570 SHUSTER, JOE
Starbucks coff ee shop, the shop explodes. Th e explosion, a result of a terrorist attack,
has Burns in the right place at the right time, capturing it on video. Global News, a
world-wide media conglomerate, gets the feed from his site and broadcasts it, making
Burns an instant celebrity hounded by other media.
After the typical rounds of interviews with print and television personalities, Burns
agrees to work for Global News, the epitome of the media entities critiqued by his
anticapitalistic blogs. However, working from the inside to expose the gritty underbelly
of life appeals to Jimmy, so he accepts. He is hooked on the adrenaline rush that comes
with war reporting.
In pursuit of the ultimate war story, Jimmy Burns and a military crew head to Baghdad
but get shot down and captured by the terrorist group, Th e Sword of Mohammed.
Convincing the group to let him live by broadcasting their message live, Burns becomes
the media outlet for the group. With this new role, Burns is released and fi nds himself
back in his hotel awaiting contact with a new producer but is given an ultimatum—
broadcast the group’s messages or face the consequences.
As Shooting War continues, the plot has Burns encountering a variety of attacks, all
controlled by the Sword of Mohammed. Torn between doing what is right and report-
ing the news, he realizes that he has become the media pawn for the group. Th is troubles
Burns, but also intrigues him as a journalist. Another prominent journalist, Dan Rather
(now reporting for the Dallas Mavericks), works with Burns to help him realize that
reporting is more than just uncovering the facts, but being able to do the right thing for
the good of society. Rather, in a tense battle scene, ends up saving Jimmy in a heroic turn
of events that could have ended both of their lives. At the end of the book, Burns stands
on his own and becomes an independent journalist in order to report breaking stories
throughout the world.
Th e book satirizes media exploitation, truth, politics, and corruption of power. It
also shows the power of public journalism and its responsibility to both society and
the citizens who watch it. As Marshall McLuhan famously said, “the medium is the
message.” In this case, the message in Shooting War is one of caution because things are
not always as they appear to be.
Selected Bibliography: For more information on Shooting War, go to, http://www. shooting
war.com.
Alec R. Hosterman
SHUSTER, JOE (1914–92). Joe Shuster is the co-creator (with Jerry Siegel) of Super-
man. Shuster was born in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Growing
up, Shuster was a fan of the Wash Tubbs comic strip and the pulp illustrations of Frank
Paul. Shuster would draw on his mother’s breadboard on old wallpaper, packages, and
anything else he could fi nd. At Alexander Hamilton Junior High School, Joe drew com-
ics for the school newspaper, Th e Federalist. At Glenville High School, Shuster was in-
volved with set design for the drama club and won a cartoon contest about Th anksgiving.
