From the bestselling author of The White Donkey, a heartbreaking and visceral graphic novel set against the stark beauty of Afghanistan's mountain villages that examines prejudice and the military remnants of colonialism. In this hotly anticipatednew work from Maximilian Uriarte, creator of the popular Terminal Lance comics and The White Donkey, tells a thrillingly cinematic (Publishers Weekly) story of the personal cost of war and the power of human connection. Lapis Lazuli is a rich blue semiprecious gemstone found deep in the Sar-i-sang mountains of Afghanistan's Badakhshan province. For thousands of years it has sustained the nearby mining villages, whose inhabitants lived peacefully in the mountainous landscape--until the Taliban, known in the region as the Horsemen, came to seek the riches stored deep beneath the earth. Taliban rule has turned the stone into a conflict mineral, as they steal and sell it for their own gain. At the behest of the fledgling Afghan government, seeking to wrest back control of the province, United States Marines are sent into the mountains. A platoon led by their eager and naive commander, First Lieutenant Roberts, and a stoic, fierce squad leader, Sergeant King, must overcome barriers of language and culture in this remote region to win the locals' trust, and their freedom from Taliban rule. Along the way, they must also wrestle with their demons--and face unimaginably difficult choices. A sweeping yet intimate story about brutality, kindness, and the remnants of colonialism, Battle Born: Lapis Lazuli is an epic saga from the voice of a new generation of military veterans.

The ultimate collection from Maximilian Uriarte, author of The New York Times bestselling THE WHITE DONKEY and creator of the world's most popular military comic strip. The eagerly awaited Terminal Lance Ultimate Omnibus will finally deliver the complete collection that fans of the military's most popular comic strip have been clamoring for. With over 500 strips, the collection will feature hundreds of the serialized comics published on terminallance.com, with additional comics previously published only on Marine Corps Timesnewspaper, and new, never before published comics. The Omnibus will also include Uriarte's signature blog entries and previously unpublished bonus material. Covering a wide range of topics, including the rules governing the wearing of military uniforms, the most popular (and the most disgusting) MREs, the difficulty of keeping a long-distance relationship alive across thousands of miles, and the struggles marines face upon returning home, Terminal Lance Ultimate Omnibus provides a hilarious and deeply intelligent look into every aspect of life for American marines.

A powerful, compulsively page-turning, vivid, and moving tribute to the experience of war and PTSD,The White Donkey tells the story of Abe, a young Marine recruit who experiences the ugly, pedestrian, and often meaningless side of military service in rural Iraq. He enlists in hopes of finding that missingsomething in his life but comes to find out that it's not quite what he expected. Abe gets more than he bargained for when his journey takes him to the middle east in war-torn Iraq. This is a story about a Marine, written and illustrated by a Marine, and is the first graphic novel about the war in Iraq from a veteran. The White Donkeyexplores the experience of being a Marine, as well as the challenges that veterans face upon their return home, and its raw power will leave you in awe.