Pride of Baghdad
Encyclopedia
Pride of Baghdad is a graphic novel
written by Brian K. Vaughan
and illustrated by Niko Henrichon
released by DC Comics
' Vertigo imprint
on September 13, 2006. The story is a fictionalized account of the true story of four African lions that escaped from the Baghdad Zoo
after an American bombing in 2003.
It won the IGN
award for best original graphic novel in 2006.
by the U.S.-led coalition.
The story may be read as an allegory
. The destruction of the zoo and the short lived freedom of the lions can be seen to represent the decline of Iraqi society after being freed from Saddam Hussein
's Baath Party
by the American invasion. This is illustrated by a comment made by one of the lions shortly after being freed: "There's an old saying, Zill. Freedom can't be given, only earned".
Secondary Characters
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
written by Brian K. Vaughan
Brian K. Vaughan
Brian Keller Vaughan is an American comic book and television writer. He is best known for the comic book series Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways, and Pride of Baghdad, and was one of the principal writers of the television series Lost, during seasons three through five...
and illustrated by Niko Henrichon
Niko Henrichon
Niko Henrichon is a Canadian comic book artist. He is best known his work with writer Brian K. Vaughan in creating the graphic novel Pride of Baghdad. Henrichon's first major work was a graphic novel titled Barnum!, written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman, but he also did work for Fables, New...
released by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Vertigo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
on September 13, 2006. The story is a fictionalized account of the true story of four African lions that escaped from the Baghdad Zoo
Baghdad zoo
The Baghdad Zoo is a zoo originally opened in 1971 and located in Baghdad, Iraq, in the al-Zawraa' Gardens area along with the Zawraa Amusement Park and Zawraa' Tower. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the zoo housed 650 animals...
after an American bombing in 2003.
It won the IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
award for best original graphic novel in 2006.
Plot
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 BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
by the U.S.-led coalition.
The story may be read as an allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
. The destruction of the zoo and the short lived freedom of the lions can be seen to represent the decline of Iraqi society after being freed from Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
by the American invasion. This is illustrated by a comment made by one of the lions shortly after being freed: "There's an old saying, Zill. Freedom can't be given, only earned".
Characters
Main Characters- Zill, the alpha maleAlpha (biology)In social animals, the alpha is the individual in the community with the highest rank. Where one male and one female fulfill this role, they are referred to as the alpha pair...
(and only adult male) of the pride. Though usually mild-mannered, he will show signs of aggression and proves to be a competent fighter. - Safa, an old lioness who is blind in one eye and has a torn ear; she has become accustomed to captivity and views the human advantage of their new freedom. It is implied that she once used to be Zill's mate.
- Noor, a younger lioness, mother to Ali; she longs for freedom from the zoo. She and Safa rarely agree, and they often fight verbally. Zill's current mate.
- Ali, Noor's innocent young cub.
Secondary Characters
- Bukk, a lion from Safa's past.
- An unnamed sea turtle who speaks with Safa and Ali about the past.
- Fajer, a blood-thirsty bear who challenges the group.
- Rashid, a tortured lion close to his death.
External links
- Official MySpace page for Pride of Baghdad
- A visual step-by-step from Niko Henrichon, the book's artist
- Brian K. Vaughan's Roaring Pride, Publishers WeeklyPublishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, June 20, 2006. - BBC News US troops kill Baghdad lions
- "CNN" Baghdad Zoo: A different battle
- The Joy of Pride: Vaughan Talks Pride of Baghdad, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...