Túneles

by Rutu Modan

Túneles, la tercera novela gráfica de Rutu Modan, dos veces ganadora del Premio Eisner, es su obra más profunda y valiente hasta la fecha. Contundente y divertida, Modan retrata el Medio Oriente cómo ningún occidental podría haberlo hecho.

Cuando un gran coleccionista de antigüedades se ve obligado a donar su colección a la Universidad Hebrea de Jerusalén, Nili Broshi, la sagaz y dinámica protagonista de Túneles, ve ante ella la última oportunidad de reivindicar el legado de su padre arqueólogo y concluir una excavación comenzada décadas atrás. Sin embargo, las cosas no son tan fáciles: aquello que busca, un resto del Israel bíblico objeto de mitos científicos y religiosos, se encuentra en el subsuelo de la zona reclamada por Palestina, más allá del muro de separación.

La protagonista embarca entonces en una excavación ilegal con un equipo tan dispar como disparatado: un nacionalista religioso y su banda de jóvenes extremistas, su hermano traidor, su hijo adicto al móvil, y su amigo palestino de juventud, ahora contrabandista de piezas arqueológicas.

Mientras el padre de Nili se hunde más y más en la demencia senil, las distintas facciones luchan por ser la primera en descubrir y hacerse con el Arca de la Alianza. Así, los personajes se enredan en engaños y absurdos espionajes de unos a otros, movidos por la codicia y el interés por encontrar el Arca, pero también por prejuicios construidos en una sociedad donde la guerra y la enemistad se han normalizado.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Israel, Graphic Novels Comics, Adventure, Bande Dessinée

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Rutu Modan (Hebrew: רותו מודן) was born in Tel-Aviv in 1966. In 1992 she graduated cum laude from the illustration program at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Shortly after graduating, she began regularly writing and illustrating comic strips and stories for Israel's leading daily newspapers, as well as editing the Israeli edition of MAD magazine with Yirmi Pinkus. Together, they founded Actus Tragicus, an internationally acclaimed collective and independent publishing house for alternative comic artists, in 1995. The following year she collaborated with Israeli author Etgar Keret on her first graphic novel, Nobody Said it Was Going to Be Fun, an Israeli bestseller. Rutu has worked as an illustrator for magazines and books in Israel and abroad, with illustrations published in The New York Times, New Yorker and Le Monde, among many other renowned publications.

She has received much recognition for her work, including four Best Illustrated Children's Book Awards from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Israel Ministry of Culture named Rutu Modan the Young Artist of the Year in 1997, and she was one of the contributors to the Eisner-Nominated Actus Tragicus anthology Jet Lag in 1999. In 2001 she won the Andersen Award for Illustration from the International Board on Books for Young People in Basel, Switzerland, and was nominated for the Ignatz Award for Best Story and Promising New Talent for her story "Bygone" in Flipper, Vol. 2 (Actus Tragicus / Top Shelf.) She has been a chosen artist of the Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation since 2005, and in 2006 she was nominated for the Angoulême Festival's Goccini Award, granted to a scriptwriter whose past year's work deserves special praise.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Nili was a child she and her archaeologist father tried uncovering the location of the Ark of the Covenant - the gold-covered box that houses the stone tablets the Ten Commandments were written on and handed from God to Moses - but never found it. Now grown-up with a kid of her own, Nili is back in Israel and determined to find the Ark once and for all. Except their old tunnel now lies on the wrong side of the separation wall over in Palestine. Nili must assemble a team to dig to the old tunnel to dig a new tunnel to where she thinks the Ark is really held. With others cottoning on to Nili’s game, who will find the Ark first?

I’ve been a fan of Rutu Modan’s comics for years so it’s a shame that her latest book, Tunnels, turned out to be a bit of a let-down. It’s a very long, very uninteresting and pointless story with a silly premise offering little in the way of entertainment.

The narrative is slow-moving thanks to it being mostly about the characters bickering amongst themselves over the logistics of the dig, who’ll get the credit, how it’ll be funded, etc. - does that sound like gripping reading to anyone? The history of the Ark is even more dull, certain aspects of the story add nothing (why does it matter that her brother is secretly gay with an Arab besides it being obviously provocative for the region?), and the premise itself is never convincing. Of course they don’t find the Ark - it doesn’t exist, assuming it ever did!

