See that high rating for this book, located just above? Don't take it as a sign that this is a graphic novel that appeal to all. Wood's story and politics are aimed at a niche audience, and that audience is people whose eyes and minds are open. The ignorant need not dwell on the events that shape the title character of this graphic novel, because the events aren't to be found in these pages, but outside out windows, on CNN and quite possibly, in the small craters to be found in Iraq before long.
Fears about terrorism are out of control in America, and they've extended to include fear of anyone who doesn't fit a narrow description of "American." People are targeted for investigation and detention based on the color of their skin, a capacity for unconventional thought and politics and rebellious nature. Clashes among the well-armed establishment and a young but unorganized resistance movement are becoming more and more frequent, and amid it all is a student named Jennie, who slowly realizes that college assignments, boyfriends and money mean nothing in a dangerous new world order.
This is my first exposure to Becky Cloonan's artwork, but I certainly hope it's not the last. I was immediately struck by a similarity in her storytelling style and that of Frank (The Dark Knight Returns Miller's. The opening sequence looked just like something one might find in one of Miller's Sin City stories. I was reminded of Philip (Vertigo Pop: London) Bond's and Darick (Transmetropolitan) Robertson's styles here as well. The black-and-white motif suits the dark, brooding and crescendo-ing tone of the script. Cloonan captures the title character's youth nicely while instilling a sense of how her "education" at the hands of the state has accelerated her emotional aging process at the same time.
The riot scenes seem clearly inspired by real-world events. I'm reminded of the police-protestor clashes in Seattle and Quebec City. The first Channel Zero was clearly set in a not-too distant future, but it was easy to feel slightly removed from it all. Here, Wood and Cloonan assault our senses with real images set in the here and now, and it's all the more difficult to ignore them.
Brian Wood acts as a social and political stenographer here. Sure, he's telling a fictional story, but there's more truth to be found than on the 11 o'clock news. Wood is chronicling a culture of misinformation, paranoia, greed and hatred that's developing all around us. Wood is not a writer here; he's a historian.
I don't mean to belittle his skills and efforts as this book's scribe, of course. Wood was spreading his socio-political warnings long before George W. Bush was "voted" into power, and long before the U.S. establishment used the Sept. 11, 2001 to shove through rights-limiting legislation. If anything, he's been proven to be a prophet, and readers would be well advised to pick up Jennie One, the latest book in Wood's bible of urban activitism.
