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Pride of Baghdad Paperback – January 2, 2008
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"Lavishly drawn, and devastating…. Vaughan has his marvelously imagined characters debate the concept of freedom versus desire for safety…the total effect is memorable."—Publishers Weekly
"This is an important work, strongly recommended for all adult collections."—Library Journal
"Seems destined to cement the reputation of Brian K. Vaughan as one of the best writers to grace the medium in many years."—Variety
The startlingly original look at life on the streets of Baghdad during the Iraq War inspired by true events arrives in a stunning new softcover edition. In his award-winning work on Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina (one of Entertainment Weekly's 2005 Ten Best Fiction titles), writer Brian K. Vaughan has displayed an understanding of both the cost of survival and the political nuances of the modern world. Now, in this provocative graphic novel, Vaughan examines life on the streets of war-torn Iraq. The experience is made all the more evocative by the lush, spectacular artwork of Niko Henrichon.In the spring of 2003, a pride of lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during an American bombing raid. Lost and confused, hungry but finally free, the four lions roamed the decimated streets of Baghdad in a desperate struggle for their lives. In documenting the plight of the lions, Pride of Baghdad raises questions about the true meaning of liberation - can it be given, or is it earned only through self-determination and sacrifice? And in the end, is it truly better to die free than to live life in captivity?
- Print length136 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherVertigo
- Publication dateJanuary 2, 2008
- Dimensions6.69 x 0.31 x 10.12 inches
- ISBN-101401203159
- ISBN-13978-1401203153
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About the Author
Niko Henrichon is a Canadian comic book artist best known as the artist of the critically acclaimed graphic novel Pride of Baghdad written by Brian K. Vaughan. His first major work was the Vertigo original graphic novel titled Barnum! written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman. Henrichon's pencils have also been seen in the pages of Superman from DC Comics, Star Wars Tales from Dark Horse Comics, and Micronauts from Marvel Comics.
Product details
- Publisher : Vertigo (January 2, 2008)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 136 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1401203159
- ISBN-13 : 978-1401203153
- Item Weight : 8.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.69 x 0.31 x 10.12 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #716,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #767 in Historical & Biographical Fiction Graphic Novels
- #962 in Literary Graphic Novels (Books)
- #1,800 in DC Comics & Graphic Novels
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Brian K. Vaughan is the Eisner Award-winning writer of Y: THE LAST MAN, EX MACHINA, RUNAWAYS, and PRIDE OF BAGHDAD. His newest work, with artist/co-creator Fiona Staples, is SAGA, an ongoing sci-fi/fantasy series from Image Comics that The Onion's A.V. Club called, "the emotional epic Hollywood wishes it could make." Vaughan lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer on various film and tv projects, including three seasons on the hit series LOST.
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I've noticed other reviewers complaining that this story seems "thin." Well, I agree to the extent that it only takes about an hour to read. (Although you could spend hours examining the artwork.) However, not all great stories need to last hours and hours. I honestly think that there is no graphic novel writer today who does characterization better than Brian Vaughan. In only a short 136 pages, many of which are nearly absent of dialogue, Vaughan makes the reader completely emotionally invested in each of the four main characters. Vaughan's ability to make the reader identify is absolutely uncanny and the only thing I can think to compare it with is Grant Morrison's We3. The plotting and dialogue are both adequate for the task, but this is really a story about characters.
The only complaint I can muster is that Pride of Baghdad pretty much hits you over the head with the author's politics. Usually, this is a complete turn off for me, even if I happen to agree with the author's message. In this case, however, Vaughan does service to both view points on several political issues before letting you know where he stands. Most importantly though, I think he leaves some grey room. Most importantly, the viewpoints are all presented as reasonable in their own right. Like Ex Machina, this is a story for adults who are willing to think a little.
There is nothing to flaw this book, but I would say if you don't like seeing animals being hurt - then be prepared. Honestly, I'm one of those people who cannot stand watching/reading seeing animals being hurt but do not flinch when, for example, I see the same happen to a human in a movie or book. But, the art is so good and not overly graphic, and the story cannot be missed.
Considering the animals are given such personality, I was saddened by the story but it wasn't too much of a kick in the guts so don't be put off by what potentially might happen to the pride of lions. Given it is something different to the usual 'capes and cowl' books, you should not miss this.
A MUST BUY!
First, what works: as I said, it's a very clever idea and by and large it works. 'Pride of Baghdad' functions as something of a modern allegory about war and is largely successful at not coming across like a polemic. It's hamfisted at times (more on that later), but rarely distractingly so. I've read some reviews that criticize BKV's dialogue, which I thought was just fine and totally suited to the story. One reviewer in particular called 'Pride' out for making its characters too human, which made the story unbelievable or too cartoonish. I feel you couldn't miss the point by a wider margin. This *is* a cartoon, no different in style than, say, 'The Lion King.' Of course, substantively the two works couldn't be more dissimilar, and 'Pride' mostly succeeds at living up to its conceit.
What really floored me about 'Pride,' however, was the art, which was masterfully rendered, from the inking style to the subdued (but incredibly visually compelling) colors. I was impressed by the artist's take on the animals, and how well he was able to imbue them with intelligence and humanity, which went a long way toward making this book work. Even more impressive, however, was the depiction of Baghdad itself. The city really came to life, and became as much a compelling character as our four protaganists. Honestly, I would say this book is worth the cover price for the artwork alone, which is why it's getting four stars rather than three.
Where the book doesn't quite work is its ending. Now, I fully understand that the way things go down is meant to represent the senselessness of war and the thoughtlessness of its perpetrators, and for that to work, what happens *should* be sudden and disorienting. Here, however, it simply doesn't quite work. Such endings can be sudden and disorienting and feel like a sock in the gut while still feeling emotionally satisfying. You can ever trick or shock the reader as long as it feels earned. Unfortunately, that's not the case here, and the reader is left feeling sort of jerked around. I'm pretty much always down on works that don't reward the audience (in some way--it doesn't have to be via a happy ending) for their emotional investment. In the worst cases, if there is no reward, you just feel sort of used, the butt of a particularly mean practical joke. You feel like the author wasn't engaging in good faith and doesn't respect your intelligence. I'm not going to say that 'Pride' is quite so demeaning or deceitful as all that, but the ending doesn't feel earned, and there is no emotional payoff. It's also where the book is the most heavy handed, where it comes closest to bludgeoning the reader with its perspective on war and humanity.
More thorough characterization would have gone a long way toward making 'Pride' more successful. I wish that our protagonists had been given a bit more room to breathe, so that when they finally meet their untimely demise, it hits us like it should. There's also the unfortunate problem of using rape as an easy substitute for back story, which the media in general and comics in particular seem to do a rather lot. (This is a topic I hope to explore further in the near future.) I also wish that BKV had given just a fraction of humanity and character to the faceless soldiers at the end, since doing so would have complicated things in a meaningful way--if we relate to the villains, if we see them as human, it is harder to dismiss them. If we see the villains as aspects of ourselves, we are forced to engage with them. By making the US soldiers literally faceless, 'Pride' makes such moral gray area impossible.
Top reviews from other countries
Great storytelling too! Short read though, that is why it is 4 stars.