Friday, June 20, 2008

Comics So Good They Should Not Be Free: Panda Panda


Do you find it difficult to relate on an emotional level to global tragedy? Another question; do you find pandas adorable?

Cartoonist Coco Wang has been posting short comics that illustrate accounts of the May 12th China earthquakes. Her drawings are instantly appealing, and I'd like to point you towards one story in particular: Panda Panda, in which some brave panda researchers (!) risk life and limb to save baby pandas. Repeat: baby pandas.

The other comics on the site are less Panda-centric, but excellent nonetheless. Wang focuses on stories of heroism and bravery but doesn't skim over the horror of the disaster, and many of the comics are seriously heart-wrenching. They each give a pointed, intimate look into the lives of individuals caught in the quake, and it's a wonderful example of illustrated journalism that reminded me of one of my favorite webcomics of all time, After the Deluge.

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