By Dan Archerwww.archcomix.com
So it seems like for the last little while I've been reviewing a lot of things I don't really care about. I'd say it might be reflective of my mood in general, but then along comes a comic like this and I remember why I have this blog in the first place: this comic is great and I never would have heard of it if someone hadn't sent it to me.
Archer's work falls into the history/journalism section of comics that seems to be rarely used, and even more frequently ignored. I guess maybe left wing political comics aren't going to have a huge audience (but I can always hope). These comics all succeed on what I assume is the point of their creation: they educate the reader by telling them about something they (or at least I) didn't know about before. I learned about real events, different types of organizations, political viewpoints, and more.
There are comics about political lobbyists in the USA, farming, "The First 9/11" (the coup d'etat in 1970s Chile that was backed by the CIA), gun shows (terrifying), Raging Grannies, and living in Nigeria. The one about Chile even includes source material! (Declassified US government documents.) My only wish is that the comics were longer! The title page of the comic about Chile says it's just part one, and I want part two as well. Plus, I desperately want to read more about Archer's experiences in Lagos, as I found the brief one set there both moving and fascinating. Really, I can't wait to read something really huge and dense that Archer creates.
Shortly after finishing this zine I read Archer's comic about human trafficking in Nepal. I thought it was good (though short), and awesome that it was on the BBC's website and apparently got over a million views. Awesome! Hopefully we can all make the world a better place, one comic at a time.
