GN 9/11 Commission Report, online

It’s heartening to hear that the comic book version of the 9/11 Commission Report is selling well. That would mean it’s serving its intended purpose of carrying the message of the report to those who don’t have the time, patience, etc. to wade through nearly 600 very technical and occasionally bureaucratic pages. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be read, just that it’s not a light read.

Much credit needs to go to Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon for taking it upon themselves to undertake the illustrated version. From all reports and my own reading, it’s plenty accurate and is very easy to read. Except, it is very hard to read, emotionally. I found myself having to take breaks every few minutes to gather enough strength and continue on, especially during the descriptions of the attacks.

I’ve avoided all the dramatizations and films on 9/11 so far, so I can’t offer a comparison to any of those. I would imagine this is worth reading though in addition to the other more creative projects. You can pick the comic book 9/11 report at pretty much any bookstore, but you can also find it free online. Slate.com has a special browser to peruse the pages in a very easy format.

Not dealing with the attacks themselves but instead the emotional fallout amongst Americans, Rick Veitch’s Can’t Get No is another worthwhile read. Look for a more in-depth review and an interview with Rick coming soon.