Customer Reviews

Pride of Baghdad

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Based on a true story, "Pride of Baghdad" is a very fictionalized account of a group of lions who escape from their zoo during the bombing of Iraq. What's true is that there was/is a war with Iraq, that the zoo was bombed, and that four lions escaped; the rest comes from the pens of writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Niko Hendrichon. To tell the story effective, Vaughan "Disneys" it by giving the animals a voice, but what starts off like another Lion King sequel soon becomes a rather dark and adult story about society and family.

The book begins in the Baghdad zoo where life is easy for Zill, his two wives (Noor and Safa) and his son Ali. Zill and Ali seem content but Noor, feeling a change in the wind, contemplates escape. When the bombs start to fall an opportunity is had and the four make their way out of the zoo and into the streets of Baghdad. The world is theirs for the time being, only the tanks in the street and the planes in the sky surround them. They have finally won their freedom; but what to do with it, where to go and what is there to eat? The four soon realize that a desert city is nothing like a grassy savanna. More challenges soon face them and the questions begged in the end might be, what is freedom, what is the cost of freedom, and can only the naive be truly free?

Written in a simple straight forward style with clean expressive art, the book doesn't try to be too clever or too smart. Vaughan excels at telling compelling simple stories with interesting premises ("Y, The Last Man" and "Ex-Machina") and "Pride" is no exception. It's meant for mature readers as there is a rape scene and some graphic violence. If it where a movie I might give it a PG-13 rating, but I would add that if kids do read this book they should have an adult to discuss it with after. The story might be simple but the theme is not and the end might have younger kids crying through the night. I don't mean to spoil anything for new readers but it's the Iraq War...right now there are no happy endings.

Graphic novels continue to stand as a new medium, only receiving serious attention for perhaps three decades. In its continuing evolution as an adult art form, Brian Vaughn's "Pride of Baghdad" stands as an excellent achievement, one of which the famous Will Eisner would doubly have look on with considerable pride.

Pride explores the current situation in Iraq through an Animal Farmesque allegory of three lions escaping the Baghdad zoo at the beginning of the current war. The three lions are actually a true tale, the animals did escape the zoo at the conflicts start, but in Vaughn's hands they come to represent a diverse points of view on the nature of life and freedom. Encountering other animals on their journey through the alien wilderness of war torn Baghdad meeting other animals with unique perspectives, such as a tortoise who remembers WWI whose family dies in the oil spills of the war. One lion who long hungered for freedom wonders as to whether it can be achieved without being earned. Another questions what they owe "the keepers," as they call human beings, who so long kept them in captivity but also saw to their needs.

The test of any work remains its story telling, whether the tale might work without the art and the degree to which the art strengthens and deepens the experience. On all of these counts, "Pride of Baghdad" succeeds as an excellent piece of work and a fine addition to both the evolution of the graphic novel as well the on going discussion of the current Middle East crisis. Those interested in the former will delight in the work, those in the latter would be missing a thought provoking opportunity if they eschewed it simply because it blends insightful words and evocative art.

As a children's librarian, my experience has been that kids can handle a lot when it comes to violence and other mature subjects. This graphic novel is far too emotional, complex, and devastating for children, but absolutely necessary reading for teens and adults. I do not say this because it is excessively or pointlessly violent. Hardly. It is beautiful and compelling. At the same time, it killed me. I thought that thought I knew right from wrong, good from evil, and captivity from freedom. As I have felt about every book I have read that has insisted that I grow up, part of me wishes I never read it.

This is a stunning book! Brian K. Vaughan keeps it simple while providing some incredibly thought-provoking moments. Niko Henrichon's art is every bit as great as anything seen in a Disney film.

It's hard to imagine that this story would not strike an emotional chord with any reader the least bit familiar with the state of foreign affairs. Regardless of what your stance may be on the U.S. occupation of Iraq, this book is a must-read.

A group of lions escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during an American bombing raid on the capital city of Iraq in April 2003. They roamed for some time before finally being gunned down by American soldiers.

Those are the facts. Brian K. Vaughan makes the story real.

