Customer Reviews

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Comics have come a long way, even since the sixties when intellectuals started taking Batman, Superman, and Spiderman seriously. _Maus_ by Art Spiegelman, for instance, was the serious story of Spiegelman's father in the Holocaust, and Spiegelman's problematic relationship with him; it was a quietly magnificent history and memoir, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. _From Hell_ by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell was an examination of Jack the Ripper's story that was as dense as a novel, and with lots of reference notes to boot. If you have been watching comics climb in respectability, they have just mounted upon another rung. It is hard to class _The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation_ (Hill and Wang) by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón as a comic book, for it certainly is deadly serious rather than comic, and it isn't a "graphic novel", the category by which the genre goes now. It is the famous _Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States_ but told in the comic book form. The original prose work, widely praised and even nominated for a National Book Award, was a bestseller when it came out in July 2004. It had 600 pages, while the current one has 133.

Yet this is a condensation of the report, not a dumbing-down of it. Most of the words in it (in the san-serif capitals traditional to comics) come directly from the original report, which is in the public domain. There are some pages that could not have been done better in any format. The book starts with a timeline, four rows extending for twelve pages, counting off the hours of that morning for each of the four flights. The atrocities within each plane and each flight's violent end are drawn, and all readers following the streams will try to remember what was going on at the same time in their own lives that day, and when they started hearing about the crashes. Following one timeline is another, similar one for each plane, showing the "Awareness, Notification, and Response" of flight controllers, the FAA, NORAD, and the air defense sector of the region. Along with maps, these timelines make the flow of the events of the morning comprehensible. The style of the drawings is obviously that of the comic books in which both authors are experienced. These are not young guys promoting a new version of their art. Jacobson, 76, created the "Richie Rich" series and was the editor of Harvey Comics. Colón, 75, drew Richie, and also Casper the Friendly Ghost, before moving on to the more superhero-themed DC Comics. The book sticks to the original report, although it includes imagined pictures of events that happened within the airplanes and within the towers for which there is no documentation. Necessarily, the book does show that people working within agencies of the government were acting at cross purposes at times during the day, just as the FBI, CIA, and military intelligence had failed in the preceding months to share information rather than hoarding it. The confusion of first responders because of the inadequate communications between them is another illustrated failing. One part of the story violates the comic book rule of showing rather than telling; a caption showing a burning and crumbling tower says, "As time grew short and desperate, civilians leaped from the North Tower upper floors." The artists could not bring themselves to draw such an occurrence.

Of course, as in the original report, there are obvious targets for blame, though the commission admitted it was writing "with the benefit and the handicap of hindsight". With its historic view, Clinton does not get let off the hook, although among the difficulties he had in taking action is listed his preoccupation with his impeachment. The commission's view of how well the current government has done in implementing its recommendations is the last page of the report, and it looks like it gets a D. The phrase "constructive criticism" was coined for an effort such as the commission's, and the comic book version can only help get the word out. "Respectful" is not a word usually associated with the comics, but the authors here have shown respect to the report and to the nation that was under attack that day. They have made a useful and unique book to help us understand the events before, during, and after 9/11.

I wasn't one of the millions who read the historic 9/11 commission report issued several years ago--or even purchased one. I had no desire to plow through over 500 pages of information and I wonder how many people read the entire document. When I learned about this graphic novel treatment and that it accurately reflected the full report, I ordered a copy.

I'll admit that I don't read many graphic novels but I read every frame and every page of this document. It is a sobering account of the state of preparedness of the United States for a terrorist attack. According to the national chairman and vice chairman of the 9/11 commission, this book is reflective of the tone and spirit of the original report.

Authors Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon have served the broad public with this well-done book. I recommend it for readers of all ages.

I am a real fan of serious graphic novels and the use of the form to add power to the communication through words. If you have read, or tried to read, the official 9/11 Report you probably struggled in trying to organize and visualize all the detail conveyed in the words. I thought the report was very well written, but it is still hundreds of pages long and has a great amount of information that is easy to let slip into a cloud.

The authors of this graphic adaptation have long experience in telling stories in comic books and are masters of the form of the graphic novel. As they read the official report they soon realized that they could use their skills to make the information more accessible to more people. Thomas Kean, the former chairman of the 9/11 commissions said of this project "when I first heard about it, I was very concerned. But when I looked at it, it was absolutely accurate." Chair Kean and Vice-Chair Hamilton thought enough of this work to provide the foreword in this book.

