They wander through the halls of one of Uday Hussein’s decadent palaces. Through their journey, the lions explore Iraq’s history and see its monuments and marketplaces. They meet an old turtle living in the Euphrates river, a creature old enough to remember a century’s worth of bloodshed in the cradle of civilization. “It’s about losing your wife, your kids, every worthless friend you’ve ever made,” the cranky old reptile tells the lions. The lions make their way through collapsing Baghdad in search of food and water. From the desert sand to a lush green oasis, Iraq is depicted as a land of beauty. He slavishly studied photographs of Iraq’s architecture, and the characters themselves are distinct and personable. Henrichon’s art brings the story to life in gorgeous color. In a world that’s seen the Arab Spring, Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad’s brutal crackdown on dissent, the rise of Islamic State and a crisis involving millions of refugees, the pride’s search for freedom and safety feels urgent and timely. The four lions wander the streets of Baghdad as bombs fall, tanks rumble and their preconceived notions of freedom shatter.įull 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. The story follows Zill, the alpha male of the pride, the elderly lioness Safa, the idealistic Noor and her young cub Ali. It’s inspired by the true story of real lions that escaped during the chaos, but the comic adds a mythic feel to the story. The graphic novel recounts the fall of Baghdad during the 2003 American invasion as seen through the eyes of a pride of lions that fled the Baghdad Zoo. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon’s Pride of Baghdad is still heartbreaking.

Almost a decade after its initial release, Brian K.

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan