Review by Ian Keogh

Ernie Nez is a Navajo, yet those he serves with in Vietnam during the 1960s US invasion refer to him as Apache, not caring when he puts them right. The title refers to graffiti they scrawl on bombs dropped on enemy locations he calls in. Despite Ernie’s denials, his Captain attributes his tracking abilities to his Native American heritage, when the truth is Ernie would prefer to be alone in the jungle than in camp with his unsavoury comrades.

We learn a lot about Ernie as everyone has assumptions about him, yet we’re shown the reality. Referred to as a killer, he has killed, but it’s an experience he learned from, and which still haunts him, shown via flashbacks to the occasion. However, how Apache Delivery Service begins is just a method of introducing Ernie, his capabilities and his attitudes. It takes a very different direction when he’s sold on a legend of Nazi gold hidden in the jungle.

Matt Kindt has collaborated with Tyler Jenkins on a number of projects, possibly because there’s something about the looseness and minimal nature of his art reminiscent of Kindt’s drawing. Absolutely everything necessary to understand what’s going on is present, but Tyler keeps things simple. The one problem with the art isn’t necessarily down to him, as the frequent reinforcing of the past is overloading the message.

While there’s a reason for the sudden switch into a treasure hunt, compared with Kindt’s usual style Apache Delivery Service is a very straightforward character study with horrific elements and no great surprises. The highlight is toward the end when the truths are revealed, and how Ernie reacts, but the result is likely to have been guessed by the more astute reader, and Apache Delivery Service ends up as moody, but not compelling.