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CIA: Operation Ajax
Operation Ajax is the first true-to-life spy thriller in a new genre of interactive comics experiences.
Designed specifically for the iPad, Operation Ajax is an original story inspired by the investigative journalism of best-selling author, Stephen Kinzer, and his work All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror.
~From cognitocomics.com
Designed specifically for the iPad, Operation Ajax is an original story inspired by the investigative journalism of best-selling author, Stephen Kinzer, and his work All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror.
~From cognitocomics.com
ebook
First published November 16, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
October 3, 2015
A tome of immense importance for anyone wanting to know why Iran is what it is today and the dastardly parts played by the US and UK in destabilizing the Middle East. Also witness the origins of CIA shenanigans in messing countries up and watch the roller coaster ride of what will be the amoral British Petroleum.
Staggering in its revelations.
Staggering in its revelations.
February 14, 2018
“The riots and gun battles that shook Tehran during the third week of August 1953 were part of a drama in which nearly no one actually understood his or her true part. Rioters who rampaged through the streets did not know that they were being paid by the CIA. Soldiers who joined the uprising had no idea that they were defending Western control of their own country’s oil. Newspapers around the world unwittingly parroted doctored press release that Iranians were rising up to depose a hated government.”
From the moment you open this book and turn the first couple of pages, you realise that you are in for a real treat. Really nice quality paper, the art work is sharp and powerful and the colouring is sumptuous with no detail spared. There is an excellent foreword and afterword provided by Stephen Kinzer whose book this is largely based on.
“Britain discovered an ocean of oil under Iran. And so, they carefully rigged the political system to virtually hand this treasure to themselves, as fast as they could pump it out of the ground and haul it away.” The British struck oil in 1908, in what was then Persia and then formed The Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The APOC (changed in 1935 to AIOC, when Persia became Iran) paid pence on the pound for as much oil as they could haul away. Shah Reza Khan started to do side deals, even getting involved with the Nazis. London decided to get rid of him and used this opportunity to bleed Iran’s oil reserves to help with the war effort. The Brits needed a replacement for Khan and in 1941 they installed their ideal candidate, his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
An anti-royalist/pro-democracy parliamentarian by the name of Mohammed Mossadegh drew up a long list of 25 grievances’ that he had with the deeply asymmetrical agreement that Iran had with the Brits. The Brits refused to address any of their concerns and instead offered a mere 11 cent increase per barrel, whilst they made hundreds of millions from Iran’s oil. The Shah’s poor attempt at vote rigging, resulted in new elections being called. Razmara was installed by the Brits, after he was killed, Mossadegh filled the shoes of power and then nationalised the oil in 1951.
The Brits reacted by freezing Iran’s bank accounts, pushing sanctions and rigged an ironclad international embargo. Enter Winston Churchill he got the navy to steal back the oil, even going as far as arresting the crew aboard the Italian tanker coming out of Iran, to send a message out to the rest of the world. The Brits also infiltrated the government by paying off various people to create maximum unrest and subversion; this resulted in Mossadegh kicking them out of the country.
The US refused to back Churchill and his warmongering, until Eisenhower became president in 1953. He brought in the notorious Dulles brothers. John Foster Dulles was the highest paid corporate lawyer in the USA. “His firm represented Rockefeller oil empire, the world’s largest banking empires and just about every major trans-national in the US.” He was also a devout Calvinist. Allen Dulles was a professional spy, helping to write the law that created the CIA. Eisenhower made him the director. The brothers shared a passionate faith in corporate power and a global network of covert agents. Allen managed to stoke fear of communism within congress so that they would greatly enhance his war chest. He then embarked on a huge recruitment campaign, raiding the Ivy League for fresh blood. Within three years the CIA went from 300 men to 2800.
Although there was a lot of money and men floating around the CIA there was very little for them to do all day, “We had signed up to be heroes and they made us typists, churning out reports on reports on reports-just busywork, with no end in sight. We wandered the halls looking for a reason to exist beyond the next cup of coffee. An internal report revealed rampant anger, frustration, suicide and substance abuse.” The situation in Iran would suddenly prove to be just what the new government and the CIA needed, and they soon launched Operation Ajax.
