A Graphic Review of a Graphic Novel

Kent State, by Derf Backderf, is a riveting graphic novel depicting the grim day in Ohio when the National Guard fired upon students who were peacefully protesting the Vietnam War. While this story may seem like a history lesson, it goes way beyond that. The story plays out in almost movie-like form, with great illustrations coupled with background information on the important pieces and players of this day. The story is one historians may brush under the rug, due to the negative light it paints the government in, but with the recent protests and turmoil in this country, Kent State could not have hit shelves at a better time.

While reading this story, it is easy to forget that it is taking place over 40 years ago; this story could have been about last summer and it would have fit perfectly.. Through these graphic illustrations, and the journey of four students in the last days of their lives, Backderf paints a vivid and gruesome picture of the tragic event, and the days before that raised the temperature of the water until it eventually hit the boiling point on a dark Monday, May 4th 1970.

In telling this dark story, Backderf uses graphics and illustrations mirroring those out of a comic book, and in these black and white illustrations, he vividly sets the scene that is portrayed more closely to that of a movie than a book. It can not be understated how important the illustrations are for this story, as they convey not only looks, but moods, tones and feelings of the surrounding characters. The author uses these illustrations excellently in parts of the book that convey tension as well, like these dramatic scenes from the protest.

Drawings in Kent State make it effortless to understand the full gravity of every situation and every page, as the pictures essentially make it unfold in front of the reader. Pictures like these ones, in the heat of the protest, help a reader who has never experienced the tension filled, high intensity protest that these students felt just barely into their adulthood.

In the later parts of the book, as shots are flying, the page simply states the two words “I’m hit”. It is not the words that speak volumes on this page though, but the dramatic images of bodies on the ground and tears flowing that leaves the reader, including myself, with eyes full of tears and a heart filled with pain. The author also utilizes well placed excerpts to explain any agencies, organizations, or historical events that the reader may otherwise not understand. For many readers, it may be tough to understand what the ROTC even is, but Backderf casually throws in an excerpt stating “The ROTC is a group of college students trained through the university based officer training”. This works really well for the average reader who does not need to remember all of their history to understand what is happening in this novel. The pairing of the illustrations with the biographical descriptions bring everyone up to speed, and leave the average reader and the reader well versed in history on the same playing field.

Through this combination of history and drama, Kent State starts its journey days before the unforgettable events of May 4th, and follows the journeys of four different students, who live four very different lives. Allison Krause, Jeff Miller, Sandra Scheuer and Bill Schroeder all navigate through their normal college days, with an uneasy feeling about the events that are unfolding on campus. This unease soon takes a spiral towards tension, tension about President Nixon’s decisions to keep troops in Vietnam, and continually lose American lives for no reason. These actions were so morally wrong, that even ROTC student Bill Schroeder became disgruntled when Nixon had “promised to wind down the war, and now he’s invading another country”. As the story unfolds, the reader sees these students take part in activism, stand up for what is wrong and stand back when the gases start filling their eyes and lungs, and grow an overall sense of discomfort with the increasing presence of armed soldiers in their beloved and peaceful campus at Kent State. These tensions build up higher and higher until they eventually explode in a violent and disgusting clash that will go down as one of the darkest days in the history of the United States.

It is these parts of the novel, the images, the events that took place, the use of four very different viewpoints, that Derf Backderf uses to make this book a must read for any person young or old, whether they have lived through these events in Kent State or they are living through the similar events we battle everyday still. Kent State is knowledgeable and informative, while still being heartfelt and emotional. The Kent State protests were wrong, and sometimes seem like something out of a movie, but they are very real. Until the day that change and progress are made, our society will continue to watch “as the… rain comes, and washes away the bloodstains from the pavement”.