Red Lines: Political Cartoons and the Struggle Against Censorship

This ambitious but awkward scholarly survey of censorship of political cartoons by George, a media studies professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, and artist Liew (The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye) compiles interviews with 50 cartoonists from around the world about how their pointed humor has sparked government repression. “Political cartoons are part of a conversation citizens have a right to access,” asserts George, and the thesis is argued via a hodgepodge of comics, digital collage, photos, and text-only pages. The jumbled look recalls a 1990s cut-and-paste zine, hopscotching between eras and continents, and organized by different ideological themes. The strongest moments come from personal stories and passionate political sentiments. “You knew what not to draw,” says Gustavo Rodriguez, who fled Cuba. “It was not something I was proud of. I did it to stay under the radar and avoid trouble.” Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Sabaaneh, who was a political prisoner in Israel, recounts how he scans all his sketches when he travels abroad and destroys the originals before returning home. He observes that the censorship actions of the government in Israel serve to “dehumanize all Palestinians, not just cartoonists.” But while the nonchronological structure allows for a multitude of voices on each page, it makes the history hard to follow. While offering valuable preservation of the source material, the presentation overwhelms readers with its sheer density. (Aug.)