After 9/11: America's War on Terror (2001- ) - Hardcover

Sid Jacobson was the managing editor and editor in chief for Harvey Comics, where he created Richie Rich, and executive editor at Marvel Comics. The artist Ernie Colón has worked at Harvey, Marvel, and DC Comics. At DC, he oversaw the production of Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Blackhawk, and The Flash; at Marvel, Spider-Man. Their most recent project was The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation (H&W, 2006).

Having already tackled the new millennium's most explosive government document, The 9/11 Commission Report, in bestselling comic form, former Marvel Comics executive editor Jacobson and journeyman artist Colón go for a less scripted take on recent history with this vivid graphic take on the wars that erupted after 9/11. Not relying on one single source allows Jacobson and Colón to be more wide-ranging in their examination of the war on terror. As journalism, Jacobson's work is nothing particularly fresh, relying on a steady march of bullet-point news squibs about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and sidebar background material to fill out its densely packed pages. Colón's chaotic and highly physical artwork helps bring the occasionally dry recitation to life; his liberal use of bloody war-zone carnage shockingly illustrates how little such things are shown by the Western media. Jacobson keeps his tone as even as possible, save for the unavoidable details of hypocrisy or incompetence (of which there are sadly many), helping to make the book an excellent choice for educators looking for an accessible single-volume take on the subject. All in all, After 9/11 stands apart as the graphic novel equivalent of a particularly cogent Frontline report. (Sept.)
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