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thedrifter
03-23-09, 05:12 AM
ESCONDIDO: Iraq veteran writes graphic novel with dark, domestic theme

By RENEE RAMSEY - For the North County Times

ESCONDIDO ---- Tyler Jones of Escondido still has nightmares about his tour as a Marine in Iraq, but it is a domestic nightmare that is the futuristic theme of his first graphic novel.

"It's pure chaos," Jones, 27, an honor student at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, said about his serialized comic book novel entitled "Land of Confusion."

The graphic novel is set in a dark future in lawless Orange County.

"It's intense," Jones said. "There is no happy moral."

MiraCosta College is where Jones met fellow students Monica Roussel of San Diego and Tommy Arseneau of Vista, who joined him two years ago for the project.

Roussel is the illustrator for the graphic novel series. Arseneau is the letterer. Jones' wife, Escondido artist Vanessa Alderson-Jones, is the colorist.

The series, composed of 10 32-page comic books, has not yet been completed, and the four now are in search of a publisher, Jones said.

They will be at a preview comic book signing and original art sale from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at 2Spoons Coffee Company. The independently owned coffee house is located at 3829 Plaza Drive in Oceanside.

"I started reading comics as a kid," Jones said at Escondido Joe's in downtown Escondido last week, another coffee shop where he often writes.

He became a fan of graphic novel writers Will Eisner ("The Spirit"), Neil Gaiman ("Sandman") and Alan Moore ("Watchmen").

"I think the graphic novel as a medium can portray more compelling stories," said Jones, who is pursuing a double major in literature and creative writing.

Graphic novels have become a mainstream phenomenon in recent years, aided by Hollywood's adaptation of Frank Miller's "Sin City" series as a critically acclaimed movie and Moore's "Watchmen" series as a box office hit.

Jones has added a twist to the long-form medium of graphic novels.

"I think this is the first graphic novel with a soundtrack," he said about "Land of Confusion," named after the Genesis song. Other books in the series are named for popular songs, too, as the theme for each and as a guide for those who want to listen to music as they read, he said.

The title of one 32-page comic book in his series is subtitled "Welcome to the Jungle" after the Guns N' Roses song. Another is subtitled "One" after the Metallica song. Another is "The Beginning of the End" after the Nine Inch Nails song.

Jones served in Iraq during his tour with the Marines from 2002 until 2006.

"I have nightmares, but I'd willingly do it again," he said about his tour.

The main characters in his series include four former Marines who face multiple threats from various factions. But the setting is not a foreign, but Southern California battleground with "no real hard and fast law other than vigilantism," Jones said.

Ellie