Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

The Losers: Volumes One & Two

By Andy Frisk
March 20, 2010 - 23:03

The Losers, written by Andy Diggle and penciled (mostly) by Jock, was one of the few bright spots of the early post-Sandman Vertigo years. Published in single book form from 2003-06, The Losers is a surprisingly critical (relative to 2003) take on the War on Terror and the consequences of the political machinations of big oil, CIA secret wars, and corporate mercenaries. While critical of Bush II era politics and the War on Terror itself, it is decidedly not an anti-American or military work. In fact, for being written by the British Diggle, it’s downright patriotic in many aspects towards American ideals (that is non-corporate sponsored American ideals).

The Losers is an update of an old DC Comics World War II era series and its characters. Several names are the same, but that’s where the similarities end, beyond the fact that the updated Losers are US Special Forces operatives as well. Set during the height of the early 2000’s War on Terror years, The Losers follows the exploits of a group of Special Forces operatives who are believed to be dead. Their chopper went down in The Khyber Pass on the Afghani-Pakistani border. Not only did they survive, but as things turn out, they were actually nearly assassinated by their CIA handler, the sinister Max, for “seeing too much.” Discovering that they were set up, and needing to clear their names, while attempting to bring down the corporate big oil interests that are ruining the country from the inside out, (and having nothing to else to lose) The Losers set out to expose Max for the corrupt corporate “patriot” that he is.

Lt. Col. Franklin Clay, Cpt. William Roque, Cpl. Jake Jensen, Sgt. Carlos “Cougar” Alvarez, Sgt. Linwood “Pooch” Porteous, and Aisha al-Fadhil, take the war to Max via multiple disruptions of his plans to implement “The Project.” The Project is a shadowy, military industrial complex plot involving Middle Eastern oil, incitement of regional instability, and corporate oil (represented by the aptly, albeit fictionally, named Goliath Oil, Inc.). The deeper The Losers dig, the more deadly their involvement becomes. Along the way they tangle with Par-Sec (Paradigm Security Services) which is a thinly veiled stand in for the real life (and now renamed) Blackwater, terrorists, anti-terror operatives, and a bevy of shadowy and questionable corporate and CIA programs (one of the most controversial being The Proactive Preemptive Operations Group which is assigned to “carry out operations designed to stimulate a terrorist response”—in order to “lure” terrorists out of hiding—regardless of whether American or other innocent civilians are killed in the process). The plot intrigues and political commentary are enough to carry the series and make it an engaging and worthwhile read, but Diggle’s masterful character development solidifies the series’ readability and likability.

Dealing with some serious political and economic controversies, The Losers might have fallen into heavy handed satire or commentary that could easily have turned readers off from reading the series. Surely Diggle was aware that his chosen subjects and targets of the series might not sit well politically on everyone’s palate. Enter his masterful development of the characters comprising the cast of protagonists of the series. Each one is very well rounded and have interesting personality quirks and background stories. Easily one of the most likable characters, Jenson is a wise cracking, fast hacking, technophile who serves as hilarious comic relief. Pooch is the quintessential family man and is easily taken to heart. He’s perhaps the one character we most want to see come through the group’s mission most unscathed due to the fact that he has two small children depending on him back home. The enigmatic “strong but silent type” Cougar is perhaps the smoothest operator of the bunch, and the slightly sinister and mysterious Aisha provides plenty of inter-group intrigue. Clay, as the team’s idealistic and determined leader, rounds out the group’s demeanor and provides the driving force and ideal behind their mission. It’s easy to get caught up in the story of these characters. You desire to see them through, whether or not you agree with Diggle’s political commentary.

Artistically, The Losers is a powerful exercise in realism. Everything from the military hardware, to the vehicles (military and civilian), to the multi-national settings and architecture are portraits of authenticity. Jock’s no frills style, while pretty basic, is detailed and well choreographed enough to serve as a ready made template for a realistic translation to live action and film. It can be difficult to put together a straightforward, non-superhero or super powered linear action book, but Jock excels at leading the reader from panel to panel and page to page without confusing or losing the reader. Every firefight and chase scene plays out cinematically and clearly. This really makes The Losers easy to follow visually, and again, ripe for translation to film.

The Losers is so good and such a great success as a story, series, and movie premise because it tackles the tough question of what exactly being a patriot is. Is it blindly following through on every order issued and swallowing the “company line” wholeheartedly, or is it standing true to a fundamental principle and defying an unjust directive? There are no easy answers to these questions, but Diggle attempts to shed light on his choice of what the answer should be with intelligence and coherence. With great storytelling, great characterization, and a brilliant collaboration with Jock, Diggle might just arrive at a profound answer, regardless of how difficult an answer it might be to swallow.

Rating: 10 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12