BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
Frank Marraffino's reintroducing the Haunted Tank to the world through Vertigo, but Confederate J.E.B. Stuart's in for a culture shock, when the descendant he come to the aid of in Iraq is African-American. In fact, Stuart refuses to believer that Jamal Stuart is his relation. Of the legendary commander's spirit, Marrafino said, "Ghosts are great, but they can be pretty darn confounding when it comes to figuring out what they want and why they're bothering you. Not so with J.E.B. Stuart's ghost. He lays it out straight why he haunts – to help G.I.'s kick a lot more ass!"


THE PULSE: The Haunted Tank hasn't been the star of his own series in decades. A lot of modern comic readers might just have heard of the concept, but not know much more. When did you first discover The Haunted Tank? What do you remember the most about your first exposure to J.E.B. Stuart's ghost?

FRANK MARRAFFINO: Without a doubt it was Joe Kubert's knock-out covers for the series that burned the concept into my soul. Those covers are immediately eye-catching because of their design elements, but then you're stunned by just how dramatically with one image he's able to convey both the dynamic physical dangers and the internal moral dilemmas that the characters will suffer through inside the book. Amazing stuff. We're super fortunate that this version of Haunted Tank also boasts having a Joe Kubert cover.

THE PULSE: What was it about this "spirited" concept that stood out in your mind from others of its kin?

MARRAFFINO: You said it! Ghosts are great, but they can be pretty darn confounding when it comes to figuring out what they want and why they're bothering you. Not so with J.E.B. Stuart's ghost. He lays it out straight why he haunts – to help G.I.'s kick a lot more ass! That's the kind of spectra that you can really get behind, the one who ends up haunting your enemy worse than you!

THE PULSE: How did you get the chance to modernize the series for a whole new audience?

MARRAFFINO: Placing it during the Iraq War was a start. It's a whole new conflict with a new tank and a new crew, not all of who are so easily impressed with J.E.B.'s past exploits or his current reappearance. Just featuring characters with modern sensibilities really separates this new version of Haunted Tank, but the interesting thing is that many of the difficulties they struggle with have eerie similarities to those that soldiers in earlier campaigns have faced.

THE PULSE: You've taken the story from World War II to the current conflict in Iraq. How did Jamal Stuart come to find his tank haunted now? What events set J.E.B. Stuart's ghost back in motion?

MARRAFFINO: There's a war going on and a Stuart is involved, so J.E.B. wants in on that action. Jamal has a bit of trouble not noticing that a 170-year old Spirit of the South is pulling his bacon out of the frying pan. It's just too bad that J.E.B. and Jamal don't need an enemy to start a fire.

THE PULSE: I'd imagine J.E.B. Stuart's ghost is a little shocked to see his ancestor this time around is an African-American, especially since he viewed all African-American's as slaves during his lifetime. How does he react to seeing Jamal at the helm of the tank?

MARRAFFINO: Well, J.E.B. doesn't buy into your idea that Jamal is his relation. But the possibility of it does get J.E.B. thinking about all sorts of preconceived notions he holds dear. Jamal won't make it easy for him, being more than happy to point out the error of J.E.B.'s thinking. At the end of the day though, Jamal is a fellow fighter in the foxhole, and there's a whole bunch of Iraqi chickens that need plucking.

THE PULSE: Speaking of react, how does Jamal keep his marbles when he starts being visited by this apparition? I'd imagine he'd be thinking about the men in white coats coming for him, not gray ones ....

MARRAFFINO: Jamal's anger and frustration at the situation he's in keeps him from reflecting too esoterically. In war, you're so busy trying to stay alive and complete your mission that you tend not to concentrate too hard on all of the various weird events that occur. But being in the middle of battle can cause men to go bonkers, regardless of just how dead their compatriots are.

THE PULSE: A good general is a good general, but these times of modern warfare are a lot different from even what happened in World War II; what makes J.E.B. Stuart still an asset to someone like Jamal Stuart?

MARRAFFINO: Therein lies the story. J.E.B. finds himself in the unfamiliar position of having to prove his value to the tank commander and that he will indeed be an asset. At times his choices reflect poorly on that proof. I think Jamal might leave off the last two letters of the designation you give to J.E.B. and call it a day.

THE PULSE: What are some of the biggest challenges to making a ghost story like this feel realistic, especially against the backdrop of Iraq?

MARRAFFINO: It helps that our ghost was an actual living, breathing historical figure. Some of the actions that the real J.E.B. Stuart was involved in are a little unbelievable in a "you can't make this stuff up" kind of way, which is a characteristic that has been in evidence during recent events in Iraq. It's a natural fit, really.

THE PULSE: Have you talked with anyone who fought in Iraq about this series? What kind of research did you do to make this feel authentic, even if ghosts are involved?


MARRAFFINO: I've immersed myself in scores of first-hand accounts from the soldiers on the ground and in the tanks over in Iraq to gain an understanding of their outlook, attitude, and observations. Crash courses in tank warfare, Iraq history and J.E.B. Stuart's poetry have helped round out the realism, but frankly, a lot of the authenticity comes down to the efforts that Henry Flint has made to get it right. To get the details correct. And let me tell you - he has.

THE PULSE: What was great about a lot of the original Haunted Tank tales were the stories were done-in-one types. Do you plan on following that format with this Vertigo series or will you be doing more extensive types of tales?

MARRAFFINO: Actually yeah, while the relationships develop and the conflicts grow over the course of the series, our tales are almost all self-contained. You get a full story in each issue. Of course, reading them all gives you a broader perspective on the complete picture and the differing views you can look at it from, just as it is with any moment in history and the more you study it.

THE PULSE: What's it like collaborating with artist Henry Flint on this story?

MARRAFFINO: It's like studying at the feet of Napoleon or Patton. Henry looks out over the field of battle and immediately understands the quickest path to a decisive victory. His storytelling instincts are devastating on the page and even in the panel. West Point should begin to include Henry's Art of War (Comics) in their course catalogue. And while I'm at it, let me just mention that with Lee Loughridge delivering close-color air strikes, Travis Lanham unleashing an artillery barrage of formidable fonts, and Brandon Montclare coordinating the entire effort from the Vertigo command bunker, who needs more troops on the ground?

THE PULSE: How is creating a new chapter in The Haunted Tank different from what you established with your manga series, The Dark Goodbye?

MARRAFFINO: Both books employ different strategies for conquering this crazy world. Haunted Tank is like the regular army rolling hard and heavy, while The Dark Goodbye is more like a Special Ops affair, with artist Drew Rausch acting in stealth mode to covertly take over society from the inside.

THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?

MARRAFFINO: I'm not sure if even I have the proper security clearance for that kind of information! Let me just say this: right now my attention is focused on the conflict in Iraq, but you'll know it when I take the fight into other lands!



The Haunted Tank returns this December.