Gothic War on Terror: Killing, Haunting, and PTSD in American Film, Fiction, Comics, and Video Games (Palgrave Gothic)

After 9/11, the world felt the “shock and awe” of the War on Terror. But that war also exploded inside novels, films, comics, and gaming. Danel Olson investigates why the paranormal, ghostly, and conspiratorial entered such media between 2002-2022, and how this Gothic presence connects to the most recent theories on PTSD. Set in New York/Gotham, Afghanistan, Iraq, and CIA black sites, the traumatic and weird works interrogated here ask how killing affects the killers. The protagonists probed are artillery, infantry, and armored-cavalry soldiers; military intelligence; the Air Force; counter-terrorism officers of the NYPD, NCIS, FBI, and CIA; and even the ultimate crime-fighting vigilante, Batman. Acknowledgements 7 Praise for Gothic War on Terror 11 Contents 13 About the Author 16 List of Figures 17 Part I: Introduction: The Sandstorm of War 21 Chapter 1: Interpreting Gothic Presence Inside the Global War on Terror’s Novels, Comics, Movies, and Video Games Via Trauma Theory 22 References 48 Part II: Novels 52 Chapter 2: Jess Walter’s The Zero (2006): Terrorism, Lovers, & WTC Apparitions 53 Critical Reception 53 Autoimmunity Disease 56 Ghosts 67 Torture 79 Interrogation 88 Ghost Bars and Familiar Strangers 96 Conclusion 99 References 100 Chapter 3: J. Robert Lennon’s Castle (2009): Behaviorism, Protégés, & Ghost Detainees 105 References 123 Chapter 4: Joyce Carol Oates’ Carthage (2014): Death, Maidens, & Revenant Witnesses 126 Frankenstein’s Creature 137 References 149 Part III: Comics 152 Chapter 5: Rick Veitch and Gary Erskine’s Army@LOVE (2007–2009): Recruitment, Orgies, & Hairy Monsters 153 References 166 Chapter 6: Kyle Baker’s Special Forces (2009): Jihad, Infantrywomen, & Orphan Kidnappers 169 References 177 Chapter 7: Frank Marraffino and Henry Flint’s Haunted Tank (2009–2010): Bastards, Civil War, & Spectral Generals 178 References 187 Chapter 8: Tom King and Mitch Gerads’ The Sheriff of Babylon (2015–2016): Contracting, Insurgents, & Dead Policemen 189 References 201 Part IV: Films 203 Chapter 9: Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005): Vigilantism, Poison, & Mad Doctors 204 The Rat, the Cat, and the Bat 204 The Dark Knight Trilogy 206 Orphans and Ghosts 212 Doctors and Flashbacks 214 References 225 Chapter 10: Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008): Interrogations, Lies, & Anarchic Jokers 228 Torture and the Force Drift 230 References 246 Chapter 11: Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Prisons, Bombs, & Catalytic Catwomen 249 References 256 Chapter 12: Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022): Assassinations, Gangs, & Conspiracist Riddlers 258 References 264 Part V: Video Games 265 Chapter 13: Gonzalo Frasca’s Kabul Kaboom! (2002) and September 12th: A Toy World (2003): Motherhood, Blood, & Mortar Gunners 266 References 275 Chapter 14: Cory Davis and Francois Colon’s Spec Ops: The Line (2012): CIA, Renegades, & Missing Civilians 278 References 284 Chapter 15: Juan Benito and Jaime Griesemer’s Six Days in Fallujah (2022): Marines, Doors, & Furious Phantoms 286 References 300 Part VI: Coda 303 Chapter 16: Debriefing 304 References 309 Closer to Carthage: An Interview with Joyce Carol Oates (Conducted 15 July 2022 and Original to This Volume) 310 Index 316