Desiato’s Trade Secrets #1: Pride of Baghdad

Billy’s got his series reviews, and Bruce Castle’s got his archives, so I’ve decided to jump into the mix here and brand my own series of reviews of non-current books. These are mostly but not always trades, and they’re a good way to catch myself up on some old books. Let’s begin.

Pride of Baghdad was a very well received Original Graphic Novel from the Vertigo imprint released in 2006. Your writer is Brian K. Vaughn and  your illustrator (penciller, inker and colorist) is Niko Henrichon. I found the trade at Borders for a very affordable $12.99, and basically got it for free thanks to a combination of coupons and Borders Bucks. The story itself is very simple. It is the fictional extrapolation of a true story from 2003, where the US bombings of Iraq led to many of the animals from the Baghdad Zoo escaping from captivity.  The book follows the tale of four particular lions, and is written entirely from their perspective. This is not designed to be an anthropomorphic tale like Maus. These lions are not supposed to be the sounding board or megaphone of people. There are ideals, of course, and Vaughn certainly has things to say, but this is quite straightforward at its core.

There are very few set pieces in this book. You’ve got the opening scenes while the lions are still in the zoo, the interlude with the sea turtle, the confrontation with the bear and the final punch in the stomach scene that puts everything into sharp relief. Because of this, it reads very quickly. You follow everything along, and it’s a very enjoyable tale, that is until you reach the end. There’s a wonderful moment right near the end that is savagely undercut by Vaughn, and suddenly the book is over. And you sit there, and you’re completely shocked and numbed by what happens (and I abjectly refuse to spoil this. It has to be read from the perspective of ignorance to preserve the power of this book). But once that initial shock wears off and you go back and think about what happened and what Vaughn is trying to say that the power of the book really kicks in. It’s an absolutely stirring scene, and it is SERIOUSLY upsetting (to the point that it practically ruined my Thursday night, but in a good way). We end with a few lines of text that sum everything up beautifully, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. This is a story about the perils of freedom, especially when it is unexpectedly granted to those that are not used to it. It certainly has political implications, but this is not the case of politicking with a hammer. It is easy to draw conclusions about exactly who the lions are designed to represent (which would push it further into that sense of anthropomorphism), but it is perfectly acceptable to not necessarily look at the story from that perspective, and it doesn’t rob the story of its impact.

And then there’s the art. Drawing animals is not always easy. Drawing animals that are able to emote is quite a bit more difficult. Drawing animals that are able to emote in a way that does not seem overtly human but is also completely clear and easy to understand is yet even more difficult. And Niko Henrichon passes the test with flying colors. Each of these animals has a very specific look and character, and there is never a moment where any kind of confusion arises as to who is in the scene, despite the fact that the two female lions have a very similar look. You see the innocence of the cub immediately. You see the wizened and stubborn grandmother lioness without having to hear her speak. The ability to do so allows the dialogue to flow naturally without having to worry about forcing the character traits through the speech. The backgrounds are lush and impeccably detailed, and the coloring does an excellent job of recreating the washed out, drab setting of a desert, which makes the trees pop in contrast. And the final double page spread prior to the ultimate stomach punch ending is gorgeous. This is some fantastic and affecting work.

I could say more, but to do so would spoil this thing, and that’s not happening. So I guess I’m done. This is a great book. It’s a quick read, and it’s eminently affordable (less than $10 at Instocktrades.com). Pick it up, set aside about an hour to read it, and prepare to think about it for quite a while longer after that.

Tags: Brian K Vaughn, Niko Henrichon, Vertigo