Persepolis

It turns out that my roommate actually had a copy of Marjane Satrapi's complete Persepolis. So I was able to actually read it as a hardcopy, which was nice.

This story is autobiographical, told from the perspective of the artist and author herself. It begins in her childhood, in Iran, during the Islamic Revolution. Marjane was lively and stubborn, growing up at a time when her world was changing drastically in a matter of a few years. At first, the veil is introduced, and those who wear it tended to be safe from attacks by the fundamentalists. At this time however, revolution against the imperial government waged during the first few chapters until the government is subdued and another civil war is beginning to break down between the fundamentalists and the modernists. The world around Marjane is slowly being taken over by the Islamic religion, but she grows more rebellious with age. She looked up to her uncle as a hero for having endured through prison, but after his death she becomes far more aware of Iran's political situation. It helps that her parents were also part of the revolution, which always piqued her interests. Throughout her life she has been through sirens, screams, and death among her friends and family. She either forgot or gave up being a prophet when she grew older, and she still had her fascination with western culture. She got kicked out of many schools for her outbursts against the religious methods and teachings, since they always had a problem with who she was and what she believed in.

Eventually her parents found her a school in Austria, where she was to be sent alone.

I only read the first half so far, but since I have it around, I can actually keep reading it when I have the time. It's an interesting story, even if sometimes I feel there's a little too much exposition. The art style is very interesting. Instead of going for half-tone shading, or using any midtones for that matter, it is all in flat black and white. Still, it is easy to see the figures among the simple shapes, and even in veils it isn't too hard to tell who is who. The style is unique, but then again I must have said that for the last several comics and graphic novels I have read. I do mean it, however. It has me reconsidering just how uniform comics truly are. It makes sense when I know that up to now, I never really read any comics outside of generic superhero American comics and Manga. I did read JTHM (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac), but I didn't think styles of many different kinds ever made it to publication. Goes to show how much I knew.

Anyways, the story so far is pretty interesting. Marjane is a very engaging character to read, and the situation she grew up in is nothing like what I've ever endured, so it was humbling to experience it through her eyes. I did respect the fact that even though it was a very bloody time, there was no gore throughout any of the first book where the war was taking the most place. There was a lot of implied death, and even some violence, but either it was the style or the way it was never drawn on to the page that I don't even feel like I saw it. I appreciated that. Not only did it make the read a little more tasteful and less of a gore-fest, but it is actually stronger to imply death than to show it. The way Marjane writes is easy and fun to read--she'll tell you in the square box above if what somebody said was true, or if those were their exact words, and doing so really pulls her narrative voice along. It was also very interesting to read about a different place and a different culture, especially when people like Fidel Castro are being looked to as idols in Iran at the time. If I brought this book back home with me to Miami, I know about half my family won't understand why anyone would do that. They probably wouldn't understand Marjane's situation, or the fact that on the other side of the world, the information doesn't quite get there the same, or that what might seem to be great for some is a sin to others. But that's why I find it important to read about people from cultures you've heard little about. It's beneficial to understand why people see things the way they do, and to understand that perspective even if you don't agree with it.

I plan to read the second half as soon as I can. I want to try and catch up to the class this week.