9-11 Artists Respond

Chaos! Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics — with assistance from Oni Press, Top Shelf Productions, and others present a collection of stories and illustrations from an incredibly diverse array of talented writers and artists. The New Yorker’s Eric Drooker contributes a cover showing a cityscape that is simultaneously ancient and modern, mournful and hopeful, with an artist at the center, empowered to interpret a tragic landscape. Among Volume 1’s contributors are writer/artist William Stout, who shares the true story of a Yugoslavian citizen’s love of Americans; Stan Sakai, vividly recalling his last visit to New York City; and Paul Chadwick, who offers his interpretation of the heroism of the passengers on Flight 93, whose sacrifice kept September 11 from being an even more tragic day. Cartoonists Tony Millionaire, Sam Henderson, Mike Diana, Scott Morse, Mark Crilley, Roger Langridge, Chris Eliopoulos, and Mark Martin are among those offering differing takes on a range of subjects spanning from terrorism and heroism to survival and the challenges of parenting. Other stories include an illustrated essay by Dean Motter; a Walt Whitman-penned meditation on death illustrated by Quique Alcatena; Darko Macan’s “An Expert Opinion” on breaking the cycle of violence; and “T.V. Exec Visits Ground Zero” by TV Funhouse creator Robert Smigel and his Ex-Presidents collaborator, artist Michael Kupperman. Playboy Magazine’s Istvan Banyai plus Carlos Meglia, Renee French, Alex Maleev, Peter Kuper, Tommy Lee Edwards, and others offer haunting, inspiring illustrations that distill the emotions provoked by the tragic events of September 11.