Ebook220 pages17 hours
Democracy: a remarkable graphic novel about the world's first democracy
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this ebook
An epic, moving graphic novel set in ancient Athens about the birth and the rise of democracy – from the illustrator behind the bestselling Logicomix
'Impressive ... Simultaneously a standout historical examination and a compelling story' Booklist
'It's fun, it's heartbreaking, it's thought-provoking, and it's tragic – and it's absolutely one of the greatest graphic novels I expect to read all year' i09
It is 490BC and Athens is at war. Leander, trying to rouse his comrades for the morrow's battle against a far mightier enemy, begins to recount the story of his own life. Having witnessed the evils of the old tyrannical regimes and the rise of a new political system, Leander tells a tale of danger, bravery and big ideas, of the death of gods and the tortuous birth of democracy.
Through a series of breathtaking scenes, we see that democracy was forged from chance and historical contingency – but also through the cunning and courage of a group of highly talented, driven individuals.
Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna, artists behind the international phenomenon Logicomix, together with writer Abraham Kawa deliver a graphic novel bursting with extraordinary characters and vibrant colour, one that offers fresh insight into how this greatest of civic inventions came to be.
'Impressive ... Simultaneously a standout historical examination and a compelling story' Booklist
'It's fun, it's heartbreaking, it's thought-provoking, and it's tragic – and it's absolutely one of the greatest graphic novels I expect to read all year' i09
It is 490BC and Athens is at war. Leander, trying to rouse his comrades for the morrow's battle against a far mightier enemy, begins to recount the story of his own life. Having witnessed the evils of the old tyrannical regimes and the rise of a new political system, Leander tells a tale of danger, bravery and big ideas, of the death of gods and the tortuous birth of democracy.
Through a series of breathtaking scenes, we see that democracy was forged from chance and historical contingency – but also through the cunning and courage of a group of highly talented, driven individuals.
Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna, artists behind the international phenomenon Logicomix, together with writer Abraham Kawa deliver a graphic novel bursting with extraordinary characters and vibrant colour, one that offers fresh insight into how this greatest of civic inventions came to be.
Author
Alecos Papadatos
Alecos Papadatos worked as an animator, animation director and storyboarder for major European animation production companies from 1984 to 1994. In 1990, his love for drawing led him to the print media and he now writes and draws comics for two Greek newspapers. He spent 2003 to 2008 drawing the graphic novelLogicomix, which went on to become an international phenomenon. He lives with his family in Athens.
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Reviews for Democracy
Rating: 3.4545454545454546 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
11 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I really liked the commentary section at the end of the book. I only wish the rest of the book had been as engaging.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I guess I arrived at this comic with the wrong expectations: It is a not a Logicomix of politics. This is more fictional and less ambitious in scope, focusing on a definitely relevant moment in history: the birth of democracy in Athens.The intention is good, but the driving story of Leander doesn't interleave well with the big narrative. At the end is not very clear what was everything about.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Created by Alecos Papadatos, who brought us Logicomix in 2008, Democracy is a work of historical fiction, drawing from the writings of Herodotus, Thucydides and Aristotle, who wrote down the early Athenian history decades after it had unfolded. It is a narrative of critical events leading up to the "Golden Age" of the Greek city state of Athens, told through the eyes of Leander, a typical Athenian youth. It opens one the eve of the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C., when a small Athenian army would repel the much larger Persian forces. Unable to sleep, several soldiers are gathered by firelight, listening to Leander spin his tale.The son of a merchant farmer who sits on the City's Council, Leander is well educated on history, mythology and the painting of frescoes and pottery dedicated to the glorification of the gods.His life is profoundly impacted by critical events in Athenian history--the tumultuous forces leading to the adoption of democracy. His gentle and prosperous life is shattered with the political assassination of Hipparchus, the brother of the tyrannical Athenian magistrate. This assassination took place in a formal procession to the temple of Athena one of the most sacred holidays in Athens--Goddess Day. In the ensuing chaos, City Council members deemed to have a connection to the assassins are executed on the spot, including Leander's father. Leander flees the scene, only to find his home burned and looted, so he travels to the Temple of Apollo, run by a close friend of his father.At the temple, he finds that nothing is sacred. Backroom deals determine what prophecies come out of the mouths of the temple's Oracles, many of these deals cut by Cleisthenes, who is credited with being the father of Democracy and known for being both a reformer but also clearly a master manipulator. Leander's life is not without romance, as he shared romantic feelings and encounters with two women, but alas, neither are suitable for marriage, as one is a Hetaira (Greek courtesan) and the other a Pythia--on of the priestess at the temple of Apollo who serves as an oracle.Here we see a seen leading up to the Battle of Citadel, where the Athenian Magistrate Isagoras brought the Spartans into the city to preserve order, a move that backfired, as it led to an uprising of the entire city that unseated this tyrant and paved the way for a more democratic government.This is a great book for both adults and teens. There are 25 pages of notes which give more background on the major figures, places and battles described in the book.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I read it on my phone, and it was very difficult to read. I didn't try opening it on my computer, so I don't know if it's a phone issue or not, but a lot of the text formatting had the text overlapping each other at least every other page (or some words from one line appearing in the middle of words in the following line). This is a graphic novel, but I actually could not zoom in to make the text easier to read, which was the other reason it was hard to get through. Had I actually been able to read it with ease, I may have liked it more; but as it is, I had a lot of trouble following the story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I feel like this should be required reading for high school history. Or maybe civics.
In particular, the afterward conveys a really great perspective on the nature of historical truth.
This is violent, but I'm tempted to read it to my 6-year old anyway, as I think it would spark her thinking about the voting she sees us do in a different (better framed) light.
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Democracy - Alecos Papadatos
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