Wednesday, April 24, 2024

1/6: The Graphic Novel, Issue #1 – What if the Attack on the U.S. Capitol had Succeeded?: For Those Who Don't Get What The Fuss About Jan 6 Is All About

This is my review of "1/6: The Graphic Novel, Issue #1 – What if the Attack on the U.S. Capitol had Succeeded" by Alan Jenkins (Author), Gan Golan (Author).
Cartoons and comics have always been the way some people absorb information, especially on political matters; for many, it is better than long lectures or books. In that great tradition, this four issue mini-series explores the America that Trump had hoped for, and is threatening to bring again.
Do not expect this to be like any other graphic novel you have read, even those with serious theme. It's not "Watchmen" or "V For Vendetta" because its subject is not fantasy but reality: actual history and actual promises by an actual aspiring dictator. That limits the costumes, the superpowers, and the world-building.
OTOH we recognize the characters. They act as we would expect them to, whether they obviously stand in for people we know (would that Trumpist newscaster complain about the bloodstains in the studio he's just taken over? You know that he would!), or are types of persons we also recognize (the father of someone who died in Jan6 acts as any grieving father would.)
History tells us that the day before a democracy dies, almost nobody thinks it could die. Share this work with friends and family members who don't get what the fuss is all about.