Rolling Blackouts

In Rolling Blackouts, cartoonist Sarah Glidden travels with two friends who run a journalism non-profit. Both are reporters, and they are heading out to scout possible stories about how the Iraq War has reshaped the Middle East, with a particular focus on the people the war displaced. A childhood friend of Glidden's, a former Marine who served in Iraq, completes the group. His history gives the trip an angle nobody planned for, and his presence is not always welcome, either among the people they meet or within the group itself. Their route takes them through Turkey, Iraq and Syria, and Glidden watches closely as the reporters put the same basic question to everyone they meet: who are you? The answers come from a wide range of people, including an Iranian blogger, a United Nations refugee official, a taxi driver, an Iraqi who was deported from the United States, and Iraqis who have sought shelter in Syria. The former Marine has his own story to tell as well. This is a book about reporting as much as about the places being reported on. Glidden shows how journalists find their stories, how they talk to people in the middle of upheaval, and how the whole process looks to an outsider traveling alongside them. She treats everyone she meets with sympathy and curiosity, and she is willing to be funny at her own expense. The art is done in soft, muted watercolors. Glidden is also the author of How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, and this book is a further example of her original approach to nonfiction comics.