The Art of War: A Graphic Novel - Excerpt

THE ARTOF WAR

A GRAPHIC NOVEL BY

KELLY ROMANILLUSTRATED BY

MICHAEL DEWEESE

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PRAISE FOR

“ THE ART OF WAR rebrands the millennium. It melts down debased ideology, revalues cultural currency, mints strange new coin, and buys tomorrow—pawns everything you know. Money doesn’t just talk now, it fights—and it fights dirty.

“The story is relentless—its violence harsh, its sex brutal, its art graphic and unflinching. Ideas pop like cluster bomblets: some provoke thought, some sick hilarity—others are just weird and twisted. And yet, against the odds, stretched taut through the cynical mayhem, a thread of humanity persists, tenuous but unbreakable. What else could a reader ask for?”

—Jamie Delano, author of Hellblazer

“ An astounding adaptation of Sun Tzu’s ancient text that made me think about its application in an entirely new way.”

—Brigadier General (Ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis, U.S. Army

“ Imaginative, provocative, powerful, and disturbing, Kelly Roman’s THE ART OF WAR should be required reading for those concerned with the future of America and its place in the world.”

—Minxin Pei, professor of government, Claremont McKenna College

“ THE ART OF WAR is a dark, powerful, incredibly well-written story that illustrates the good, the bad, and the ugly realities of living by strategic codes—and what happens if you violate them. I found it very hard to put down.”

—Adisa Banjoko, founder, Hip Hop Chess Federation

“ Filled with demon drones, nano scouts, and genetically engineered soldiers—once I’d started it I couldn’t put it down.”

—Peter Rojas, cofounder, gdgt, Engadget, Gizmodo, Joystiq

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Illustrated by

Michael DeWeese

a GraphIc Novel by

Kelly RoMan

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the art of war: a graphic novel. Copyright © 2012 by Kelly Roman. English translation of The Art of War copyright © 1910 by Lionel Giles. M.A. All rights reserved. Printed in China. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.

HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information please write: Special Markets Department, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.

first edition

Designed by William Ruoto

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-0-06-210394-9

12 13 14 15 16 scpc 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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He spoke with a kind of rhymeless poetry,and at the end of each workday I wrotedown what he said.

They are words thatdescribe how to wage war.And they are wordsto live by.

My brother died by them.

This is their story

as much as it is

mine.

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Heaven signifies night and day,cold and heat, times and seasons.

earth comprises distances, great and small;danger and security; the chances of life and death.

The Moral Law causes the people tobe in complete accord with their ruler.


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The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.

By method and discipline are to be understood the maintenance of roadsby which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

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This was not thetown I remembered.

This womanused to be happy.


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My brother, Shane, and I used to save our money to watch horror movies here.

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With whom lie the advantagesderived from Heaven and Earth?

On which side is disciplinemost rigorously enforced?


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Which army is stronger?

On which side are officersand men more highly trained?

in which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

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it had the same sound yours didwhen you told me you ki�edsomeone for the first time.

What haened to hislife insurance? I spent it as

fast as I could.

I only started f�ling somepeace when it was gone.

They mailed me the things he kept in his o�ice. Clothes and whatnot. I put ’em in the a�ic.

you buryhim nextto mom?

Shane left his a�angements to

his employer.

No.

Yous�…

T�k me two years.


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They buried him intheir own graveyard.

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if he is taking his ease, give him no rest.

All warfare is based on deception.

When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away.

Hold out baits to entice the enemy.


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The attic was what we had instead of a tomb.

The trunk, instead of his casket.

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My father avoidedthe attic. He preferredthe basement.

He never told me how bad his tickerhad gotten. Didn’t want me to worry.

if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons willgrow dull and their ardor will be damped.

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Don’t wo�y.I’� be a� right…

Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped…

…your strength exhausted and your treasure spent…

…other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.


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…I fixed up your ride…

Go visit her, Ke�y.

Though we have heard of stupid haste in war,cleverness has never been associated with long delays.

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They hadto reconstruct

my face.

Unfortunately,they didn’t do so

g�d a job…

…on therest of

me.

My stomach becamea cold stone when Ireached Jackie’s door.

The only things I recognizedwere her eyes.


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it is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of warthat can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.

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rememberthe night beforethis ha�ened?

how wemade love?

pleaseki me.

prison wasnothing.

they should’vehanged me for

what I did to you.


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Ke�y,don’t go!

Now in order to kill the enemy,our men must be roused to anger.

There is no instance of a countryhaving benefited from prolonged warfare.

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There is no deeper sourceof anger than self-hate.

That there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.

My reward would belosing myself...

...and becomingsomeone else.


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The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.This is called using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.

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in war, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate...

…the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.


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Times Square. Times sure had changed.

in the practical art of war, the best thing of allis to take the enemy's country whole and intact.

