically the background is of the flag of the Republic of South Vietnam (yellow with three red stripes), although this too can vary. The variation has no significance other than variation for variation sake. However, in 2001.36.52 and 2001.36.53, the army grunt and flag are replaced with a skull, in order to represent a special two-part series, which includes a monkey skull. This is also true in 2001.36.54-.57, in which no background appears behind the Marvel name, simply the background color from the cover art, again, signifying a special series, within the series.