The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Representation
By Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón,Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006

      I have nothing against graphic novels. I really don’t. In fact, I very much like a well-done graphic novel – and I’m even a big fan of comic books, the more honestly named but lesser-in-reputation cousin of the graphic novel. I suspect, though, that anyone who criticizes The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Representation will be accused of genre elitism and blatant out-of-touchness. Indeed, the current-events graphic novel has received praise for its populist goal of bringing the tough-to-read conclusions of the 9/11 commission’s massive report to a wider, less literarily ambitious audience. Very little thought or discussion has been directed toward the wider social ramifications of the project, and like much that has to do with 9/11, the book seems wrapped in a semi-sacred cloak of critical imperviousness. That said, I must be a dissenting voice. I didn’t like the book and I’ll tell you why.

      The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Representation is exactly what the title says it is. Drawn (so to speak) directly from the pages of the official governmental report, and with a foreword by the 9/11 commission’s leadership, the book is a faithful reproduction of the original report with comic book-style pictures. Editor Sid Jacobson and artist Ernie Colón originally approached the project because they wanted to make graphic novels about historical and current events as a groundbreaking combination of comic-book art and journalism. Conveniently, the 9/11 Commission report was in the public domain and therefore available for use with no cost or legal hassle. The pair adapted the report wholesale with the hope that its important subject matter would be more accessible in a graphic form than in its hefty, words-only version.

      The Graphic Representation, like the report from which it’s adapted, addresses 9/11 thoroughly, from the initial attacks, through the US reaction, to the possible causes of the terrorist threat (including a detailed explanation of the organization of the terrorist organizations). The book includes analysis of the government's failures leading up to and following the attacks and recommendations for future changes in policy. The Graphic Representation has been most widely praised for its timeline of the 9/11 attack: the events occurring on the four airplanes are juxtaposed, graphically, so that the process of tragedy unfolding in four separate places simultaneously is easy (although emotionally difficult) to understand.

      One of the questions – the most troubling one that nagged me as I made my way through the book was, "Is this an appropriate genre in which to address this event?" As much as we’d like to make it seem sophisticated by slapping the “graphic novel” label on it, the book is a comic book, complete with dialogue balloons, exaggerated gestures and facial expressions and colorful, spiky explosions. Doesn’t anyone else’s stomach turn as mine did when I flipped through the pages, on which were depicted murder on a massive scale – real, nonfictional murder – in such an awkward, juvenile style? What of the people who lost loved ones in the attacks? Can they look at artistic recreations of their loved ones’ deaths embellished with exclamations like “Blam!” and “Shoom!” without taking offense?

      Of course, it’s all being accepted graciously in the name of populism. More people will read this important stuff if it has pictures to go along with it. First of all, this in itself is either a massive insult to the intellectual level of the American public or a sad commentary on that same intellectual level, which might go a long way toward explaining why we’re in this colossal global mess in the first place. If we can’t be bothered to learn about events of unprecedented importance without having those events fed to us with a mentally non-taxing spoon, how can we hope to understand anything of the world’s intentions toward us?

      I’d also wonder if we really need a graphic representation of 9/11, that ever-so-helpful timeline aside. Many of the drawings, especially those of the 9/11 attacks themselves, are merely copied from photos and videos we’ve seen a thousand times already. Much of the rest is generic superhero-style violence, terrorists looking menacing and politicians looking grave. The events of 9/11 were already some of the most visual events in history – we’ve all encountered much more visual than verbal depiction of the attacks – and to make a drawn version is merely redundant.

      Finally, will the Graphic Representation really bring the report to a wider audience? Perhaps somewhat, but the unillustrated report was already a bestseller, and the fringe genre of the comic book is unlikely to be more widely accepted as a legitimate means of tackling an important subject. Most American see comic books as trivial and childish. I’m not one of those people, but I’m also not someone who can say that a comic book version of 9/11 is necessary or desirable.

Copyright 2006 Ad Media Inc.