‘Shooting War’ for graphic novel fans

  If you don’t like graphic novels you won’t like “Shooting War” by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman. If you don’t KNOW if you like graphic novels I recommend giving them a try.
  The year is 2011 and John McCain is president. The war on terror still is raging and Jimmy Burns finds himself in the right place at the right time as far as his career goes. As he films footage for a blog segment on eminent domain, the Starbucks he is standing in front of is blown to bits in another New York terrorist attack. Jimmy catches it all on video, making him an instant celebrity and getting him a job with Global News Network, which ships him off to Iraq to cover the war.
  “Shooting War” pokes fun at everyone: the war, politicians, TV news, bloggers. It’s laugh-out-loud funny at times yet still thought-provoking.
  A terrorist who captures Jimmy says he had a vision. “Allah told me ‘This man, this George Walker Bush, needs to live. He will do more for our jihad than the Godless Soviets did by one-hundredfold.’ ’’
  Readers who pay close attention are rewarded with "prediction" headlines, the news crawl on GNN reports that Elton John has died. The New York Post asks if Andre 3000 can fill Elton’s shoes. One headline reports that Tom Cruise and Mary-Kate Olsen are calling it quits.
  Though in this 2011 Elton John bites it, Larry King, Anderson Cooper and Bill O’Reilly are still kicking, with O’Reilly calling Jimmy a “commie blogger.” I don’t want to give all the funny bits away, but there are a lot ... including a screensaver of David Hasselhoff holding puppies on a computer at an Internet cafe in Iraq.
  “Shooting War,” like most graphic novels, is a quick read. It’s clever and entertaining as Jimmy Burns tries to follow his conscience in the middle of chaos.
  Anderson Cooper: “Jimmy, Thanks for being on. How were you able to get footage that no one else got?
  Jimmy Burns: “Well, Anderson, I guess I just have a knack for being in the right place when people are going to die.”