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9-11: EMERGENCY RELIEF (Best of the Week!)
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Alternative Comics
Creators: various
Editor: Jeff Mason
Price: $14.95 US |
As I write
this review, it's been almost four months since the attacks of 9-11, and life
has resumed a normality that, on that day, I never thought it would again.
Reading this anthology of comics work, I was taken back to September 11, and
reminded of all the various emotions I felt during that day. Reading this book
is at times a rough experience, but it's also incredibly rewarding. I don't know
about others, but I know that what I have retained, more than anything else,
from 9-11 is the anger at the people who would do this kind of thing... anger
that I'll probably have for the rest of my life. What I had forgotten, and what
this book reminded me of, were the other feelings: the fear, the confusion, the
analysis of self, culture and the world and, perhaps most importantly, the hope
and joy of the best of humanity that also came out of that day.
In any anthology, I usually find that I like a little more or a little less than half the stories. That's not the case with 9-11, which I devoured every
single page of. There were maybe half a dozen strips that I didn't connect with,
and maybe one or two that made me angry with their interpretation of or reaction
to the events. There were dozens more that made me think, made me feel, even a
few that made me laugh.
I can't possibly name all of
the strips I enjoyed without writing two or three pages worth of review.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of my favorite stories came from creators whose names I
know. Gail Simone, teamed with David Alvarez's very Kyle Baker-ish artwork,
turns in a story that is darkly humorous and defiant, as impressive as her "They
Missed" essay. Cartoonists known for their humor like Alex Robinson, Jeff Smith,
Tom Beland and Jon "Bean" Hastings really moved me with their personal reactions
to the event. Jessica Abel delivered an incredible picture of how the trivial
events of that time dissolved in the wake of the disaster. Single page
illustrations from Will Eisner, Phil Noto and Tom Derenick spoke volumes. Scott
Morse showed his usual skill with artwork, blending lettering and background
elements all together into a very moving and thought-provoking story. And that's
just the tip of the iceberg.
What surprised me, however,
was how many gems there were from folks that I had either never heard of or
never seen work from. Derek Gray's recounting of a magical anniversary that can
never be repeated, Gregory Benton's hopeful story of children helping out as
best they can and Neil Kleid's autobiographical account of how he experienced
the day were all incredibly powerful. Actually, the accounts of the day coming
in from various creators were also incredible stories, especially the unusual
viewpoints like Donna Barr's remembrance of an alcohol-soaked 9-11 or Jenny
Gonzales's view of 9-11 through the filter of mental illness. I was also quite
pleased by those stories that reminded us that humanity will go on, such as
Peter Kuper's funny but also quite poignant "Indomitable Human Spirit" or the
normality of child and parent in "Air Force One" by Phil Hester and Ande Parks
or Steve Stegelin's piece.
Bottom line here, I've just
named over a dozen of the creators who impressed me on this book, and there's a
more impressive line of people behind them. There are any number of reasons to
buy this book: It raises money for the relief effort, it's a powerful and
important reminder of 9-11 and what it meant and it's a show of what the comics
industry (or at least, this portion of it) can do if they concentrate on working
together. All of these are good, and valid reasons, for dropping $15 on a
190-page comic. But the only reason you need, if those aren't good enough, is
that it's the second week of January 2002, and we already have a candidate for
best graphic novel of the year.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