I have to say that when I first heard about this book, I had no idea what it was. Would it be an abridged version of the report with photos? When I saw what it was and read it I was most impressed by the amount of information it conveys and how the pictures aid understanding, clarify timelines and activities, and add to the emotional impact of the report.

This is not a dumbed down version of the report, nor does it change the meaning of the report, nor does it editorialize on what it says. This means that the strengths and weaknesses of the report are the strengths and weaknesses of this book. Where you agree with the report (or disagree), you will agree (or disagree) with this graphic adaptation. I think this is a terrific achievement and increases the value of the book. Certainly, the official version has more material than could be presented here (but there is a LOT here - just some of it conveyed in pictures) and must be consulted if you want to debate or criticize the report. Because the authors (artists?) of this book keep the same organization as in the official report, it is easy to compare the two.

Honestly, this is an important part of American history and the official report is important to know. If you have found the official report a challenge, read this version. Get your kids to read it. Have a family discussion about it with everyone reading from this graphic adaptation. We will all be better off when everyone is aware of what really happened that day and what led up to it. Getting pieces of the story or speculation from TV and blogs really are not enough. I showed this book to some college students and they were quite enthusiastic about it and expressed a strong desire to read it because of its presentation format. While I would wish that reading a few hundred pages of text would not be too daunting for such students, the reality in our visual age is that this book will likely be read by more people than the official text (regardless of the number purchased of the official version - remember purchased does not equal read).

I saw a quote from the great Stan Lee and feel that it deserves to be quoted, "Never before have I seen a nonfiction book as beautifully and compellingly written and illustrated as "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation". I cannot recommend it too highly. It will surely set the standard for all future works of contemporary history, graphic or otherwise, and should be required reading in every home, school, and library." Well, is that strong enough for you?

Thanks to the authors for doing this, for the chairs of the commission for looking it over to make sure it is right, and to Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux for publishing this beautifully executed work.

I have read both the original 9-11 Commission Report and this graphic adaptation. The graphic adaptation is an excellent accessory to the original report.
Although some might find the "graphic novel" look off-putting, it contains the same information in the original report in a more accessible format. The fold-out time-line of the Sept. 11 events in the hardcover edition is an excellent resource all by itself.
The softcover edition has the same information as the hardcover edition at less cost, except the softcover time-line does not fold out.
I recommend either edition for a family library...the graphic adapation for the kids, and/or for adults wanting an easy-to-scan companion to the original 9-11 Commission Report.

This review refers to "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation" by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon...

Opening with a foreword by the Chair and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission(Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton), commending the Graphic Artists for their eye opening account of the commission findings, what you will find here is an easy to understand, condensed, but accurately stated adaptation of the commission's findings and their recommendations in trying to prevent such disaster from recurring.

The book written in the format of a colorful comic book,makes it an easy and fast read for all to get a complete grip on the events leading up to, the day of, the aftermath, and the study of the who, what, where and why of the devastating attack by terrorists on 9/11/01. It starts with a timeline of the day the 4 planes were boarded and then taken over, the routes and flight numbers identified,the hijackers movements, and last radio contacts before the catastrophe. The responses by local rescue teams, and government agencies, the twin towers demise, the Pentagon crash, and the 4th plane with the heroic passengers crash in a field, are all grim reminders of that fatal day.

The investigation by the commission digs way back, decades in fact,to follow the course of terrorism. It looks to see if all that could have been done was done. It answers many questions about how Bin Laden and his thugs organized and carried out their missions. All done in hindsight, but still leaves you with a chilling feeling that if more isn't done between the various governmental agencies to communicate with each other, that this may very well happen again. After recounting the signs and the events, and the very serious recommendations for immediate changes, the final act of the commission was to give a report card of the actions and responses to the findings by Congress and the President. As commission member James R Thompson put it: "The results are dismal".

The book is an excellent clear cut look, and informative and easy read of the entire picture.It spells out the past and what may be the future.The facts. And although, done in comic book fashion, this book is no joke.'Graphic Adaptation' means just that. I found it at times very tough to take, and I couldn't read it straight through.. The images of the all too real tragedy, and bloody battles in the planes, stayed with me, for quite some time. So it may not be for everyone.

Thanx....Laurie

What an artform and what fidelity to the subject!!

