Army of God

It is not easy to contemplate horrors like those perpetuated by guerilla army leader Joseph Kony against the people of Central Africa—and it’s equally difficult to get a good picture of the political involvement of the nations allied together to end the threat of Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army. Journalist Axe and Eisner-nominee Hamilton bring the history of the LRA into its proper context, from the history of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo to Invisible Children’s viral video “Kony2012.” The result is an approachable report on both the politics and the personal stories, giving readers a strong overview of where the LRA came from, and the threat it continues to pose to Central Africa. Axe has a clear grasp of how to turn solid journalism into a compelling series of interconnected stories, and Hamilton’s art removes just enough horror from the terror of life in the Congo to make it possible to look at the situation, rather than feeling compelled to look away. The prose preface and epilogue, and the notes on the graphic novel process, are informative bookends to a powerful work that deserves wide notice. (Mar.)