The Complete Cpl Kev

Cpl Kev chronicles a day in the life of a Cold War soldier - but not the glamorous shooting-and-exploding kind of experience you'll find in the movies. Cpl Kev's view of military life comes from the comfort of a file clerk's chair. He's a soldier more likely to wield a typewriter than a machine gun. Stationed at the hem of the Iron Curtain, he protects the free world while also juggling a dizzy wife and a devious cat at home. The comic strip, created by cartoonist K.D. Boze, appeared in the European edition of “Stars & Stripes” from 1982 to 1984, while he was stationed with the 103rd Military Intelligence Battalion in Wuerzburg, Germany. The U.S. was knee-deep in the Cold War at the time. Like most people who grew up in the Atomic Age, Cpl Kev and his cohorts thought war with the Russians seemed inevitable. In the event of an actual war, those of the Fightin’ 103rd were not expected to survive the conflict; they were expected to hold out for as long as they could. It was a situation that cried out for a little bit of humor. This semi-autobiographical comic follows the adventures of Kev, Sue, Captain Stache, the Old Sarge, and everyone's favorite cat, Psycho. On the 30th anniversary of the strip's last installation in "Stars and Stripes," you now can read all of the strips, compiled for the first time into one book, complete with new cartoon art, an introduction and commentary by the artist. Cpl Kev also has his own Facebook page!

K.D. Boze is an award-winning cartoonist who makes his home in Seattle.