zoo station

Pride of Baghdad
Brian K. Vaughan/Niko Henrichon
DC/Vertigo


rising star Brian K. Vaughan, creator of the immensely fascinating Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina, lends his unique voice to animals this time. for those who are used to comic books having heroes and villains, perhaps you should get your eyesight checked. but if you're just plain dumb and lazy, here's the gist of this haunting graphic novel:


ok, so stop reading this and go do something else.



anyone still here? alrighty then.

the story begins in the Baghdad Zoo in 2003, just before 'Shock and Awe' tactics rattled the city. a group (pride) of lions are going through the grind of another day in captivity: Zill, the pragmatic male; the cynical and half-blind Safa, the young cub Ali, and his mother, Noor, who is speaking to a cantaloupe, ... i mean, antelope, about banding together to escape.


Noor wants the antelope to gore a zookeeper, have the monkeys take the key, and then have the bears get the beer, and ... forget it, its just early-menopausal blues for a graying lioness. besides, you should never trust a monkey.

the birds have been warning of "the sky falling in" and true enough, warplanes buzz the sky as far as the lions can gaze. Safa warns that this is 'the end', and Zill and Noor, not wanting to upset or disappoint their son, talk of the way it was before in the wild, and of a mysterious concept called the "horizon".


the reminiscing is interrupted by an unexpected food delivery.

click for a surprise!


ok, not that ass.

turns out the zookeepers were giving them their last meal; the bombing of Baghdad has commenced.


Niko Henrichon, a relative newcomer, is great with scale; here a stampede during the destruction of the zoo seems almost ... biblical.


if this giraffe were smart, it would know the risks of skyscrapers. or just plain being tall.

oh. the ASPCA won't like that.

not knowing what to do with their newfound freedom, the lions gingerly tread their way out of the demolished zoo, but Safa decides to stay behind, afraid of what the outside world may hold for them. Ali gets separated from his parents when they avoid another bomb; the cub ends up in the hands of monkeys.

Simba never thought Rafiki would sell him for a dozen bananas


the jerks want to make Ali their bitch, and thus put a mark on him (hey, no bad jokes now). it takes Safa's unexpected change of heart to rescue the kid. i told you, never. trust. the. monkeys.


Noor, despite their hunger, finds it in herself to still be magnanimous and allows the antelope who turned down her earlier offer of working together, to live.


here's another example of Henrichon's dazzling art (no words necessary).


despite the breathtaking scenery, it doesn't take long for the two lionesses to argue about whether this is all a good thing. Zill takes it upon himself to assert who's the boss (we all know he isn't, but its mostly a patriarchal world, even in the animal kingdom). with spectacular results.


and of course, that also begets the usual reaction.

its always difficult to explain things to the young 'uns

Safa and Ali wander a bit, and Ali befriends a turtle.


Vaughan uses the turtle's backstory as a metaphor for man's wilfulness and indifference about the things around him.

"curse you, Halliburton!"

to illustrate the lioncub-in-the-headlights situation when the ground troops arrive, Henrichon cranks out another splash page that ranks among the best (Jim Lee, George Perez, Phil Jimenez).


walking away from the direction where the tanks were headed, Zill makes a pointed yet naive comment about them "nothing that size has enemies."

the quartet reach an abandoned city with gnawing hunger. Noor wants to go and hunt, but Zill wants them to find shelter with a sandstorm whipping up. Ali discovers a human carcass which then turns yet again into another philosophical argument with Safa about survival and dignity. Noor, meanwhile finds a pack of horses, which makes the argument moot and academic. that is, until another explosion sends their intended dinner galloping away before they can pounce.

"i bet the mortgage on #4!!!"

Noor, being the strongest and fastest of the four, tries to catch up with the "gazelles without horns". this leads her inside one of those opulent palaces that Saddam Hussein used to keep.


Safa catches up with her, and they discover a dying kin, presumably kept by the dictator as a de-fanged pet. again, Vaughan beautifully weaves in age-old debates whether to die on your feet or live on your knees.


then of course, we now introduce the next threat:

the pussycats? spoiled? just because "Don't Cha" hit #1?

the bear, Fajer, proposes he eats one of them, and would let the other go. of course, no one believes his offer.

ooooohh! threesome!

but what about Zill and Ali? why, they're just debating their own nature where women hunt, while the men sit back and wait for the food to get served.

Ali can't believe his dad was lazy and lacked balls

Fajer meanwhile has made short work of the two lionesses, even taking Safa's remaining eye. and just like a superhero villain, he likes to talk about killing before he even does any.

you think so? my dung beats your dung!

and so Zill walks in to the rescue.

"i am not a lover either nor a fighter. wait, ... i am a fighter!"

Zill may not be the breadwinner but he's useful for protection and brawling. just like a human man. mwahahahahahaha!

"and that's for calling me a Lion Queen!"

the son also works in tandem, sending the horses stampeding down the path where Fajer lay broken, effectively finishing him off.

the reunited four, even with now-totally blind Safa, count their blessings and move on. the afternoon sky is lit by rocket trails, and the three adults consent to Ali's wish to see the "fireflies" up close. where they end up is atop an empty building, giving Ali his first glimpse of the vaunted horizon.


it turns out to be their last time together, as wary US troops, paranoid of every movement, give in to their own bestial nature and bring our protagonists' poignant journey to a close.

oh. the ASPCA won't like that either.

Pride of Baghdad is one of those works that bring nothing but respect and love to the medium, and garner a lot more from quarters who may not like it in its standard form. kudos to Mr. Vaughan (whom i met at the NY Comic Con last February; i wished this book was out then so i could have him sign it) and Mr. Henrichon for a tale for the ages.

let's end this with a song of freedom, whether it be for man or beast.

ibon man may layang lumipad
kulungin mo at umiiyak
bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag
ang di magnasang makaalpas