I am contemplating buying more copies in the first edition just to put them away as an investment. This careful and skilled effort on such an historic topic might never be repeated; the human talent to do something like this might just not be around once the great generation behind this stops its work.

"The Commission Recommends:

WE SHOULD OFFER AN EXAMPLE OF MORAL LEADERSHIP COMMITTED TO TREAT PEOPLE HUMANELY, ABIDE BY THE RULE OF LAW, AND BE GENEROUS AND CARING TO OUR NEIGHBORS. THE VISION OF THE FUTURE SHOULD STRESS LIFE OVER DEATH: INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY."

I have never read the 9/11 Commission's report. And while I've questioned my own ability to be a fully-informed American citizen while lacking a familiarity with the contents of such an important historic document, the original report's 568 pages have always felt like an insurmountable read despite my obvious abilities as a reader. Any notion that the typical adolescent student might ever tackle those 568 pages is rather inconceivable.

In 117 pages that are presented in an inviting graphic format, comic book icons Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon -- contemporaries of my parents -- summarize and superbly illustrate the findings of the 9/11 Commission. They present the essential information from the Commission's report in a manner that makes it fully accessible to adolescents whose lives are forever going to be impacted by what happened that day, and who will participate in future decisions concerning how we might move forward in a way that we can both sustain human civilization on Earth and better fulfill the promise of America's highest ideals.

"SCHEDULED TO LEAVE NEWARK AIRPORT AT 8 O'CLOCK -- FITTING INTO THE TERRORISTS' PLAN OF FOUR FLIGHTS LEAVING AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME -- UNITED FLIGHT 93 HAD TO SIT ON THE GROUND FOR 42 MINUTES BECAUSE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC"

The book is quick to engage readers through the use of long, folding-out pages that present a graphic timeline of the events taking place simultaneously on the four highjacked aircraft and following them to their tragic conclusion. This first section concludes with a haunting illustration in which black and gray ribbons of smoke drift across the Manhattan skyline in the background and across the profile of Lady Liberty in the foreground.

The book proceeds to reveal details of the government's inability to promptly and efficiently react to the attacks, the history of the "New Terrorism," a history of previous threats and terrorist attacks against U.S. interests, and the evolution of America's counterterrorism efforts. (It is fascinating to see Bill Clinton's pre-9/11 agonizing over what collateral loss of life might be acceptable if Bin Laden had been targeted.) We also learn the details of the selection and training of the hijackers, the heroism at Ground Zero, and the eventual U.S. military response to the attacks.

It seems inevitable that a failure to assume the moral leadership recommended by the Commission will result in a continued growth of the ranks of those around the world who are opposed to U.S. interests and are willing to act violently. An example of that process, as cited by the Commission is:

"PAKISTAN'S ENDEMIC POVERTY, WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION, AND OFTEN INEFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ISLAMIST RECRUITMENT. MILLIONS OF FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY THE POOR, SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS OR MADRASSAS. MANY OF THESE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN USED AS INCUBATORS FOR VIOLENT EXTREMEISM. IN KARACHI ALONE, THERE ARE 859 MADRASSAS TEACHING MORE THAN 200,000 YOUNGSTERS."

I certainly appreciate the hard work and vision of the distinguished Americans who served on the 9/11 Commission. But I also think that Jacobson and Colon each deserve a medal for transforming the important yet impenetrable report produced by the Commission into a readily digestible record of the history surrounding the unfathomable events of September 11, 2001. I feel extremely well informed for having read their book and so thankful that this notable work provides effective access and thereby contributes significantly to the national dialogue.

It is a book that certainly belongs in every middle and high school in America.

Even if you've already read the 9/11 report, you'll learn things from this graphic novel account that you likely missed from the textual account. The illustrations are really well done and provide an excellent overview, opening new avenues for understanding the roots of 9/11 and how the attacks were carried out. Also lays out the lack of information sharing/cooperation between USG entities in the years leading up to the disaster. When I first saw this book on display I felt almost angry--how could someone make a "comic book" about 9/11? But that feeling gave way to respect as I checked out the book's contents. I hope this helps all of us understand 9/11 better and how to prevent another attack.

Comics have come a long way, even since the sixties when intellectuals started taking Batman, Superman, and Spiderman seriously. it was awesome

A tasteful, informative and extremely creative adaptation of one of the darkest days in U.S. history. I highly recommend It for its low cost, visually amazing graphic design and of course, it's storytelling value.