Nili and Professor Rafi Sarid, the villain of the story, are drawn ridiculously cartoonishly for no reason - unless it’s because Modan is going for a Tintin-style character design for her protagonist (Tintin also had an overly-cartoonish character design). In fact, I got a strong Tintin vibe throughout most of the book with its mythical premise, light-hearted tone and adventurous narrative. Even the characters feel like pastiches of Tintin: Nili and her son Doctor are Tintin and Snowy, her father is Professor Calculus and Gedanken is a Captain Haddock-type.

Weird character designs aside, Modan’s art is quite lovely in general, particularly her use of bright colours that makes Israel and its countryside look beautiful. And the dramatic finale is kinda interesting as it plays out even if the ending is predictable and underwhelming.

Still, Tunnels is definitely my least favourite thing Rutu Modan has created and I’d caution fans not to have high expectations of the comic. If you’ve never read her before, I highly recommend any of her other books instead, especially The Property.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-time Eisner winner Israel-Jewish Rutu Modan is back with her most ambitious project, a sort of Raiders of the Ark/TinTin comedy whose underlying concerns are serious: Jewish-Palestinian relations. And family. Nili is a single mother (with a son named Doctor) who decides to complete her famous archaeologist father's dream to find the Ark of the Covenant, now that her father is declining into dementia. To accomplish this she assembles a comical crew: A religious nationalist, some scruffy hilltop guys, her own brother, her son, and her shady childhood Palestinian friend, now an archaeological smuggler, who has been dealing in archaeological artifacts with among other folks, ISIS.

In the process of digging tunnels to what they think is the Ark, they encounter Palestinians tunneling for their own purposes. Family conflicts, ethic conflicts, can't we all get along? Obviously not, if you read the news, but this is Modan's sort of light-hearted contribution to the dialogue, with an afterword that makes clear the underlying purposes: Archaeology, family, neighbors who mostly just want to be left alone in peace, the unresolvable problem of Truth and Historical Fact in a time of international lying/disagreements about Truth occurring at an epic pace.

I didn't "like" this as much personally as Modan's earlier work--it reached out to me less than her previous work did, somehow--but I admire the ambition of trying to meld lighthearted comedy with political friction (or is it political Chaos)? I would rate it 3.5 for me, rounded up for the positivity and hopefulness and ambition and her world-class illustration work honoring/echoing the brightly colored and somewhat goofy artwork of TinTin (and not as ethnocentric and racist and his stuff!). Maybe longer than it needs to be for its purposes, but ultimately accomplished and entertaining.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2021, Rutu Modan’s Tunnels might be the most conflict-laden novel I have ever read. Essentially, it’s all about a quest to find the Ark of the Covenant, but the plot line is so layered with office politics and sibling rivalry and patriarchal cynicism and coercion and greed and ham fisted deceptions—not to mention Israeli/Palestinian aggression—that the storied Ark becomes little more than a prop. Go in expecting a sociological/psychological experience (not Indiana Jones) and you won’t be disappointed.

NOTE: When first diagnosed with cancer I was so loopy from the surgery and the chemo and the medications and the mental numbness of it all that I was (and kinda still am) unable to concentrate on dense, wordy reading material. Graphic novels have been a bridge for me. The artwork seems to make the text more palatable, less intense, less overwhelming. It sounds crazy, but for me it’s working.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" gets crossed with "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" as an eccentric cast of characters get sucked into a search for the Ark of the Covenant. The mixed up group of treasure hunters are pulled together by an unemployed Israeli single mom who takes up her father's lifelong quest but hits a snag when she realizes the dig site is behind a security wall under Palestinian territory. Slightly tame hijinks ensue in a story that looks and feels a little Tintinesque.

A happy diversion with a smidge of politics and a heap of idealism.

[Samuel Edme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review originally published here: https://sammythecritic.blogspot.com/2...

Rating: 2.5/5

Synopsis: Rutu Modan’s third graphic novel follows explorer Nili Broshi who enlists a motley crew to search for the famed Ark of the Covenant which escalates to heated strifes over who should have it.


