"Pride of Baghdad" Review

They say the lion is the king of beasts, but can he navigate man’s world?

Brian K. Vaughan, Eisner-award winning comic book author of “Ex Machina” and “Y: The Last Man” continues his deft storytelling with a well-crafted stand-alone title about nature’s most fearsome predator.

“Pride of Baghdad,” released in 2006 by Vertigo, is unique in that the narrative is based on true events.

During the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Baghdad Zoo was abandoned and later destroyed during the Battle of Baghdad. Many of the animals escaped in the aftermath of the destruction. Most notably, four lions were found roaming the streets of Baghdad by U.S. troops.

Vaughan offers a fictionalized account of what happened to these animals in between their time at the zoo and their encounter with the soldiers.  

Told from the perspective of the four lions, the author gives each animal a distinct personality: Zill, the alpha male and the calm leader of the group; Safa, an elderly, cynical lioness, who is comfortable with a life of captivity; Noor, a younger lioness and Zill’s mate, who longs for a life beyond their enclosure; and Ali, Noor’s cub, a source of endless curiosity and optimism.

The story follows this small pride from their confinement at the zoo, to the confused bedlam surrounding their liberation and finally their wandering in the unfamiliar landscape of war-torn Baghdad.

Viewing the events from the confused, naïve eyes of the displaced animals provides a humbling analysis of the conflict. Perhaps the most memorable exchange takes place between the lions and an unnamed turtle they encounter in the Tigris River, who educates them on the history of “the two-legger’s war:”

                        

                    SAFA: “This has happened before?

TURTLE:  “More than once. Last time was a dozen or so years ago... There's black stuff under the earth... Poison... When the walker's fight, they sent it spewing into the sky and spilling into... the sea."

ALI: “What are they fighting about?”

TURTLE: “Damned if I know, son… damned if I care."

Having the lions unwittingly caught up in something larger than themselves that they can’t understand makes them empathetic characters, and you root for their survival as they navigate this new, harsh world.

This story style reminds me of one of my favorite novels, “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Author Erich Maria Remarque uses a similar strategy of having an innocent highlight the senselessness of violence, in this case the lead character of Paul Bäumer, whose youthful exuberance is slowly snuffed out by the horrors of the WWI trenches.

“Pride of Baghdad” is brought to life by artist Niko Henrichon, whose vibrant visuals bring beauty to the decimated environments. His sweeping two-page spreads, which highlight the liberation and wonder of the setting, as well as the destruction and peril, are highly-detailed, and constitute some of the best artwork I’ve ever seen in a comic.

“Pride of Baghdad” is a fantastic comic book that works on two levels — first, as an engaging adventure story, and secondly as a thought-provoking commentary on war. 

More importantly, it shows that some concepts, such as identity, hope and — above all — freedom, are desires shared by all creatures.