Vertigo
Writer:
Brian K. Vaughan
Artist:
Niko Henrichon
In
April of 2003, a pride of starving lions escaped the Baghdad Zoo
during the American bombing of Iraq. This is their story.
Pride of
Baghdad is one of the latest graphic novel releases from Vertigo
that continues to expand the realm of graphic novel subject matter.
Pride of Baghdad follows four lions recently freed from the
Baghdad Zoo during the Operation Iraqi Freedom bombing of Baghdad. As
the story progresses, questions are raised about the nature and
definition of freedom. Question of whether freedom can be given,
whether freedom must be earned and questions of what responsibilities
come with freedom.
Brain
K. Vaughan (
Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) deserves a hearty pat
on the back simply from attempting
Pride of Baghdad. While
writing a story about lions is no new trick (just ask anyone over at
Disney), writing a story about lions navigating the landscape of one
of the most controversial American wars in decades takes something
special. But what else should we expect from an Eisner Award winning
writer? However, Vaughan’s writing in
Pride of Baghdad is
“great” in certain regards and only “good” in others. When it
comes to handling the volatile nature of a story drenched in
potential political gravitas, Vaughan does a great job of staying
away from his own personal opinions of the war and allowing the story
to center simply on the exploration of freedom, personal
responsibility, and consequences. However, when it comes to basic
character development, Vaughan only gets a “good” rating. As much
as I wanted to invest myself in these characters, they never really
managed to rise above the role of generic tools in the larger
commentary on freedom. The lions around which
Pride of Baghdad
is supposed to orbit come away more as actors in the show, rather
than the show itself.
Sculpting
the face and form of
Pride of Baghdad is Niko Henrichon
(
Barnum!). As only his sophomore graphic novel,
Pride of
Baghdad threatens to install Niko Henrichon as a man to watch.
Pride of Baghdad is a seductive piece of eye candy. Henrichon
manages to achieve a wonderful range of depth and hidden detail.
Every panel in
Pride of Baghdad invites more stares and
investigation than an Exxon Mobil’s quarterly profit report.
Something new is always hiding in the ink and paint of
Pride of
Baghdad. Sometimes, it something as quiet and Arcadian as a
sunset reflected from the surface of a pool of standing water. Other
times, it’s a human hand—burnt, still, praying to be
overlooked—poking out from beneath a pile of nondescript rubble. As
far as resumes go,
Pride of Baghdad just bumped Niko Henrichon
to the top of the “Call Back for Interview” pile.