My Thoughts: Plot (3.5/5) – The biblical Ark of Covenant is an ancient artifact so legendary that it has inspired countless scholarly discourse and the attention of pop culture regarding its whereabouts including the uber-famous Indiana Jones in the latter department. However, I must give this book props to exploring this longevous object of fascination within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a topic which Israeli-born author Modan is far more knowledgeable in than myself. This is to say I’ll leave any socio-political comments regarding the work’s accuracy to the experts and judge it according to how much I enjoyed the story and characters.

Art (4/5) -- This is probably the most charming element of this entire book as its linge claire art felt very reminiscent of most notably Belgian cartoonist Hergé of Tintin fame, albeit with less of the endearingly smooth character designs from the likes of him.

Pacing (2/5) – This is where I encountered most of the issues I had with Tunnels. The first two acts focus so heavily on the several mundane interpersonal/cultural conflicts that it felt too bloated for its own good, making for some dry reading in a tiresome sense of the word. It wasn’t until the final two acts that the action picks up and becomes more exciting even though the more mundane and intense moments still was uneven.

Characters (2.5/5) – Some of the character interactions seemed to be aping some of the dysfunctional dynamics of the Tintin adventures. The end product is a cast of half-baked emblems because of how much is squeezed into this single installment. The main characters such as Nili, her brother, and mobile game-obsessed yet inquisitive son Doctor were the only ones I would consider fleshed out enough to keep my attention.


Final Thoughts: Tunnels contained all the trapping to a potentially rousing romp but fell short due to its dullness and inconsistent pacing. While I might read Modan’s other Eisner-winning works someday, I’m certainly in no hurry to do so now.


Thanks to Drawn & Quarterly and NetGalley for providing me with my first advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ярослава]

Дуже смішний і пронизливий ізраїльський комікс про матір-одиначку, яка намагається втілити мрії свого батька-археолога і завершити справу його життя: розкопати ковчег завіту. Щоправда, відтоді, як вони з батьком почали ці розкопки (попереднього разу вони урвалися через першу інтіфаду), батько встиг впасти у глибоку деменцію, тож нічим їй не допоможе, а над місцем розкопки взагалі виросла багатометрова стіна між палестинськими й ізраїльськими територіями. Але кого ж зупинять дрібниці на кшталт здорового глузду. От вона й береться до роботи, обростаючи строкатою і абсурдною компанією:

* ізраїльський мільйонер-колекціонер мистецтва, який скуповує археологічну спадщину в ІДІЛ - статуї вони руйнують тільки на відео, а так їм треба ж із чогось жити, от і живуть з контрабанди (йому по ходу всі брешуть, тож він примовляє, що тільки на ІДІЛ і може покладатися);

* релігійний юдей, який фальсифікує історичні пам'ятки, наголошуючи саме на єврейській історії (копає, скажімо, яму, над якою написано "цистерна Єремії" - сам визнає, що "цистерни взагалі-то візантійські, але Єремію кидали в такі ж, тож яка різниця"), і дуже смішно заробляє собі на життя - але цю бюрократичну пригоду спойлерити не буду;

* релігійні поселенці з пейсами з-під кепок, які долучаються до розкопок, бо якщо на палестинській території за стіною знайдуть юдейські артефакти, то можна буде розбити там нелегальне поселення;

І так далі, і таке інше, всі герої феєричні - чого вартий начальник військової бази, в якого сини-близняти, одного звати Моше, а другого Даян.

У ходах під землею, у черепках і руїнах, незрозумілих неспеціалісту, люди шукають обгрунтування свого права на землю, відповіді на питання, хто вони такі, пояснення, чому вони так тримаються за ці відверто не найгостинніші території. Там, унизу зустрінуться всі - біблійна історія, фальсифікована і не дуже, нинішня політична історія, тунелі палестинських контрабандистів, бункери з палестинською зброєю часів війни 1948 року, але поміж усіх цих конфліктних історичних і культурних спадщин люди по різний бік стіни бодай ненадовго зможуть попрацювати разом. Загалом, це дотепна сатира для гуманітаріїв, і при цьому не геть безнадійна за настроєм, what's not to like.

