Retief!: The graphic album

John Keith Laumer (1925 - 1993) was an American science fiction author. Keith Laumer is known for the Bolo and Retief stories. Stories from the former chronicle the evolution of super tanks that eventually become self-aware through the constant improvement resulting from centuries of intermittent warfare against various alien races. The latter deals with the adventures of a cynical spacefaring diplomat who constantly has to overcome the red-tape-infused failures of people with names like Ambassador Grossblunder. The Retief stories were greatly influenced by Laumer's earlier career in the US Foreign Service. Now Keith Laumer's Retief is back in six short stories adapted to the graphic form by Dennis Fujitake and Jan Strnad. Jan Steven Strnad (sometimes credited as J. Knight) is an American writer of comic books, horror, and science fiction. He is known for his many collaborations with artist Richard Corben, as well as his work in the Star Wars expanded universe, the majority of which has been published by Dark Horse Comics. He has also written for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Eclipse Comics, and Fantagraphics Books. Fujitake was a contributor to Star-Studded Comics of the Texas Trio (1968-72) and several fanzines throughout the 1970s. He also contributed to Skywald horror titles. In the 1980s, he began working for Fantagraphics and drew 'Dalgoda', 'Dinosaurs of Summer', 'Children of the Night Tide', 'Sea Dragon' and 'Waddlewalk'. The five Retief stories include "Policy", "Sealed Orders", "Protest Note", "Saline Solution", "Ultimatum" and "The Forest in the Sky". They find Retief chafing once more against the bureaucracy of the C.D.T., Terra's galaxy-roving supra-national organization devoted to keeping the peace - or, more accurately, to maintaining a state of tension just short of armed conflict. But whenever those five-eyed Groaci start poking their sticky fingers where they don't belong, Retief handles it his way.