Graphic Novels

The truth hurts.

Marjane Satrapi, creator of the PERSEPOLIS graphic novels and director of the animated feature adaptation, died today. She was only 56 years old. Her husband predeceased her by one year. “Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” members of her family said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse.” -quote from Cartoon Brew

There were other things she might have grieved for. Marjane Satrapi was Iranian. She loved her country even when it did not love her. PERSEPOLIS showed us the Iranian revolution and its aftermath by focusing on one young woman’s story. PERSEPOLIS was a powerful book.

Here is a page from the book.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

Here is a biography of Marjane Satrapi.

https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/satrapi_marjane.htm

Although she’d never previously worked in animation, Satrapi proved to be an excellent director. The movie was devastating. My RIT students sat in complete silence for five minutes after I showed them my Academy screener in early 2008. They had no questions, no comments.

Their problems were so minor by comparison.

PERSEPOLIS, Art Spiegelman’s MAUS, and Joe Sacco’s PALESTINE are three of the most powerful graphic novels that I have ever read. Words don’t hit as hard as images. Political cartoons are stronger than editorials. They distill a disaster into a single image. The political cartoonist maintains a professional distance from the subject; they are reporters, not diarists. The graphic novels are character driven. We identify with the people who are trying to survive under horrific circumstances.

Supposedly safer countries were not safe for all people. Graphic novelists bring items to our attention when governments would prefer to have us look elsewhere.

THE TALK by Darren Bell and LOUIS RIEL by Chester Brown depict American and Canadian tragedies. Bell’s book takes place in roughly the same time period as PERSEPOLIS, in supposedly liberal California.

The Talk (Darren Bell), A Pulitzer Prizewinning graphic novel.

Brown’s describes a shameful period in Canadian history.

Louis Riel, by Chester Brown

All of them should be required reading in schools. They should be required reading for everyone.

I was going to write about my upcoming trip to Newfoundland but Marjane Satrapi’s death made me very sad. I hope she is at peace. May her memory be a blessing.