To shatter and destroy it is not so good.

Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

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One free library left.

Broken teeth littered the pathto the free computers.

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He�o,Mr. Gates?

I’mShane Roman’s

brother.

You gottime forlunch?

I read aWa� Str�t Journalarticle that said you

worked with Shane andt�k over for him

when he died.


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There’s analgorithm expre�ed

in the way bs dance that co�unicates where

the honey is.

Your brother usedit to predict volatilityin the po�ution credit markets. Trench made

a fortune.

Shane madeenemies. He holed up

somewhere, no one saw or heard from him for months. He died his

first day back in the o�ice. By then half the financial industry

was studying insects.

Some foundsu e�, but nothing

like your brother’s. it’s t bad he didn’t live

long enough toco�ect his share

of the profits.

You s, if youdie serving Trench,

your profits are inherited by the firm’s

sole investor.

tHe People’sRepublic of

China.

The B�sAlgorithm.

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We managemost of the Chinese

government’s sovereign wealth, the money it sets

aside for investmentaround the world.

Vespoid managesthe wealth of India

and the Vatican. Paulson manages what’s left of

Medicare and Social Security for the

United States.

As you canimagine,the financialmarkets have become

militarized.

The general, unable to control his irritation,will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants.

the skillful leader subduesthe enemy's troops without any fighting.

He captures their cities without laying siege to them. He overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.

New York and the U.S.Government are so desperate

for taxes, they turn a blind eye to the ho�or. That’s the only reason the funds are in New York. No one

interferes with us here.


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Give me ahard copy of your

resume. Trench likesmilitary men, especia�y

those with legacy.

’’

This is the method of attacking by stratagem.

I’d like toknow howmy brother

died.

The su�e� of a fund’s portfolio often determines

how much the investor nation can spend on its military or infrastructure or health

care in a given year.

Competitors wi� do their best to extract

information from you.

The fate of theirnation depends on it.

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He died athis desk doingwhat he loved.

it is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him.

I wish Icould say hefelt lile

pain.

if five to one, to attack him.

YOu know,I’m su�enly

f�ling alile…

if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.

if equally matched, we can offer battle.


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Mr. Gates,your eyes,and your…

Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force,in the end it must be captured by the larger force.

Now the general is the bulwark of the State.

if the bulwark is complete at all points, the State will be strong.

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if the bulwark is defective,the State will be weak.


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I’d been vaccinated for every disease on the planetbut it didn’t matter. The blood on me carried no pathogen.

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He wasour only

shot.

We'� beOK…You did

your best…Let'sgo home.


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My nameis Cato. I’m from

Trench Human Resources.We found your resume

in Mr. Gates’s jacket.

’’

I wouldlike to interview

you.

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He will win whose army is animatedby the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

How manyenemy combatants

did you ki� as amember of Sub

Space Ops?

That’scla�ified.


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One of our portfolio companies produces gene

therapies for Sub Space Ops…I’m pu�ing your file…You ki�ed two thousand, nine hundred

and fifty five.

You have streaming experience reca�,

heightened learning ski�s, retinal implants, low frequency hearing, antifr�ze bl�d, resin

bone, low oxygen muscle fiber.

And yourfingernails and

toenails are implants made of bleached,

reinforced obsidian,fused to the bone.

Why don’tyou te� me about

the friendly fire incidentfor which you were

imprisoned.

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We were sent to destroysomething in the desert.

I had a ritual before combat.Grain alcohol mixed with

powdered ca�eine. Started after I clocked my thousandth ki�.

A sand storm came up.

I opened fire in the wrong direction.


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Our fieldmedic, Lieutenant

Jackie Grady.

I riedher apart.

Congratulations,Mr. Roman. We’ve reached the final stage of the

interview.

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At this pointI n�d to reveal

confidential information related to Trench busine� practices. Please sign this

if you would like to proc�d.

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

This injectionwi� map the areaof your brain that

wi� rememberthe next sixty

minutes.

At the endof the interview,

I’� give you a second injection that wi� erase your memory

of the ma�edtime.

if you know the enemy and know yourself,you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.


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| 52

if you te� methis number I wi� stop

the interview and you cango back home to Ohio.

Refuseto te� me the

number, and you’� be hired.

I’m goingto ask you for

the number morethan once.

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You’re ki�ing…right?

if you know yourself but not the enemy,for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

I derive nopleasure from this,

Mr. Roman. We do this because the Chinese economy depends onthe quality of our

fund managers.

You may ormay not ch�seto participate.

it doesn’tma�er to me

what you decide.


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What’s the number,Mr. Roman?

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Your sonmay be a while

longer. Have somemore tea.

if you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.


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The Art of War: A Graphic Novel - Excerpt