"Pride of Baghdad" is an anthropomorphic tale told from the lions' point of view. Rather like "The Lion King" in its presentation (the very human expressions on the animals' faces, as illustrated beautifully by Niko Henrichon, will certainly remind you of the famed Disney animation), "Pride" does not suffer from any contractual obligation to provide a happy ending, nor does anyone burst into song.

It's impossible to know what went through the animals' minds at the time. Accustomed to zoo life, they were probably bewildered by their new freedom. And, with their natural hunting instincts blunted by years of captivity, they were likely starving. Surrounded by explosions and rubble and tanks, they were most definitely terrified. Perhaps being shot in the end was a kindness.

Vaughan has done an amazing thing with this book. It is a fanciful representation, true enough, but it is also vivid, thoughtful, passionate and at times downright brutal. If lions thought the way humans do, this would be their narrative. And Henrichon cannot be commended enough for the expressiveness he brings to the story, with highly detailed pencils and colors that glow with life.

This book isn't intended for children's eyes, but anyone old enough to drive, vote, drink or carry a gun should read it.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(net) editor

Finally, a thought-provoking book on a controversial subject that doesn't have some philosophy or another being shoved in your face. Sure, the book made me ask questions as to what I felt about the situation in Iraq but it didn't try to take a stance and say that one was right or wrong. Excellent book. The art work is beautiful and every page is just as stunning as the cover. Remove the dust-jacket and the book's cover is still remarkable with it's leather-like texture and embossed title and lion silhouettes. GREAT BUY!!

If judged solely on its artwork, Pride of Baghdad would be deserving of serious consideration as the best graphic novel of the year, so beautifully striking is Niko Henrichon's presentation of a wartorn Baghdad, as seen through the eyes of a trio of lions who've escaped from a safe, if undignified, life in captivity, only to bear witness to the utter brutality of mankind. His animals are amazingly expressive, both in their faces and their body language, as he imbues each one with a distinct personality without humanizing their features in the least. Henrichon doesn't take any shortcuts here, either, offering up lush, detailed backgrounds that firmly establish a sense of place in each scene and effectively render Brian K. Vaughan's well-intentioned dialogue unnecessary and, at times, intrusive.

Working from a nugget of truth, Vaughan attempts an ambitious bit of alchemy, embellishing the lions' tale of survival as they journey through the ravaged outskirts and streets of Baghdad -- a world gone mad, over which they have no control. As in Ex Machina, which started out strong before hiccupping on overdoses of ham-fisted political subtext, Vaughan frequently overplays the metaphor, belaboring the obvious instead of trusting Henrichon to deliver his message through the images, enough so that what should have been an instant classic is knocked down a peg or two to worthy effort status.

Henrichon's work here is absolutely revelatory, though, and deserving of every single bit of praise its earned. I'm looking forward to checking out Barnum!: In Secret Service to the USA now, which totally eluded my radar when it was published a few years back.

I had never read a graphic novel until I picked up Pride of Baghdad in response to a news story about it on National Public Radio. Brian K. Vaughan is able to pack so much substance into so few words, that this novel demands multiple readings. There are several different allegories running through this book. Most importantly (and poignantly), it begs the question of whether Iraq is truly better off as a free, yet violence-torn, nation. If I had to compare this book to anything else I have ever read, I would have to say that it is similar to The Little Prince in how it can be read on multiple different levels. Both authors convey multiple meanings using economy of language, so the books appeal to a large and diverse audience.

The art work is both beautiful and disturbing. Having never read a graphic novel before, I don't know if this is a staple of the genre or if Nico Henrichon is truly a master of the art form. Either way, the visuals are truly impressive.

In case you didn't know, Pride of Baghdad is about a pride of lions at the Baghdad Zoo who are plotting an escape by trying to form an alliance with the other animals. Just when their plan seems to fall through, a "miracle" happens (if you could call it that)-- bombs from combatants fighting the Iraq War burst open the walls of the zoo to the world putside. The two lionesses, male, and lion cub then venture outside the collapsed walls with the naivety and arrogance that they'll be back to ruling the roost as they did back in the plains of Africa. However, their enthusiasm is short-lived, as they find that the world of the "keepers"-- the hated humans who'd kept them captive for all these years-- is one of such chaos and mayhem that the zoo looks positively heavenly in comparison.

