Broken Frontier

Homeland: The Illustrated History of Israel is a unique undertaking from Nachshon Press that could more appropriately be described as the "complete" illustrated history. Starting where it all began when "God created the heavens and the earth," the story then spans the centuries from then till now. Told in the voice of a professor teaching a class on Jewish history and vividly painted with realistic images interspersed with photographs, this 128 page massive tome can best be described as one of the greatest history text books ever created.

Comics veteran, Marv Wolfman, is the writer and the incomparable Mario Ruiz is responsible for the breathtaking art. The brainchild of William J. Rubin, Homeland is a complete rundown of Jewish history. But it is more than just that. The creators have a specific message for their readers. From beginning to end there are pervasive themes: survival despite the odds, struggle and what it does to a group of people, and strength in the face of ever present danger.

The message of survival through struggles begins in the introduction with a letter from Rona Ramon whose husband, Ilan Ramon, was Israel’s first astronaut who died on February 1, 2003 when the NASA space shuttle Columbia exploded upon re-entry. It is a heartfelt letter that tells of Ilan’s life, his desire to be an astronaut, and the bittersweet end to that dream. This letter is also a letter of survival, because though her husband is gone, she has struggled and she has survived. Then the story begins 4,000 years ago with Abraham and his family, the beginning of the Hebrew line. The tragic tale of Moses follows, and on and on. Slavery, torture, exile and death surround the people of Israel, but nevertheless they survive the struggles. They face their various enemies with strength. They lose Israel, they become hated, society’s collective pariah, the Shoah nearly eradicates them. But in the end, the Israelites survive.

Beyond the clear themes of the book, the educational value is limitless. I do not profess to be a scholar on all things Israeli, but I know my fair share. Or rather, I thought I did. In 4,000 years a lot can happen. The attractive teacher who narrates this story knows it all and fills in everything, naming names, recalling events, and basically giving her "students" a complete rundown on the life and times of the Jewish state up to and including today. Every historical event in the life of the country of Israel is at least touched upon, from Moses’ journey across the desert to the aforementioned Holocaust, the creation of the modern state of Israel, and even 9-11. Every aspect of the Israeli culture is also examined: art, education, business, society, film, etc, etc, etc. While some of the information may be a bit biased, every text book has biases. In a book like this they are to be expected. Of course the creators aren’t going to focus on any of the negative aspects of Israel. Why should they? There are plenty of hate-mongers out there doing that for them.

And of course, when a book looks as beautiful as this one does, it is difficult to speak of negative things. Mario Ruiz’s work is amazing to behold here. The combination of paint, computer, and photography art is an intriguing mix. Even when the story begins to drag—as history lessons, even good ones, are wont to do on occasion, the art keeps you reading. Ruiz is kindly referred to as a "friend" of the Jewish people. In this graphic novel, he proves his friendship.

But nothing is perfect. If I had a complaint about this book it is only that on occasion the story glosses over certain events or dwells on others longer than I would have liked. Once in awhile the portraits of certain historical figures come two or three pages before the words about them or the other way around. However, these two complaints have positive end results. They make me want to learn more about Israel, its history, and its people. Ultimately, I think that is quite an achievement.

Homeland is an inspiring piece of work that has taken effort, heart, and strength to make. If you have questions about the country, they should be answered here.