New Life To A Misunderstood World
I’m not going to lie to you. Cartoons, or graphic novels as you snobs might call them, have a childish and foolish feel to them. And I’ve come to this conclusion from the back of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch box.
However, when I placed Derf Backderf’s Kent State: Four Dead In Ohio in my Amazon cart, I wasn’t aware it was a graphic novel. You can imagine how pissed I was as I sat flipping the pages for the first time.
Yet, this opened a door for me to venture into a new genre that I’d always judged without understanding. After reading the novel, to my surprise, I’d found a new love for artwork rather than words on a page, and history in general (I won’t bore you with another rant on why I’ve disliked history). So, if you’re like me, listen to what I have to say and consider diving in yourself, for this novel is guaranteed to destroy your concept of cartoons.
To begin, for clarification, a child’s cartoon is, well, childish. No doubt. But Backderf’s novel is more than that. Just take a look at the following few images.
Look at the drama displayed. Students at this time were attacked and gassed for reasons that had no logic. Notice how effectively the drawings portray this government brutality. These are works of art. Let’s try to view them as such rather than as my previously mentioned misconception.
By letting the novel speak to you through the medium of artwork, there is an allowance for a new appreciation of graphic novels. Just as captivating is how quickly the pictures in this novel will move you through the plot. It’s as if Backderf is playing a movie in our minds as each precisely detailed picture takes us on a journey. His drawings convey a tangibility that words would struggle to capture considering the heavy issue at hand. By using his talent, Backderf has opened minds to this different experience in reading.
While my take on cartoons rather than words was an easy transformation, I wasn’t exceptionally stoked about reading a boring ol’ non-fiction novel. Yet, imagine your favorite war movie. Watching my favorite, 1917, captivates my attention and quite frankly gives me an appreciation for a historical subject. Well, Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio was the exact same experience. Reading this book feels as if you’re sitting in a theatre on the edge of your seat. All the while, the historical content is being brilliantly displayed. Take a look at the following images, and you’ll see what I mean:
Every picture in the book matches this level of depth and art. I don’t think deep history has ever been presented in such an entertaining way. Seeing students at the time say “screw Nixon” in this format compared to a boring history lecture has proven the effectiveness of art and painted a picture I needed to see. Such images show how a mundane concept that is read in a textbook can be brought to life like a movie through artwork in a novel. Backderf gives meaning and life to historic characters and moments in time through imagery in a way books could never.
Now, no work of literature is free from error or criticism. The initial one-third of the book is tough to understand. The narrative quickly jumps between characters and quite frankly left me scratching my head. It was annoying how slowly the plot was moving along as Backderf used this method of switching between characters. Following along with this method felt like being thrown in a different direction every few pages. Yet, if you’re someone who can muster the strength to hold on to a story, you will be rewarded. By the time the last two-thirds of the book rolls around, you will be hooked and connected with the four main characters; Bill, Sandy, Jeff, and Allison.
This image shows how despite the differences students had, they were collectively experiencing a monumental moment. Not just the history will move you, but as you grow to know and enjoy who each character is, the conclusion to the story will tear at your heart just as any emotional read does. So, despite the slow pace, Backderf provides a way for a deeper appreciation of each main character and creates further suspense to the plot.
Despite being known mainly for his work done in newspapers and magazines as a cartoonist, his work on Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio as an author proves the power of cartoons other than a Saturday morning magazine read. The novel gives us readers a new light on how much cartoons can move us, a new way of learning historical information, and an agonizing connection to the characters within the story. While there were some slight exasperations, the benefits to this novel outweigh the negatives, making it a must-read for Americans to enjoy and be informed.
