about the book
Many books have gone into detail about what happened on November 22, 1963, the day that President Kennedy was assassinated. Every aspect of the crime has been thoroughly investigated. President Johnson convened the Warren Commission to study every detail and officially decide who killed Kennedy and why. The Commission reported that there was “no credible evidence” conflicting with its conclusion of a lone gunman. Then why do we still feel that we don’t know what really happened that day?
If the commission erred, how so and why? Were the seven commissioners too sure of their findings or too willing to ignore discrepancies? And why were the discrepancies not even acknowledged in the report? If the investigation and the report had been handled differently, would it have squelched the onslaught of conspiracy theories?
This comic book documentary is not so much about the assassination itself or the key individuals involved. It is not a rehash of what is in the Warren Commission Report or an argument in support of a conspiracy theory. It is more a story about how the Commission was put together, about the actual writing of the report, and a critique of the official findings. The illustrated format helps clarify the report visually: the physical geography of Dealey Plaza, the anatomical details of the autopsy, the conflicting timelines of witnesses, diagrams of the bullet.
What is uncovered is how shoddy the investigation really was and therefore how bad the report ended up being. The government would not have had enough evidence to convict Lee Harvey Oswald. It explores the origin of the conspiracy subculture and humanizes the persons behind the theories, giving partial credence to some. Both Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy believed the Cubans were involved.
Probably the most interesting section of this graphic novel is the argument that the mishandling of the investigation caused the shift in how the average American viewed their government. Up until now, it has been conjectured that American lost trust during Vietnam or Watergate.
No matter which side you take on the issues surrounding the assassination and the Warren Commission Report, this graphic novel is going to surprise you will all sorts of information that you have not read before.
about the author
The first comic that Dan Mishkin ever saw was an issue of Sugar & Spike, about two toddlers who spoke a language adults couldn’t understand. His older brother brought the issue home when Dan was just four or five. He claims his “mutant comic-loving mega-gene activated” as he opened the cover!
Dan became a voracious reader of everything, but especially DC Comic’s superheroes Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and The Flash. You could say he was an avid comic book collector; in truth, he just never threw anything out. His only regret is that he shared far too many issues with his grandfather!
Now Dan is an aging baby boomer, a father to three grown children, a husband to one incredible wife, an East Lansing Michigan home owner, an avid bicyclist, and a comic writer for 46 years. He is credited with penning a whopping 226 issues! He is also the co-creator (with lifelong pal and collaborator Gary Cohn) of the superhero series Blue Devil, the girl’s fantasy adventure Amethyst series, and the horror series, Creeps.
Dan also pens short novels and children’s books. What a lot of comic fans don’t know about him is that he also writes education materials on pain and end-of-life issues for patients, families, and physicians. He works closely with his wife, a palliative care physician.
All his life, Dan has let his imagination run amok by writing escapist fantasy stuff. Taking a 180-turn, Dan is now on a passionate mission to prove that comics can do things text alone cannot. Hence, his first historical comic documentary, The Warren Commission Report: A Graphic Investigation into the Kennedy Assassination. Since Dan was ten, JFK’s assassination has nagged at him.
“Comics have finally been accepted as a vehicle for adult nonfiction.” “The distinction between simplifying and clarifying is hugely important. Comics have a great capacity to bring light and understanding in a way that dense prose can’t always do—and it’s hard to get denser than the Warren Report. Images have the power to fix important details in the reader’s mind and allow them to see the relationships between those details more clearly. When the facts are in dispute, as they are in the case of the Kennedy assassination and the findings of the official investigation, being able to hold on to that clarity and those relationships is even more crucial.”
Sources:
Author blog: WordPress
Author interview: Jumping the Candlestick
Author biography: Comic Vine
Article on author and book: Lansing City Pulse
Author biography: Everything Explained Today
Article on book: Esquire
about the illustrator
Ernesto “Ernie” Colón was born in 1931 in Puerto Rico. He decided he was going to be a cartoonist when he was just six years old and has never wanted to do anything else. He started by drawing in the margins of his school books, much to the chagrin of his teachers.
Ernie’s first art job was as a letterer for Harvey Comics. Eventually he found his niche—drawing Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich. Though his name was never credited, it was a good gig, and he kept at it for twenty-five years! After meeting comic writer Sid Jacobsen (who eventually became his editor and frequent creative partner), Ernie eventually branched out, working for DC Comics, Marvel, Atlas, and many other comic publishers. Now, with more than 45 years of illustrations under his belt, Ernie has made a name for himself in the comic industry.
But then the events of 9/11 occurred. He and Sid Jacobson had a hard time understanding all that took place during that devastating time. To help everyone understand, they decided to collaborate on The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation and followed that with After 9/11: America’s War on Terror. The two graphic novels won rave reviews and opened the door for using that format to explore tough subjects.
Now Ernie is using the same formula in collaborating with his writer wife, Ruth Ashby, on their The Great American Documents series. Ruth and Ernie, who have been married decades, live in Huntington, New York with their daughter and their dog, Nubby. When he isn’t drawing, you’ll likely find Ernie watching a movie or two. He loves movies. His grandfather owned three movie theaters in Puerto Rico!
Sources:
Illustrator interview: Teaching Books
Illustrator biography: Wikipedia
Also Illustrated by Ernie Colon:
Anne Frank : The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography with Sid Jacobson. Hill & Wang. 2010.
After 9/11 : America’s War on Terror with Sid Jacobson. Hill & Wang. 2008.
The 9/11 Report : A Graphic Adaptation with Sid Jacobson. Hill & Wang. 2006.
about the co-illustrator
Jerzy Drozd, a comic author and illustrator. and hjase worked closely with Ernie Colon to produce the massive amount of illustrations needed for Dan Mishkins’s The Warren Commisssion Report: A Graphic Investigation into the Kennedy Assassination.
Jerzy shares his passion for comics by teaching cartooning workshops and has produced several long-running podcasts including Comics are Great, Kids’ Comics revolution, Art & Story, and Lean into Art.
Jerzy is the author/illustrator of The Front: Rebirth and has contributed to Ninja High School. Other projects have been for Marvel Comics, VIZ Meida, and other publishers. He is currently writing and illustrating his fantasy webcomic Boulder and Fleet: Adventurers for Hire.
Jerzy lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his wife and two cats.
Source:
Illustrator page: Amazon
read more!
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