Howse it going? Summer has exploded all over the place. However I expect it to last all of 10 minutes the way things have been here lately. Very busy in my professional work serving the public, but I still got some reading done. Enjoy!
Review: A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge
Spurred on by the amazing new HBO series Treme (which is pronounced truh-may) I finally read this great OGN. Like the rest of the nation in 2005, I was horrified and dismayed by the events of the flooding aftermath when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. A few years prior, I'd visited New Orleans and thoroughly enjoyed my time there . To see the utter failure of the federal government at that time was deeply disturbing. It still angers me, although I know that the city is rebuilding and that the people there are formidable. A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge follows 7 characters as they go thru those 5 days. Neufeld is smart to pick characters from different walks of life and situations. In this way he is able to cover the event from several different angles and provide a mostly balanced commentary. The upper class doctor who serves cocktails at his own Hurricane Katrina party is contrasted with Denise who finds herself stranded at the Superdome.
However I was most moved by the story of Leo, a comic-book fan, and his girlfriend, Michelle, who will lose everything but each other. We watch as they make the wrenching decision between staying and evacuating. His agony over losing his 15000 issue comic collection is palpable. Through Leo's eyes we understand that not only did they lose a place to live but also possessions that really meant something to him.
By exploring Denise's story Neufeld has a platform to visually show the madness of the flooding. It is horrifying and unflinching in the depiction of the Superdome. Neufeld can be in-your-face in regards to the desperation and anger felt by the citizens who feel racially targeted. It is important that he doesn't shy away. In the last few years graphic novels have taken on a journalistic style which mixes a cartoony look with a strong verisimilitude. Neufeld can portray a horrific scene and it's easier to swallow than if it was a photograph of the same scene. He does stick to the usual panel like structure but is willing to experiment. He is willing to visually show the character's mental states and break the fourth wall.
This is a good read and an important record of these events in 2005. Well worth checking out.
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