The US’s attitude radically shifted from one that supported Iran to the country posing, “A direct threat to American freedom.” Which is just another misleading banality, which really means, hindering America’s business interest, usually oil, as was the case here. The CIA soon went deep into subversive overdrive. It was a three-way brawl between “The faker communists, the hired royalists and the paid cops.”. Chaos that would needlessly kill hundreds of Iranians.
“Operation Ajax did not simply end Mossadegh’s political career, it also ended Iran’s fragile experiment with democracy, The Shah returned and built a highly repressive state. Iran became one of the most heavily militarised and most corrupt countries in the world. Uprooted from its foundations, the country ultimately fell under the rule of bitterly anti-Western clerics. At the time, Operation Ajax seemed a triumphant success for American foreign policy. History, however, has delivered another verdict.” In the end the AIOC reformed in 1954 and is now known as BP. Churchill ended up only receiving 20% of the oil ownership, far less than the 50% he was offered by Iran.
So this is an exceptional piece of work, which expertly combines lavish colouring and detailed art work with some genuinely shocking 20th century political history, taking a relatively hidden subject and presenting it in a clear and unambiguous way. This is truly essential reading.
March 11, 2020
"Operation Ajax" is a multimedia comic for the iPad. It describes the political events in Iran from the discovery of oil to the overthrowing of Prime Minister Mossaddegh 1953 by the CIA in "Operation Ajax".
The realization for the iPad is fantastic. Sound effects and additional documents bring the comic to life and show that a tablet is the perfect device for this medium. The story itself provides the reader a lesson in history and helps to explain some of the hate between Iran and the Western world. I found it interesting to meet some of the famous persons of that time, especially Winston Churchill.
To learn more about Iran I highly recommend The Complete Persepolis, which tells the autobiographic story of a young girl during and after the turbulent times of the Iranian Revolution 1978.
The realization for the iPad is fantastic. Sound effects and additional documents bring the comic to life and show that a tablet is the perfect device for this medium. The story itself provides the reader a lesson in history and helps to explain some of the hate between Iran and the Western world. I found it interesting to meet some of the famous persons of that time, especially Winston Churchill.
To learn more about Iran I highly recommend The Complete Persepolis, which tells the autobiographic story of a young girl during and after the turbulent times of the Iranian Revolution 1978.
February 22, 2021
Une histoire complexe brillamment illustrée et écrite par MM. Burwen et De Seve. On en ressort en colère, mais plus éveillés sur la situation au Moyen-Orient.
June 19, 2017
Το κόμικ είναι εξαιρετικό. Πολύ καλή ροή, ζωντανό και φλογερό σχέδιο ενώ δεν κρύβεται πίσω από το δάκτυλο του όσον αφορά την σκληρότητα των εγκλημάτων που διαπράχθηκαν. Απεικονίζει πολύ πειστικά το γίγνεσθαι μιας περιόδου 8 ετών, αφού εστιάζει στα γεγονότα που οδήγησαν στο πρόσφορο έδαφος πριν το πραξικόπημα. Κάνει και κάποιες αναφορές για τις αρχικές επεμβάσεις των Άγγλων στη περιοχή, από το 1908. Το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα αφού το βλέπω σαν μια σκληρή εισαγωγή στην απαράδεκτη επεμβατική εξωτερική πολιτική των Η.Π.Α. που με έναρξη το Ιράν, κινήθηκε πάνω και κάτω από το τραπέζι δεκάδες φορές ακόμα. Χιλή, Γουατεμάλα, Κούβα, Παναμάς, Θιβέτ και η λίστα δεν τελειώνει. Στο σενάριο ο Mike de Seve, στο σχέδιο ο Daniel Burwen. Το κόμικ κυκλοφόρησε το 2015 σε TPB έκδοση από την cognito comics.
April 6, 2016
I first read about this in a college history class when we explored the troubled history of our CIA. Stephen Kinzer's "All The Shahs Men" instantly jumped rank in my favorite books. Operation Ajax was a nice way to bring all those facts to life for me and to put the tinier (and easier to forget) details into perspective. The graphics appeal to the non-history buffs out there and at the same time, teaches them about a very important part of history.
