OIF Vet, comic author and self-publisher SGT. Richard C. Meyer kindly took time from his military duties in Afghanistan to answer HeavyInk founder TJIC’s questions about No Enemy But Peace.

HeavyInk: When did you enlist?

Richard C. Meyer: I have to type fast because people are in line and my fingers are frozen since the heat went out in my tent. I enlisted in the Marines in 2000 and was stationed in Camp Pendleton. I was a machinegunner in Golf 2/5, the most decorated infantry battalion in the Marine Corps. We were the first grund unit to cross the border into Iraq the first night of the war.

HI: What were your reasons for joining?

RCM: I came from a military family and always wanted to serve. I was working at Dell Computers, bored out of my mind and I read “Black Hawk Down.” That was pretty much the inciting incident.

HI: Why the Marines, and not one of the other services?

RCM: True story. I never knew a Marine in my life, even though I had family in every other military branch. I tried to enlist in the Army, but they didn’t like that I had gotten arrested for getting in a street fight the previous year. I crossed the parking lot to the Marine recruiter and told them that story. They only cared that I didn’t lose the fight. I was at the Marine Corps recruit Depot in San Diego a few weeks later.

HI: What was your background reading comics as a kid?

RCM: Huge G.I. Joe fan. I didn’t get into other comics until I was a teenager.

HI: How many of your team-mates in Iraq and Afghanistan read comics?

RCM: In Iraq, a good deal of them read comics and many more got into comics for the first time in Iraq. Comics are perfect reading for a war zone when you never know how much time you will have. When we crossed into Iraq I had a G.I Joe comic, Danger Girl comic and Garth Ennis war comic secreted inside my pack.

HI: When did you first think that you might be interested in writing a comic book?

RCM: I always wanted to write superhero comics, but never quite made a go out of it. Immediately after the battle shown in this comic, I knew I had to write this story down. The heroics I saw from my fellow Marines were nothing short of amazing.

HI: How much of “No Enemy but Peace” is true?

RCM: 100%. Everything in the comic was either witnessed by me or recounted to me by several different witnesses.

HI: How did you make the tradeoffs between telling the tale exactly as events happened, versus making it a better story?

RCM: Excellent question. Simply put, I left out the boring parts.

HI: The comic is published by Machine Gun Bob – I’ve never heard of them. Did you form that publishing company yourself? How did that happen?

RCM: Yep, I had an offer to publish from an indy publisher, but I was basically working for peanuts. I figured that for a little extra effort, I could start my own company with my buddy and former Marine, Carlos Silva.

HI: How did you hook up with artist Martin Montiel Luna ?

RCM: I put an ad on craigslist.

HI: Having read the first five pages of previews at HeavyInk, I’m excited for the comic to arrive… but that may not be enough for me! Is there any chance of more issues? If so, what can you tell us about the story?

RCM: I’m glad you asked. “No Enemy, But Peace” is a preview of sorts for a graphic novel entitled “The Bridge.” I have 44 more pages of story about my fellow Marines in Iraq. NEBP focuses on just one of them, Sgt. Marco Martinez.

HI: What else do you want to write? More military comics? Super hero stuff? Other?

RCM: My partner and I broke into the comics industry this summer with a story in the “popgun 2” anthology from Image comics. The main character in that story, an overweight karate master named Albert Yonchi, will be the star of our next comic book, approriately titled “Yonchi.” Summer 2009.