Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan
I can’t say enough good things about Pride of Baghdad. It tells the story of four lions who escape from the Baghdad Zoo during a bombing raid in 2003. The four lions wander through the war zone looking for food, for shelter, for a wild, free life outside the safe confines of the zoo. What they find is open to interpretation, but I defy you not to have your heart broken by the ending.
The book reads simply but evokes complex ideas. Freedom vs. safety. Is there a price for freedom, and when, if ever, is it too high? Is it better to be free and living with the possibility of starving, of violence, of homelessness, or is it better to be caged if that also means your needs will be met (food, safety, health care)? Should you be loyal to your keepers for keeping you safe, or should you hate them for keeping you penned? When do the needs of you and your family outweigh the peace you keep with the others around you? What does war do to the environment, to the animals, to nature?
The artwork is so good that it stands up to such a beautiful, painful story. In fact, it doesn’t just stand up to it, it enhances it. It’s clear and easy to follow from panel to panel, but has such depth, especially in its use of luminous color.
I read this in about an hour (that’s with staring at some of the spreads and marveling over the gracefulness of the lines and the deep, saturated colors) but thought about it far longer. I’m still thinking about it.
This book is available in Pigott Library on the Graphic Novels shelves; the call number is GN Vaughan.