May 25, 2018
'Operation Ajax' was the codename for the US and UK-backed 1953 Iranian coup. The eponymous comic, available both in print and as an app, is a a great way to learn about this important historical event.
Here's what was supposed to be a quick summary of the event and its legacy:
In the first half of the 20th century, Iran's oil fields were owned and controlled by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), majority owned by the British government. The Iranians felt it was a bad deal: oil workers had poor rights and working conditions; oil wealth was being sucked out of the country into British hands. Iran had become a constitutional democracy in 1905: the royal family persisted with reduced powers; decisions were made by parliament and prime minister.
Mohammad Mossadegh and his party campaigned for the nationalization of the Iranian Oil Industry. They won the election and passed the nationalization bill, which would mean Britain and Iran splitting oil profits 50-50.
The British did not want this. They pulled their staff and resources out of Iran, used the British Navy to seize any oil tankers leaving the country, and arrested anyone who purchased oil from Iran - because it was the stolen property of AIOC.
Meanwhile, Mossadegh's regime was implementing various reforms and following his dream of a modern, economically self-sufficient Iran: women's suffrage, worker's rights, investing in development projects and infrastructure. But it was difficult, what with the trade embargoes and the economic sanctions and the foreign agents trying to destabilize the country.
Eventually, the British enlisted the help of the Americans in dealing with Iran. They told the world the Iranian regime was a communist puppet about to give control of Iran's oil to the Soviets.
Hiding in the basement of America's embassy in Tehran, CIA and MI6 agents orchestrated the coup. They bought off whoever they could, and convinced military leaders to restore the monarchy's power and glory. They spread propaganda to turn people against the regime and yearn for the monarchical days. They hired fake communists to trash mosques while cheering for Mossadegh.
And so, as paid fake communist protesters clashed with paid royalist protesters, the bought-off army swooped in and took control. Mossadegh was tried for treason, and the Shah (King) of Iran had his powers restored.
AIOC retook control of Iran's oil, and became British Petroleum, BP. The Americans wanted a share of the oil profits as a "Thankyou for helping with the coup d'etat." The British ended up with only 20 percent of the oil profits - less than they would have had if they'd agreed to Mossadegh's terms.
This event reverberates through history to the present day in so many, many ways.
It taught Middle Eastern countries a lesson: go along with Western corporate interests and you'll be fine. Promote democracy and nationalism, and we will crush you.
Emboldened by the success of the Iranian coup, the CIA was more confident orchestrating coups elsewhere in the world: Guatemala, Chile, Nicaragua, oh so many more coups.
For the next two decades the Shah of Iran was a close ally of the United States, but also a dictator whose secret police would ruthlessly crush any opposition groups. Frustration at his rule eventually exploded in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the monarchy was deposed (the Shah fled to the US) and Iran became the anti-West Islamist theocracy we know to this day. Iran's isolationism hearkens back to Mossadegh's dream of an independent self-sufficient Iran.
The revolutionists knew the CIA-MI6 agents had used the embassy as their base in 1953, so targeted it during the 1979 hostage crisis (filmed as 'Argo').
The Islamic Revolution freaked out Iraq - ruled by Saddam Hussein - and the US, who became allies against a common enemy. The US supplied Iraq with weapons during the Iran-Iraq War. I'm sure you're aware how the West's partnership with Saddam Hussein didn't end well...
The Islamic Revolution also influenced the Soviet's decision to invade Afghanistan, to curb the rise of Islamic groups - jihadists - opposed to the country's new communist regime. Because Cold War, the West supplied arms to the Afghani jihadists, because they shared a common enemy: communism. A young Osama Bin Laden, fresh out of university, joined the Afghani jihadists to fight the Soviets. A few years later he founded al-Qaeda...
Ah! My head! The history! It is too much! Soviet failure against the West-armed jihadists contributed to the fall of the USSR (non-Russian Soviet republics now knew the Red Army was not invincible - breaking away from Moscow's control was possible), which led to Putin's Russia. From the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 to the US invasion 2001, Afghanistan was left in a period of near-constant civil war, with most of the country controlled by the Taliban...
