Pride of Baghdad

Product Information

For all that people praise the art, I didn't see much salvageable there, either. It was often difficult to tell the lion characters apart and action sequences were more abrupt than exciting. The cover's pretty, but not a good representation of what's inside. Spiritual Content: A character mistakenly believes their sudden liberation is a sign from heaven. Someone references hell. Someone compares a palace to heaven. The authors were also honored with an invitation to hold a book signing at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Further Reading The direct lines between the lions and specific human perspectives aren’t necessarily clear, but each lion feels intended to represent some individual or groups of individuals impacted by the Iraq War. The specifics are murky but the general parallel sits front-and-center: a family, torn from their home by war, forced to wander and search for shelter and sustenance, each member considering their future differently. If you have ever felt uncertain about where you were and dreamed of reaching a place or position you wanted to be, a good chunk of Pride of Baghdad will resonate with you. What does it mean to belong or find a home when both seem distant or, more tragically, stolen? Feelings are poured liberally into the cauldron: a sprinkling of excitement, a heaping dose of uncertainty, and a whole lot of fear. The resulting dish is garnished with hope, and I invite readers to discover whether hope is a mere decoration or a vital theme. The four lions wander the streets of Baghdad as bombs fall, tanks rumble and their preconceived notions of freedom shatter.

Destined to cement the reputation of Brian K. Vaughan as one of the best writers to grace the medium.-- VARIETY Reception [ edit ] Writer Brian K. Vaughan signing a copy of the book at Midtown Comics in Manhattan. Zill, the alpha male (and only adult male) of the pride. Though usually mild-mannered, he begins to show signs of aggression and proves to be a competent fighter. I figured the story would keep his interest by being told from the perspective of some anthropomorphized kings of the jungle (and maybe even a few butthole monkeys) . . . These prolonged speeches are set directly into the action sequences, so that between winding up and hitting, he delivers a good paragraph of moralism. I can only hope if I'm ever in a fight, my opponent will try to summarize Plato's Republic between blows.Full confession — I’m a big fan and recently reread it. It’s one of, if not the best literary responses to the Iraq War, as well as a heartbreaking allegory of what happens when the best of intentions go wildly awry. Noor, an adult female lion, is Ali’s mother and Zill’s current mate. She tries to persuade some of the other animals in captivity to aid her in an escape attempt but cannot persuade them to trust that they would not simply be prey for the lions. Noor is a fierce hunter and a protective mother. Case Study: Pride of Baghdad". Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. September 8, 2022. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022 . Retrieved September 10, 2022.

And I knew the outcome of the true events, so I was prepared for the ending and a possible discussion of why things went down the way they did. What I wasn’t prepared for was lion rape. Are you serious right now? Despite being mighty predators, the lions are free in a world that was never meant for them. They are motivated by a quest for food, yet their attempts to eat are continually thwarted as the result of rational and human decision making. They choose not to eat the turtle out of pity and question eating a man’s corpse because of their previous relationship with humans. In the historic events that inspired the story, the lions were starving and desperate, which justify the soldiers’ actions, however in the story, the lions’ conscious decisions not to eat mark them as sympathetic and humanized characters. Despite the originality of the idea, and the wealth of symbolism and meaning such a story might have held, Vaughan did little with this book. His predictable plot, thoughtless characterization, awkward dialogue and overpowering allegory drained this book of any strength or beauty it might have had.

GRAPHIC NOVEL GUIDE

The story revolves around the brief freedom experienced by a small pride of captive lions, who escape from Baghdad Zoo during the 2003 invasion of Baghdad by the U.S.-led coalition. As the lions roam the streets of Baghdad trying to survive, each lion comes to embody a different viewpoint regarding the Iraq War. [3] Production [ edit ] Cool Old Lady: Safa, the older lioness. Despite refusing to leave the zoo with the others even as it is being blown to pieces, she casts this aside to save Ali from the monkeys, despite knowing that she will make too many enemies to remain at the zoo by doing so. Another thought provoking picture from the novel reveals the emotional dialogue between Zill and Safa. Zill proposes that they should eat the flesh of the dead zoo keeper. However, Safa is against it. She opposes Zill because she considers it unfair. Nonetheless, Zill’s logic is based on practicality as they have no option, otherwise they will starve to death. One thoughtful commentator pointed out that the rape scene never actually comes to the attention of the protagonist, meaning it couldn't be an attempt to build his character. So I guess it's just extraneous to the plot? I'll beg off debating which is worse.

It’s easy to start to draw comparisons, in a novel you come to with political expectations, between the zoo keepers and the previous Iraqi regime or US occupation, but it’s not that simple. Vaughn hasn’t followed Orwell’s lead here, and the interaction between the lions and the various species they meet are not supposed to be an allegory for the nations involved in the war. Language/Crude Humor: Maybe the big house cats learn foul language from visitors, because they (and a couple humans) wind up taking God and Jesus’ names in vain a few times, as well as slinging around a few uses of d***, h***, b****, and b******, plus one unfinished “son of a…” and one use of “bloody.” A female character is referred to as a w****. Throughout the story, the lions wrestle with the cost of their freedom. Safa and her desire to remain in captivity can be interpreted as an endorsement of zoos and the protection they provide against the threats of the natural and human world. However, as a counterpoint, the domesticated animals in the palace are either mistreated or emotionally scarred by their experiences. The pride has human perspectives on freedom and whether it can be given or if it must be earned. The temporary freedom the lions have leads them on a fatal journey that asks the reader to confront the costs of war on all forms of life. Impact Mr. Exposition: The turtle that Ali and Safa conveniently run into shortly after their escape from the zoo. He exists to explain a ton of things to both the lions and the reader about the Iraq conflict and human behaviour. Despite his knowledge of humans, he is just as incapable of comprehending their actions as the lions. Not Worth Killing: After Fajer is crushed by the stampeding horses, he begs the lions to put him out of his misery. Noor wants to, but Zill says it is better to leave him as he is to die in agony since he deserves it. They take their leave to let him die slowly and painfully.

This series provides examples of:

Centered on a pride of lions that escaped the Baghdad Zoo, the author uses each lion as a point of view for this new freedom. Zill is the adult lion who has grown accustomed to zookeepers and mundane life at the zoo. Noor is the young lioness whom, although welcoming her new freedom, believes one ought to earn one’s freedom, rather than it being given by a foreign agent likely acting in their own interest. Safa is the oldest lioness who, given her prior life living in the wild, is apprehensive about her new status and prefers the stability of the zoo. Ali, the curious lion cub was born in the zoo where he always yearned to see a sunset like the ones his father painted in his imagination. My first pride lived next to a hill, and in the evenings, I’d go to the very top of it. At the end of each day, I watched as the horizon devoured the sun, in slow steady bites, spilling its blood across the azure sky. The underlying connotation in these pictures is that sometimes one has to make very tough decisions. These decisions are unbearable for individuals, but there is no other choice, especially, when war is going on, all the moral and ethical values diminish and the desire of survival emerges. Through their journey, the lions explore Iraq’s history and see its monuments and marketplaces. They wander through the halls of one of Uday Hussein’s decadent palaces. Pride of Baghdad is the story of four lions who escaped from the Baghdad zoo after a bombing raid and was inspired by actual events. It probably goes without saying it didn't end quite as well as The Lion King . . . Expecting wide open plains outside their walls, despite being virtually institutionalised, the landscape which the lions escape into is more urban jungle than savanna.