As I wrote in a previous post, the 24 hours of bande dessinée occurred last week. I failed to finish a 24 page comic in 24 hours…but I DID manage to finish a 20 page comic in about 30 hours? I finally finished the thing and am posting it now.

This story is a true one, taken from my time in Iraqi Kurdistan with the Common Language Project in November of 2010 (which I am working on creating a full-length book on right now). This isn’t really an excerpt, but a stand alone story that I had been tossing around in the back of my head for a while.

(Please note that the bulk of this was done under extreme stress during the actual 24hBD so excuse any sloppiness in writing or drawing. Also please note that although this is based on a true story but should not be considered journalism. The last scene has been fiddled with in order to fit the constraints of the 24 hour comics theme and the dialogue has been reconstructed/invented. Thank you.)

UPDATE: The Common Language Project is making a feature length documentary about Sam Malkandi, the Iraqi deportee mentioned in this comic. Please go watch the trailer and consider pitching in to help them raise the funds to make the film happen:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cassidyd/barzan-the-movie