This event is so shatteringly important to world history, the least we can do is know about it.
Here's what was supposed to be a quick summary of the event and its legacy:
In the first half of the 20th century, Iran's oil fields were owned and controlled by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), majority owned by the British government. The Iranians felt it was a bad deal: oil workers had poor rights and working conditions; oil wealth was being sucked out of the country into British hands. Iran had become a constitutional democracy in 1905: the royal family persisted with reduced powers; decisions were made by parliament and prime minister.
Mohammad Mossadegh and his party campaigned for the nationalization of the Iranian Oil Industry. They won the election and passed the nationalization bill, which would mean Britain and Iran splitting oil profits 50-50.
The British did not want this. They pulled their staff and resources out of Iran, used the British Navy to seize any oil tankers leaving the country, and arrested anyone who purchased oil from Iran - because it was the stolen property of AIOC.
Meanwhile, Mossadegh's regime was implementing various reforms and following his dream of a modern, economically self-sufficient Iran: women's suffrage, worker's rights, investing in development projects and infrastructure. But it was difficult, what with the trade embargoes and the economic sanctions and the foreign agents trying to destabilize the country.
Eventually, the British enlisted the help of the Americans in dealing with Iran. They told the world the Iranian regime was a communist puppet about to give control of Iran's oil to the Soviets.
Hiding in the basement of America's embassy in Tehran, CIA and MI6 agents orchestrated the coup. They bought off whoever they could, and convinced military leaders to restore the monarchy's power and glory. They spread propaganda to turn people against the regime and yearn for the monarchical days. They hired fake communists to trash mosques while cheering for Mossadegh.
And so, as paid fake communist protesters clashed with paid royalist protesters, the bought-off army swooped in and took control. Mossadegh was tried for treason, and the Shah (King) of Iran had his powers restored.
AIOC retook control of Iran's oil, and became British Petroleum, BP. The Americans wanted a share of the oil profits as a "Thankyou for helping with the coup d'etat." The British ended up with only 20 percent of the oil profits - less than they would have had if they'd agreed to Mossadegh's terms.
This event reverberates through history to the present day in so many, many ways.
It taught Middle Eastern countries a lesson: go along with Western corporate interests and you'll be fine. Promote democracy and nationalism, and we will crush you.
Emboldened by the success of the Iranian coup, the CIA was more confident orchestrating coups elsewhere in the world: Guatemala, Chile, Nicaragua, oh so many more coups.
For the next two decades the Shah of Iran was a close ally of the United States, but also a dictator whose secret police would ruthlessly crush any opposition groups. Frustration at his rule eventually exploded in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the monarchy was deposed (the Shah fled to the US) and Iran became the anti-West Islamist theocracy we know to this day. Iran's isolationism hearkens back to Mossadegh's dream of an independent self-sufficient Iran.
The revolutionists knew the CIA-MI6 agents had used the embassy as their base in 1953, so targeted it during the 1979 hostage crisis (filmed as 'Argo').
The Islamic Revolution freaked out Iraq - ruled by Saddam Hussein - and the US, who became allies against a common enemy. The US supplied Iraq with weapons during the Iran-Iraq War. I'm sure you're aware how the West's partnership with Saddam Hussein didn't end well...
The Islamic Revolution also influenced the Soviet's decision to invade Afghanistan, to curb the rise of Islamic groups - jihadists - opposed to the country's new communist regime. Because Cold War, the West supplied arms to the Afghani jihadists, because they shared a common enemy: communism. A young Osama Bin Laden, fresh out of university, joined the Afghani jihadists to fight the Soviets. A few years later he founded al-Qaeda...
Ah! My head! The history! It is too much! Soviet failure against the West-armed jihadists contributed to the fall of the USSR (non-Russian Soviet republics now knew the Red Army was not invincible - breaking away from Moscow's control was possible), which led to Putin's Russia. From the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 to the US invasion 2001, Afghanistan was left in a period of near-constant civil war, with most of the country controlled by the Taliban...
