Aaron and Ahmed

The cover of Aaron and Ahmed

A time when George W. Bush can appear presidential in hindsight and the medium of comics is forced to deal with appalling images masquerading as conversation starters may be a good time to revisit an old Vertigo graphic novel, one that directly tackled such weighty concepts as Islamophobia, 9/11, and America’s complicity in terrorism. I’m writing about Aaron and Ahmed by Jay Cantor and James Romberger, which I picked up at FlameCon last year. Published in 2011, it’s an intense read, far more than certain comics that attempt to be challenging when covering such important, relevant topics.

The book is subtitled “A Love Story,” though readers looking for a straightforward queer romance may be disappointed. There is nothing straightforward about this book, which is one of its many strengths. Aaron is engaged to a woman who dies on 9/11; his shock and anger lead him to Gitmo, where he becomes involved in “enhanced interrogations.” Ahmed is one of the victims of this brutality, and eventually becomes Aaron’s patient/subject. Their relationship deepens, but this may be the result of psychological manipulation on each man’s part.

The story is told mostly from Aaron’s perspective, in narration that becomes more unreliable as the story continues. Jay Cantor does an excellent job of capturing the flat affect of a clinician that is nevertheless betrayed by gnawing self-doubt and the harrowing images that accompany it. James Romberger provides those images, and gives them a visceral feel. Whether in a New York City apartment or a cave in Afghanistan, the setting is believable and textured. The hallucinatory tangents are beautifully rendered in ways that don’t diminish the horrors that attend to the story around the edges. Both Mr. Cantor and Mr. Romberger work hard to make Ahmed a fully realized character, which is part of why the book is so effective. His motivations are human, even when they aren’t clear, and his eyes are especially expressive.

In an interview with Publisher’s Weekly, Mr. Romberger explained, “[Aaron and Ahmed] takes you places you’ve only heard about in the news.” Long after Congress has failed to close Guantanamo Bay, and is now trying to ban Muslims from entering this country, these are places the average reader may be compelled to visit.

On a side note, I had the great pleasure of hearing Mr. Romberger speak at FlameCon last year, and he described part of the process of creating the art in this book. One sequence that was unfortunately censored involved Aaron sitting naked on a hotel bed; in the final graphic novel, he’s wearing underwear. Mr. Romberger expressed disappointment over this change, and I agree. Comics could do with a more adult attitude towards male frontal nudity, frankly.

Aaron and Ahmed is available for purchase on the publisher’s website and Amazon.