The Pride of Baghdad

Comic: The Pride of Baghdad
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Niko Henrichon

What was the comic about?

The Pride of Baghdad is a comic about four african lions escaping from a Baghdad Zoo after an American Bombing. It is fictionalized version of a true event that happened in 2003. The story starts off in the Zoo, most of the captive lions wishing of freedom, especially Nala - the younger female of the group.  Safa, the old lioness has no fond memories of life in the wild and has no desire to leave. Before long, the zoo is destroyed by a bomb, and the pride heads out into the “wild”. They find a land torn apart by war.

What did you like about it?

It was visually stunning and I liked the views it had on war. Often it is worth finding a reason why a story has to be animals (if that is what you are going to use) and I think while obviously it is important to THIS story, I think a similar story could be told about a real human family and really would hardly need to be changed. I think that is why it is so impactful and why I think this comic does what comics do best and show us a little bit of our own world in a digestible bite size chunk.

What didn’t you like about it?

For me, the only real issue was how quickly the end of the comic came about. The four lions were shot dead almost instantly and I just felt like the payoff could have been a little better. I’m fine with the lions all dying, but you’ve got me to care about them and now I felt a little like I was cheated out of an ending. It wouldn’t involving change the plot at all, just drawing out those last few pages a little more. I know that is easier said than done, but hey, I’m writing a blog post not having to make any changes myself. Overall, however, I do think they did a wonderful job at portraying the horrors of war in a human way without making it too intense or purely depressing but by masking it in a unique and interesting story.

What themes did the comic have?
All of the different lions have a different take on the war, which I think is one of the most interesting elements of the comic. The young cub, who has no experience with war or the outside world in comparison with the experienced older lioness - the disconnect between the generations as well as the gender differences between the Male and Female. The male, domesticated by captivity finding his wildness in defense of those he cares about.