This event is so shatteringly important to world history, the least we can do is know about it.
September 18, 2022
reading history thru the graphic novel medium was a really cool and entertaining way to engage with history. while Cold War history can be tedious and boring to the normies, reading about it in comic form turned the history into an accessible dramatic suspenseful narrative that anyone could enjoy. even tho i knew how the "story" ends, it was cool seeing the intricacies of a CIA operation being played out chronologically in real time (with pictures!!!!)
and by cool, i mean fucked up. in 1953 the CIA on behalf of the US oil industry overthrew Iran's first democratically elected Prime Minster cuz he nationalized Iran's oil industry. the CIA ended Iran's democracy and reinstalled the Shah and the monarchy to absolute power using dirty tricks like paying protestors to pretend to be a communist mob and controlling the local media and manipulating information to create the illusion of instability. the whole thing was so sleezy but oil so ya know
the CIA coup would set up the conditions 26-years later for the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 and create the present day geopolitical situation with Iran as an anti-western theocracy. after what the US (and UK) did to their country, the hate is absolutely deserved. the US is just mad they dont have control over Iranian oil anymore
i want to read more history thru the graphic novel format. that ruled
and by cool, i mean fucked up. in 1953 the CIA on behalf of the US oil industry overthrew Iran's first democratically elected Prime Minster cuz he nationalized Iran's oil industry. the CIA ended Iran's democracy and reinstalled the Shah and the monarchy to absolute power using dirty tricks like paying protestors to pretend to be a communist mob and controlling the local media and manipulating information to create the illusion of instability. the whole thing was so sleezy but oil so ya know
the CIA coup would set up the conditions 26-years later for the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 and create the present day geopolitical situation with Iran as an anti-western theocracy. after what the US (and UK) did to their country, the hate is absolutely deserved. the US is just mad they dont have control over Iranian oil anymore
i want to read more history thru the graphic novel format. that ruled
May 3, 2021
Excellent information about an important and often ignored event, but as much of the dialogue is invented (as you'd expect with no contemporaneous record for reference) you can't really tell which details were created to better tell the story and what ones really happened. For me the biggest issue was the artwork, as many characters are so quickly rendered you often can't even tell from their clothing who is saying/doing what at key moments. I'm guessing this would be a good primer for further reading as it lays out an easily digestible timeline of events and the parties involved, so any follow-up with a detailed account will be much more fulfilling. I should mention that the cover fell off after turning a few pages due to poor binding (a small issue and not the authors' fault, but might be worth knowing for a collector).
January 17, 2020
I'm so conflicted on this one. On one hand, this story is incredible. I had no idea about any of this, and this has peaked my interest to look into it more deeply. This does NOT paint the USA or Britain in a good light at all, and in fact shows how they themselves are the cause of most of the conflict with the Middle East. I felt angry, and hurt at the injustice of it all. It depicted borderline war crimes against the US for their part in it, and I'm surprised I've never heard of it before now.
On the hand, as a book - more specifically as a graphic novel - it's poorly written. Whoever decided the layout for the panels and the placement of the speech bubbles needed to be fired, because it was haphazard and just all over the place.
On the hand, as a book - more specifically as a graphic novel - it's poorly written. Whoever decided the layout for the panels and the placement of the speech bubbles needed to be fired, because it was haphazard and just all over the place.
July 24, 2020
This book is about the United States coup that toppled a democratic regime in Iran. It’s... pretty horrifying!
The novel has nice artwork and is mostly easy to follow. It was well organized and teaches history without needing to be overtly preachy. The story speaks for itself. It’s fascinating and eye opening. If you’re American, you really ought to read this one to understand middle eastern politics.
I would like it if more books like this existed. Nice way to learn history. Condolences to the people of Iran for being denied their democracy.
The novel has nice artwork and is mostly easy to follow. It was well organized and teaches history without needing to be overtly preachy. The story speaks for itself. It’s fascinating and eye opening. If you’re American, you really ought to read this one to understand middle eastern politics.
