‘And Babies?’: The Representation of Mỹ Lai in Vietnam War Comics

The Mỹ Lai Massacre holds a special place in the history of the Vietnam War. But the events of that day have never been made coherent, with a stable place within the American popular consciousness. This paper considers the ways in which this event—and its myriad understandings and misunderstandings—is represented in popular culture in general, and in comics in particular. I perform close analyses of two comics. In “Headcount” (“Our Army at War #233” [1971]), Mỹ Lai is reimagined as Alimy, a fictional French town during the Second World War, and the massacre plays out against a different backdrop. In “Burn” (The ’Nam #75 [1992]), two Americans discuss the recent trial of Lt. Calley. My close analysis focuses on two questions: How is the Mỹ Lai Massacre used in comics? And to what end?