Coco Wang has written a series of comic strips documenting stories of rescue from the devastating earthquake in China. An excerpt from Wang’s introduction:
Thousands of heart-breaking stories are happening 24 hours non-stop everyday, some are so sad that you can hardly bear, some are incredibly moving that you just can’t stop crying… I wanted to go to the front to help with all those people, some of my friends have already gone there, but I heard that the traffic needed to be kept totally clear for rescue transportation at the moment, people like me without knowledge of first-aid and experience of rescue operations going there now would cause choas and trouble… but I can’t just sit at home and do nothing, I have been crying my eyes out in the past three days, I have never felt more proud of my country and people… their love, courage and kindness rock me to my core! I have decided to tell these touching stories by drawing comics.
It’s a very difficult read. Many stories are inspiring, but they’re just as often unbearably tragic — though actually, there are a few funny strips towards the end. The sixth comic “My Father is a Hero” had me crying like a baby.
But, at least in the U.S., these are stories that we aren’t hearing. And they deserve to be heard. Also, Wang’s illustration and retelling of the events amounts to a wonderful tribute.
So get your hankies, and head on over to read all of the earthquake strips.
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You weren’t kidding about needing hankies. Thanks for the incredible link. I’ll make sure to share this one.
Jeebus, this isn’t the way I wanted to start my morning at work. I should have paid closer attention to your last sentence. The one about the woman and her baby hit me the hardest.
I’ll definitely forward this on as well as put it on my blog, and I’ll definitely put in bold the hankie part.
Thanks Cara
The “so get your hankies” line can’t be stressed strongly enough. Don’t try reading this at work.
I changed the “hankies” line to bold for you all.
I’m forwarding this to everyone I know.
wow. these are incredible.
the one about the teacher saving his students (#8) had me in tears.
Shit. I work at a school now, and I’m sitting in my office sniffling and trying to hold in tears. The thought of my little girls getting trapped like that… oh, it’s unbearable.
I feel like I should post these somewhere, but I think it would turn the teacher’s lounge into a sniffling mess.
Wow. That is just devastating.
Thanks for the link.
[...] this thread at Feministe, I discovered these comics depicting stories of the Chinese earthquakes, and that got [...]
Oh man, you are right about #6. I shouldn’t have read this at work, I can’t stop tearing up.
I found it a few days before this, but it just never ends its hold on me… I REALLY need to learn to have a tissue box by me. I linked on my LJ, and within 24 hours, a troll came out. Some people are just assholes.
That is the most moving, saddest thing collection of stories I have seen in ages. Thank you for sharing. I’m going to give my son the biggest hug ever when he gets home.
How horrible. What courage these people showed. God, the human spirit is just incredible sometimes.
Good god. I’m usually not very tearful about human tragedies: animal abuse makes me cry, human abuse just makes me angry.
This though? I fucking cried for every single one. It’s just so overwhelming.
For a collection of moving photos from the Sichuan earthquake zone, visit Roland Soong’s siteEast South West North – Earthquake Photos
Oh gosh, I’m such an idiot — I read ‘comic’ and immediately think ‘funny.’ When I saw the picture you posted, I was all ready to be up in arms about someone making a joke or something awful… Thanks for clearing that up for me, I’m slow sometimes.
OT: I read the first three and I have tears streaming down my face. I will go back and read the rest later, I don’t think I can do it all at once.
Thanks for the link.
[...] From Feministe, I found this extremely sad, moving series of comic strips depicting rescue stories from the [...]
Link correction: Coco Wang moved the strips here: http://earthquakestrips.blogspot.com/
Blogger’s servers can probably better handle all the attention these strips have been getting.
[...] Via Feministe [...]