I would like it if more books like this existed. Nice way to learn history. Condolences to the people of Iran for being denied their democracy.
May 27, 2017
If one wants to know the role of CIA in destroying nations, this the book! I was grieved every time I turned a page.
The book is about how British and US oil interests in Iran destroyed the country's political process by CIA led coup. Killing thousands of people, democratic process and throwing the country in turmoil.
The book is about how British and US oil interests in Iran destroyed the country's political process by CIA led coup. Killing thousands of people, democratic process and throwing the country in turmoil.
December 13, 2019
An eye-opening book based on disclosed CIA documents! CIA’s role in the coup of 1953 in Iran to overthrow Mossadegh’s democratic government is illustratively described. I highly recommend this book!
September 20, 2017
A never told look at crooked politicians who will do anything for oil/money and how it set the stage for the conflict that is still going on in the Middle East.
April 7, 2019
Learned a lot! Well told except that the layout of the panels and speech bubbles are really unclear some of the time. It's hard to tell what order your supposed to read stuff.
January 14, 2020
Great narrative of the history of imperialism in Iran by the British and then the U.S. CIA orchestrated coup to remove a democratically elected leader. Also the beginnings of the CIA.
August 17, 2020
Highest recommendation
December 31, 2021
Definitely an interesting read, clarifies the whole story of the first CIA coup pretty well. Leaves me with more questions.
August 3, 2019
An intriguing story of yet another misstep in American Imperialism
March 18, 2013
Totally crazy, dynamic experience. I spent the first two chapters just completely distracted by the zooming, swishing panels and figures, and getting all a-lather by the enriched, "add-on" stuff (little blinking stars showing you more information), the archival news footage, the background music, the sound effects, the craziness!
But once my brain and senses accustomed to this full-metal onslaught, I started to enjoy the story for its own sake. Based on a couple non-fic books, this graphic novel-cum-crazy tells the story of the 1953 Iranian coup, where Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was ousted in a CIA-orchestrated scheme.
The true story is powerful, and this telling is an emotional roller coaster. It covers a lot of the same ground as Argo (jaded CIA agent running around Tehran riots, "Death to [insert your problem here]!" chants, etc.), but does it waaay better. This is a multifaceted, rich tale which leverages a multifaceted, rich medium - the iPad - to tell a story to its fullest. I learned LOADS, and I'm hungry for more.
On the meta level, this was just a really interesting, trailblazing experience. I didn't think it would work: how could they successfully bridge the reading with the cinematic experiences? Essentially, this is just a LOUD book. But once your ears are accustomed to it, the soundtrack really starts to add to it. Same with the buzzing, chanting, screeching sound effects. I also am so glad I read (watched? experienced?) this after reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, as my brain was already abuzz with all the potentials of the comix medium - and this was just such a medium pusher. (I'm disappointed that McCloud hasn't commented on this specifically. Oh well!)
But once my brain and senses accustomed to this full-metal onslaught, I started to enjoy the story for its own sake. Based on a couple non-fic books, this graphic novel-cum-crazy tells the story of the 1953 Iranian coup, where Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was ousted in a CIA-orchestrated scheme.
The true story is powerful, and this telling is an emotional roller coaster. It covers a lot of the same ground as Argo (jaded CIA agent running around Tehran riots, "Death to [insert your problem here]!" chants, etc.), but does it waaay better. This is a multifaceted, rich tale which leverages a multifaceted, rich medium - the iPad - to tell a story to its fullest. I learned LOADS, and I'm hungry for more.
On the meta level, this was just a really interesting, trailblazing experience. I didn't think it would work: how could they successfully bridge the reading with the cinematic experiences? Essentially, this is just a LOUD book. But once your ears are accustomed to it, the soundtrack really starts to add to it. Same with the buzzing, chanting, screeching sound effects. I also am so glad I read (watched? experienced?) this after reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, as my brain was already abuzz with all the potentials of the comix medium - and this was just such a medium pusher. (I'm disappointed that McCloud hasn't commented on this specifically. Oh well!)
March 2, 2016
'Operation Ajax' by Mike De Seve and art by Daniel Burwen is a fascinating read. It's also an app for the iPad, and I bet that it's a good one.
