Aside from the high school adventures of Archie and Jughead, I’ve never been much of a comic book reader or enthusiast. Last summer, while on a flight to Fort Defiance, AZ, I read an article in the New York Times about a new series set in Uganda that explores the country’s gruesome and violent 16-year civil war. Written by Joshua Dysart and published by an imprint of DC Comics, Unknown Solider explores the conflict and its influence through the eyes of protagonist Dr. Lwanga Moses, a Ugandan-born, United States-educated physician who returns to his home country in 2002, in the middle of the rampage led by the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Moses, who somehow gets caught up in the war, is depicted with bandages wrapped around his face—the result of hacking at himself to stop voices in his head. The author, who traveled to Uganda to conduct research for the series, notes that although the comic details violent encounters, many of the stories heard during his trip were just too gruesome to be included.

Unfortunately, since history is told from the perspective of the winners, my education of the Ugandan civil war is lacking. Our world history books and lessons only featured brief sections on ethnic groups residing beyond the borders of the US, and Uganda simply didn’t make the list. I’m interested in opening up a dialogue to learn more, and plan to visit Atomic Books in Baltimore this weekend to stock up on a few copies.

The latest installment, #19, was just published on April 28^th. A review to come…

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