[David Raz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only hesitation in describing this book is whether this is a brilliant story, remarkably told and illustrated, or a perfect story, to be hall of famed. It has everything one needs in a story, suspense, love, drama, humor, family and parenthood, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to name just a few. The pacing is just right, and the illustrations are evocative and add that extra touch. The only thing breaking my enthusiasm is the ending, which I thought was kept a little too cryptic. Four and a half stars out of five, and I easily round this up to five.

[Juan Naranjo]

«Túneles» es una rareza dentro de su especie. Esta novela gráfica colorida y, en apariencia, de aventuras, nos cuenta una historia (ejem) profunda, compleja y llena de matices. En ella se habla de lo difíciles que son a veces las relaciones familiares y cómo el rencor, la competitividad o los celos son, a veces, parte de la ecuación del amor fraternal. Y, extendiendo el alcance de la explosiva relación entre los hermanos protagonistas —arqueólogos y eruditos, pero también egoístas y pueriles— se entronca con otra relación complejísima y llena de matices: la de israelíes y palestinos que pueblan un mismo territorio dividido en dos. Y todo esto sucede durante una aventura histórica, una carrera frenética por encontrar una antigua reliquia bíblica que ha tenido el mal tino de encontrarse sepultada, justamente, en los túneles de un monte que pertenece a ambos territorios y a ninguno.

«Túneles» mira también a las entrañas del mundo académico, donde las puñaladas por la espalda y las traiciones son tan habituales como en la guerra. La autora es capaz de vincular algunos de los temas familiares y sociales que ya vimos en «La herencia» con muchas de sus preocupaciones sociales, históricas y geográficas actuales. Esta es una de esas lecturas que te enseñan mucho: y no solo de un tema concreto, sino de la auténtica naturaleza de la condición humana.

[Paul Dembina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rutu Modan has switched visual style with her latest work to more like the "ligne claire" style epitomised by Hergé which suits very well subject matter of various characters sparring with each other in search of the lost Ark of the Covenant. Along the way Modan touches (lightly) upon the conflicts between Israelis and Palestinanians. An enjoyable archeological adventure

[Romain · Rating 4 out of 5]

L’évocation des conflits israélo-palestiniens par le biais de l’archéologie et plus particulièrement de la mythique Arche d’Alliance – rien que le fait d’évoquer ce nom déclenche le processus de l’imagination et fait remonter à la surface les souvenirs d’Indiana Jones. 276 pages et des dessins en clins d’oeil appuyé à Hergé, le programme est alléchant.

Le titre prend un “s” car plusieurs tunnels se croisent, ceux des fouilles archéologiques, les actuels tunnels de contrebande ou encore ceux utilisés par les terroristes. Et c’est ce mélange, qui est celui d’Israel et de ses voisins palestiniens entre religion, conflits et vie de tous les jours qui est évoqué dans ce nouveau livre de Rutu Modan. Cette quête mythique de l’Arche d’Alliance est le prétexte à mélanger tout cela.

Aucune somme ne peut compenser ce qui se passera ici. Chez vous, le sacré est une maladie contagieuse. L’Arche fera de cette montagne un lieu encore plus saint que le mur du Temple. Vous allez détruire notre village, chasser les habitants, construire des colonies sur nos terres.

Tout ceci est mis en scène dans un style qui rappelle volontairement les classiques de la bande dessinée par souci esthétique, mais aussi peut-être par une volonté délibérée de dédramatiser le propos. C’est tout à fait possible car, sous couvert d’une aventure à la Blake & Mortimer – rassurez-vous elle nous épargne les récitatifs –, elle n’hésite pas à lancer quelques piques et à tourner en dérision la plupart des protagonistes et leurs préoccupations souvent divergentes. Côté technique, Rutu Modan utilise un procédé dont je n’avais jamais entendu parler dans la bande dessinée. Elle a recours à des acteurs pour créer ses planches. Elle fait jouer les scènes et les dessine, les acteurs sont d’ailleurs cités en fin d’ouvrage. Il faut le savoir car le résultat est, volontairement, très simple en ligne claire ne laisse pas penser que des acteurs ont posé. Leur travail doit pourtant se retrouver dans les postures et dans les expressions qui semblent pourtant souvent presque surjouées – mais, là encore, c’est volontaire.