If you want to know why Iran has a hatred of the West, this book will clear it up for you. It tells the story of Iran, from the discovery of oil, up to the end of 'Operation Ajax' where Prime Minister Mossaddegh is ousted in 1953. We see first the UK, then the US playing politics with Iran with the hopes of securing oil. British Petroleum was founded based on this. We see the frustration on both sides, but we see the Iranian people being used as pawns to foment revolution and eventually a coup. The story would be a fascinating fictional thriller, but it's all true.
What a compelling way to tell the story. Using a graphic novel this way brings in non-historians and students and presents a story that comes alive. I knew about some of this, but I appreciated the chance to learn more. It's no wonder our relations with Iran and it's people are so shaky even to this day.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Verso Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
If you want to know why Iran has a hatred of the West, this book will clear it up for you. It tells the story of Iran, from the discovery of oil, up to the end of 'Operation Ajax' where Prime Minister Mossaddegh is ousted in 1953. We see first the UK, then the US playing politics with Iran with the hopes of securing oil. British Petroleum was founded based on this. We see the frustration on both sides, but we see the Iranian people being used as pawns to foment revolution and eventually a coup. The story would be a fascinating fictional thriller, but it's all true.
What a compelling way to tell the story. Using a graphic novel this way brings in non-historians and students and presents a story that comes alive. I knew about some of this, but I appreciated the chance to learn more. It's no wonder our relations with Iran and it's people are so shaky even to this day.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Verso Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
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February 6, 2017This is a wonderful and sad book. The artwork is on another level. The story is, however, most depressing. To think that our government has regime-changed a number of democratically elected governments, be it for oil or for fear of communism. The CIA spooks from Harvard and Yale, the money spent, the destabilization, and the imposition of the Shah all leading to the present-day Middle East. One wonders how history might be different if we had chosen democracy and national sovereignty instead of the game of ashes. Cannot recommend this "graphic novel" enough. It is so much more than that.
May 4, 2016
I really need to know more about this. I dealt almost queasy reading it. Can Operation Ajax really be true? Is Great Britain and the US really responsible of turning Iran into what it is today?
Horrific tale and a really nice use of the iPad's capabilities. Future of comics? I'm eager to see what Cognito will do next.
Horrific tale and a really nice use of the iPad's capabilities. Future of comics? I'm eager to see what Cognito will do next.
April 18, 2014
Unbelievable. It is so close in numerous ways to what we see today in some countries... Can't imagine that such large scale events could be arranged and executed by major countries (don't want to say democracies). That's a shame that I didn't know anything about Iranian coup till today. I definitely need to look deeper.
December 20, 2011
This book makes stunning use of the iPad to tell the story of the British and the CIA's role in Persia (now Iran). It is beautifully animated and includes a fantastic soundtrack that brings it to life. It's a real page-turner and you don't need to be history buff to enjoy it.
July 22, 2018
I never thought that a graphic novel about Cold War-era Iran would be compelling, but this absolutely was. The motion comics, audio cues, and integrated files were an additional treat, and really brought the story home. A fantastic technical achievement as well as a gripping non-fiction story.
December 3, 2013
"Read" this iPad app over the last couple weeks. Well written and drawn, though some of the animations felt gratuitous. Such a shame what US (and UK) did to Persia/Iran. Even more shameful is how little we know about it.
September 14, 2014
Fabulosa. Um grande obrigada ao Nelson Zagalo, foi graças ao artigo dele que descobri esta pérola brutal. Aqui fica o link para esse artigo: http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2...
September 15, 2015
Operation Ajax tells the disturbing story of the 1953 CIA coup that destroyed democracy in Iran with great repercussions reverberating throughout the Middle East in the decades that followed to even today's headlines. Enthralling story accompanied by beautiful artwork. Highly recommended.
October 12, 2015
This was an intense read, and an important narrative to understand the historical context of our influence and interaction with Iran, obviously very important to our politics today.
note: not recommended if you need stories to help your faith in humanity. :-(
note: not recommended if you need stories to help your faith in humanity. :-(
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews