Comics creator Bosch Fawstin was born into an Albanian-Muslim family and for a good chunk of his youth, didn’t question his faith. Until one day he had an awakening which made him question it all. In his self-published. “The Infidel”. Fawstin works out his feelings about Islam and Jihad in a powerful narrative that pits two brothers with deeply opposing views on the faith and religious fanaticism.
It’s bound to upset some people because, like the fictional hero in the story, it doesn’t pull any punches.
It starts out with two men, Frank and Mohammad, on a rooftop in lower Manhattan, having an argument. In the middle of their debate, a plane flies over and hits the World Trade Center. From that moment on, Frank is awakened and Mohammed sees it as a religious sign. The two men become profoundly changed by the experience, in opposite ways.
We soon discover this is a fictional narrative told in a comic book called Pigman by comics artist Killian Duke. Killian as an atheist and objectivist with a real cause. He wants to speak out against radical Islam through his comic. He wants to expose the dangerous fanaticism that the Islamic faith inspires. His avatar, Pigman, acts out his frustrations with his fists, taking his battle all the way to Osama Bin Laden himself.
Killian has a devout Muslim brother named Salaam. The characters in his comic are a reflection of Killian’s own relationship with his brother. Just as the comic The Infidel is a reflection of Bosch Fawstin’s own world view. The Infidel is drawn in an art style that reminds one in turns of Frank Miller and Alex Toth, with some David Mazzuchelli thrown in. Fawstin shows very strong storytelling and graphic design skills. It’s no wonder that he was nominated for an Eisner award and a “Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer” award for his first graphic novel, Table for One. Fawstin shows a lot of progress in his sophomore effort. It’s well worth the $2.50 it costs to download it.
It shows a brave dismissal of the politically correct crowd who are unwilling to look the issue of Islamic fundamentalism in the eye. It boldly tackles it head on, by examining it from the real relationships of the main characters to the fictional exploits of its superhero Pigman.
This is a series bound to offend the sensibilities of the extremists and their enablers. In that way it is a polemic in that it takes them on without restraint. When dealing with fascists, one cannot shirk from their terrorist tactics, Trying to reason with the unreasonable is a losing proposition. The Infidel is counter-propaganda to the endless parade of rationalizations and justifications of those who are incapable of mentally or ethically dealing with this very serious issue.
At a time where the current administration is unwilling or unable to face facts or even manage existing problems, Bosch Fawstin goes where few dare to tread. While lefties continue to call lame attacks on Christianity brave, Fawstin shows what brave truly looks like.
This first issue is available for download on the author’s site.
James Hudnall is a professional comics writer of 25 years who is also a political writer and produces the weekly web toons Obama Nation, mocking the current regime and Useful Idiots which lampoons the mainstream newsmedia.
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