Également publié sur mon blog.

[Jeff Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

From an impressive career, her best work yet.
4.5 stars

[Hannah Garden]

She is simply the best.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork was cute and endearing, though I'm not sure I felt any actual connection to any of the characters or story. I found many of the people unsympathetic or incredibly one-dimensional and the personal development between the main characters felt quite forced or sudden.
As an outsider in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there were some comments and stereotypes included, especially regarding Palestinians and Zionism, that seemed to be just included without any real opinion from the author. This left me feeling at times quite uncomfortable as I couldn't really tell whether the author sided with settlers and Zionists (or at least 'understood' them), and the afterword had me feeling even more confused. Hoping for peace without acknowledging the deep imbalances between power, mm. Pass.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how dynamic the illustrations in this graphic novel are and I really appreciate the complexity of the story, as well as how the author described incredibly relevant themes in her afterward. However, I don't think I have enough knowledge of Israeli or Palestinian history or religion to truly appreciate and understand the impact of the story. I thought the characters and their complex relationships are well fleshed out and have personalities so real you can't help but both love and feel annoyed but them. I loved the bonds between family and the depiction of how tenuous negotiations and alliances can be. I would love to read more from this author and expand my knowledge of Israeli and Palestinian culture and voices.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my third read by Modan, and I’m definitely a fan. This is also her most recent one and it’s nice to see how her work has progressed, but then again, she was really good right out of the gate.
The Arc of the Covenant is a sacred object lost to time. Or is it? What if the team of treasure hunting experts put their minds to finding it? On occasion, they do. The last time was interrupted by the Intifada, but Nili still remembers assisting her father as a child in looking for it. They got so close, tantalizingly close.
Now, decades later, she returns to her quest. Her father is no longer mentally competent, her brother has sided with the enemy (another professor desperate to find the Arc for his own selfish reasons), and Nili is an unemployed middle-aged single mother. In other words, it’s all on her and she is determined to succeed.
Sponsored by an antiquity collector who in turn is sponsored by his wife, Nili assembles a motley crew and proceeds to dig her way to the treasure. It isn’t easy, for now there’s a wall there, separating Israelis from Palestinians. No matter – the ever-enterprising Nili hires both. She even gets assistance from the local division of Israeli military forces.
Let the treasure hunting begin…
So maybe not quite Indiana Jones, but then again, why would it be. Not when it can be its own thing – a nuanced, often humorous take on the Middle Eastern conflict as studied in a microcosm, a satire of obsessive academia, a comedy of errors, a family drama, AND a genuinely exciting adventure story all in one.
I really enjoy Modan’s books and their undeniable charm. They are offbeat in their realism, frank in their love of irony and valiantly defiant of the traditional storytelling conventions. The latter is especially noticeable in her endings. Plus, her art is great. Initially, it just looks like brightly colored cartoon-like style, but there’s actually a great deal of sophistication there, and the faces she draws are surprisingly expressive for their cartoonish features. Not just the faces, the entire characters are very expressive, their dynamics in fight or flight, the use of light and dark in the panels – absolutely great.
All in all, a very enjoyable read. Recommended.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought this would be an adventure quest story with some real-life issues being explored but I was sorely disappointed.

The story started off confusing and was hard to follow, especially the character names (who names a child 'Doctor'? I thought they were referring to an archaeologist or professor). The rest of it was very dry and boring. There were also religious and political elements that I didn't care for. Even the afterword was super tedious and I ended up skipping it, which is something I rarely do.

The characters are terrible people so my emotional investment was close to nil. There's bad parenting, backstabbing siblings at each other's throats, stealing from a parent (and trying to justify it) to name a few, so overall this just isn't what I want in a graphic novel and I was glad to be done with it.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tunnels feels like a borrowed Tintin adventure with its reminiscent art, quest narrative, and grab-bag of kooky characters. There's a deeper meaning here, since Tunnels is set on the border between Israel and Palestinian territories (the titular tunnels crosses under the wall). There's a fair bit of Biblical history here too, as the characters all quest after the Ark of the Covenant.

