Cairo

I look to comics to show me experiences I haven’t had as well as get me believing about new perspectives, with bonus points for unusual, fascinating settings. Cairo has all of the above. It’s written by G. Willow Wilson, a journalist who lived as well as worked in the area, which provides the great events verisimilitude.

It starts with a medication smuggler, however it quickly sprawls out with his connections as well as those he satisfies with possibility (or more likely, destiny). His sibling is friendly with a frustrated journalist experiencing censorship, who satisfies a lost American woman who speaks a bit Arabic. The smuggler offers a stolen hookah to a Lebanese boy, however a poor guy wants it back as well as takes the reporter as well as woman as hostages to get it.

That’s since it really contains a genie. then there’s the lost Israeli soldier who needs to get back across the border as well as hijacks the smuggler to provide her a ride. everything comes together in innovative methods as the journey leads with a legendary land on a quest for a wonderful artifact. There’s even a flying carpet as well as an imaginative combination of playing with panel borders as the framework for a mystical task to total to gain the preferred item of power.

Artist M.K. Perker is much better understood for his editorial cartoons as well as illustrations than comic work, however his experience lusters with here. His characters are unique as well as emotional, his settings are completely realized, as well as the whole thing’s got a down-to-earth, almost grimy feel that fits such a deadly experience in this ancient city. It’s the shading, with constant half-shadow, reminding us of the lack of black-and-white answers.

Honestly, when very first opened the book, I expected to flip with it quickly. I suspected I’d discover one more forgettable Vertigo quote at self-importance with enabling writers from other media to slum in comics. I quickly realized exactly how wrong I was as I was sucked into the adventure. I couldn’t turn pages quick sufficient to discover out what happened. At the exact same time, I wished to wallow in each page as it introduced me to the contemporary middle East. It’s a brilliant blend of fantasy as well as contemporary political issues that reminded me of the traditional Baghdad-set Sandman #50.

Of note is the showdown between the spoiled California woman visiting the middle east to “make a difference” as well as the trapped journalist whose life is on the line. She values facts; he prefers emotional arguments to reach those who would otherwise patronize him as well as his people. It’s an eye-opening culture clash. The general message is like instead of hate, living instead of dying, made more meaningful with the significance of its setting.

The publicity phone calls it a “modern fable”. It’s an overused phrase, however never more precise than here. Also, be sure to eliminate the dust jacket from this original hardcover at least when — the binding, with purple foil outlining the city, is lovelier than the subtle cover illustration.

Wilson has been interviewed by Sequential Tart. The American Muslim character is discussed at this blog about Muslims in the West. (The publisher provided a evaluation copy.)

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