The war in Iraq has been looked at from a thousand angles and in a number of different mediums. This includes comics but none have been as pointed and immersed in the subject as much as Pride of Baghdad. Brian K. Vaughn and Nico Hendrickson's graphic novel from Vertigo comics looks at that which is unseen by human eyes during the heat of battle, the impact war has on the animals.
Plot and Characters
The Baghdad Zoo has been abandoned by it's keepers, leaving the animals to fend for themselves. The main characters are a pride of lions led by Zill, a typical alpha male, with Safa, a cynical old lioness, Noor, a restless mother and Ali, her precocious son. The Zoo gets blown up and Noor's persistent wish of escape comes true.
Life in captivity has dulled the adult lions' instincts for survival in the wild and they have to find food and shelter in an unforgiving, decaying urban landscape. The lions have to deal with their own contentious relationships as well as their attitudes towards the humans that have both put them in cages and fed and taken care of them.
The addition of side characters like turtles, bears, antelope, monkeys and birds gives the story an Animal Farm feel. Vaughn expertly tailors mannerisms and speech patterns to fit the physical characteristics of each animal. For example, birds are repetitive and loud, turtles are matter-of-fact and wizened and monkeys are snarky and loquacious.
The Art
Hendrickson's art fits the story perfectly. Personifying animals and making them sympathetic, emotional characters can't be an easy task and Hendrickson succeeds. Another great strength of the art is the coloring. The city scenes of Baghdad are awash in reds and oranges with dusty tans and browns thrown in. It adds a sense of danger to the already bleak images. What can be assumed is one of Saddam Hussein's palaces is colored in deep blues. Around the Tigris river is lush and green and provides a respite for the characters. The contrasts in coloring are very effective.
The Bottom Line
It's unconventional to tell a war story without any people present but that's also where Pride of Baghdad's strengths lie. In fact, it illuminates the highest cost of war, so-called "collateral damage" expertly. While the strong message about war is important, this is also a beautiful graphic novel just to look at. In all cases, it's a great read.
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