When I first learned about the concept behind this comic and its storyline, I just had to read it. Between the beautiful artwork and concept, I thought this comic was going to be fantastic; it seemed like one part Lion King, one part Watership Down, so how could it go wrong? In some ways it didn't, but in some ways it did. On the upside, the artwork and red-tinged palettes did a wonderful job of giving the comic a sense of atmosphere. As you look at the panels, you really get a feel of wartorn Iraq being a hell on earth. The characters are well delineated-- you have an old, emotionally and physically scarred lioness with one eye; a proud and intelligent male; a haughty mother who despises the older female; and her cute, little cub who meet other interesting animal characters along the way. Additionally, aspects of the story, however, flawed, are well done: I defy you not to feel even a little "twinge" at the last scene.

In spite of these strengths, there were a few flaws that kept Pride book from being much better than it could've been. The dialogue, for one, was subpar for a story of this caliber. It's not poorly written necessarily, just at times cliche, unimaginative, or pretentious to the point where you find yourself rolling your eyes occasionally at the clumsy attempts to make the lions and other animals sound philosophical and "tribal". (When one of the lions says, "I hate you, old woman," I cringed; all I could think of was the line in one of the Mama's Family skits from the 70s when Eunice says, "You're treading on thin ice, old woman.") When the dialog isn't clumsy, it's just kind of mundane. You kind of hope that with a concept like this, the animals sound a little more poetic, but they just sound "meh".

Dialogue was the least of Pride's problem, though, and could've been easily overlooked had it not been for its biggest flaw-- its short storyline. A lot of interesting philosophical questions and issues were brought up in the course of the comic. But the story ends so quickly that it doesn't even come close to exploring them, so you can't help but feel either disappointed, stunned at how quickly the story ends, or cheated. This is a concept that clearly needed another one or two volumes to tell its story; unfortunately, all it seemed to be given was a paltry chapter. It's a shame, because had Pride been allowed more space, it could've been a real masterpiece. Instead, it's a slightly above average graphic novel that's "okay", but nothing really special.

So should you read Pride of Baghdad? If you love graphic novels, of course. The story-- based on real life events-- is intriguing, the concept is original, and of course there's the well crafted artwork to ogle at. However, if you're looking for this comic to be a mind-blowingly deep, symbolic and political masterpiece, expect to be a little disappointed, as it doesn't live up to its potential.

While it's been over 20 years since the British invasion of the 80s, in which some of the best comic writers of all time such as Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and others came over and started writing in the mainstream of the United States, it's taken the US this long to catch up to many of these modern masters conceptually. However, with his first graphic novel, Brian K. Vaughn not only becomes America's answer for modern comic writing, but forces the next step in the evalution in the medium.

While the true life story of 4 lions escaping the Baghdad Zoo after US bombings and their ultimate fate seems in many ways trite and cliche, Vaughn treats his readers to a truly meaningful story about the family and how, in times of struggle and in the search for freedom, the family must perservere. Readers who pay too close of attention to the plot and the events in the book are not reading it as Vuaghn intended. This book is rife with social and political metaphor that becomes much more difficult to distinguish rather than a simple "Us vs. Them" binary.

Vaughn's concern for the characters lies in his treatment to the truth and reality of what life is really like or rather, what he envisions as a possibility for these creatures' lives. Vaughn's deep understanding for the medium allows him to say many things within a limited space of the book. Every word, every sentence, every line of dialogue in the book has meaning, even if its meaning is to have absolutly no meaning, if that makes sense. Vaughn's tale is so incredibly deep that multiple reads are necessary to totally grasp and see the full picture of what Vaughn is trying to say about life, freedom, war, love, and the desire for peace.

However, none of this would be possible without the absolutly brilliant work of Niko Henrichon, the artist on the project. Niko's more animated style, with long brush strokes and a careful craft of every deatil in the book allow for Vaughn's script to do more than if it was painted by any other artist. A relative unknown, with his only other major published work being Barnum (also printed by Vertigo), Henrichon will no doubt be in incredibly high demand due to this work.

Vaughn and Henrichon have created easily the best graphic novel of 2006 so far and will definatly reap a bevy of awards and notoriety due to this book. This book is the kind of comic that transcends mediums and really can be enjoyed by fans of any literary medium. And until Vaughn and Henrichon release another graphic novel, this will remain their masterpiece.