Mostly, though, Tunnels is a goofy escapade. Nothing ever quite goes right, wires are crossed, connections are missed. The whole narrative literally explodes at the end, a riotous conclusion that is both shocking and of a piece with the rest of the book. It takes a while to settle in to Tunnels, but once you do, it's a fantastic work of fiction.

[Miss_Cultura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otra novela gráfica que me ha tenido intrigada entre sus páginas.
Historia que se mezcla con historias, con la memoria, con los recuerdos.
Una irónica y original historia que al principio no sabía a que lugar me iba a llevar, pero que me ha gustado bastante.
Una novela gráfica coral con diversos y variopintos personajes.

[Yaara · Rating 5 out of 5]

אין מילים לתאר כמה שהספר הזה מעולה!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! There is a strong Tintin-vibe to this — the ligne clair, historical treasure hunt and broad cast of characters — but it's more complex & politically aware than Hergé. Centers around a search for the Ark Of The Covenant in Palestine, with multi-generational family drama, soldiers, crooks, swindlers, terrorists, rabbis, and plot twists and reversals galore. Go read! I wanted to reread straight away. An interesting afterword from Modan also shouldn't be missed.

[Pau Lluis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sin más.

[Tazitazitazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vrlo zabavno.

[Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

muchos elementos interesantes con un desarrollo plano y sin chispa :(

[Eliza]

def read this too fast at work

[Ariane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never really read graphic novels but I’m glad I picked this one up! A fun story about an archaeological dig. I thought the art was beautiful and the characters were great. I was engrossed by the story (including the interpersonal drama that other reviewers seemed to not like). Just fun to read something different - will definitely pick up some other graphic novels.

[Mikael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Er der én sandhed, flere eller så mange, at det slet ikke giver mening at tale om sandheden.

Ja, jeg ved godt, hvad jeg selv tror, men selv det kan ikke være endegyldigt, for hvordan kan jeg, ét menneske, vide alt.
Nej, vel?

Denne bog handler om jagten på én af Israels, en af jødernes, og dermed pludselig også én af vore vigtigste genstande.

Pagtens ark.

Det havde jeg ikke forstået, da jeg bestilte den. Men jeg blev, ganske som forventet, suget ind i Modans fortælling, ligesom jeg før er blev det.

Hun har vitterligt sin egen stil og tør stå ved den. Og hun kan fortælle, både så man synes, at det går for stærkt og for langsomt; hun er tålmodigheden selv, mens man selv bliver utålmodig efter at se, hvad der sker på næste side.

Anbefalelsesværdig.

Og efter at have genlæst hendes foregående tre udgivelser, så fremstår denne, hendes seneste, som den 'ringeste' af de fire. Men ikke med mange hestelængder. Og det er stadig bedre end det meste.

[Sandre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un dibuix deliciosament tintinesc. Un argument que temia que pequés d'esbiaixat atès el país de l'autora, però que no he acabat percebent així (o, almenys, no gaire). No sabia que es podia fer un còmic sobre arqueologia sense elements d'Indiana Jones, i la cruesa acadèmica i mercantil m'ha resultat refrescant.

[Komuniststar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kako bi izgledao Raiders of Lost Ark da ga je radio Woody Allen, tako bi najlakše opisao ovaj izuzetno zabavan roman, o arheologiji, mitologiji, i situaciji na bliskom istoku. I ne samo zabavan nego i informativan i poučan

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rutu Modan's archaeological MacGuffin-driven adventure allegory of the Israel Palestine conflict. Like Tintin, if the kid was obsessed with video games to the exclusion of all else, and all the adult sidekicks were 100% unhinged, & the animal sidekick is just there to be sacrificed in a religious ritual later. (Full disclosure, I mostly know about Tintin from Ruben Bolling's Billy Dare parody comics, & Wikipedia). Among targets of ridicule are religious fanatic settlers, the IDF, academia, the apolitical, ISIS, antiquities traders, & kids these days. Focuses on the politicization of archaeology & history in Palestine. I like how the ancient tunnels the characters are excavating have all these layers of historical use dating from ancient times through to the present day, with the archaeologists even encountering other people tunneling who are trying to use the ancient tunnels for their own uses. The afterword kind of spells out most of the themes & references in Tunnels, & the Glossary is interesting too. Most puzzling to me is the “credits” section. