Kent State

Derf Backderf turns the 1970 Kent State shootings into a 288-page graphic work of nonfiction. Across four tense days, he traces how Ohio National Guard troops came to fire on students and left four of them dead. Rather than treating the events as one sweeping story, the book follows each of the four victims through the days before May 4th, reconstructing their lives from interviews with friends and from oral histories held in the university's May 4th collection and other archives.

The research is extensive, and the notes at the back are long and detailed, so readers can trace where each scene and detail comes from. The artwork carries the narrative through the campus unrest and the troops' arrival, giving the events a close, immediate feel.

The book has been recognized with several honors, including an Alex Award from the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association, which Backderf received twice, and the 2021 Eisner and Ringo Awards for best reality-based work. Backderf is also known for My Friend Dahmer.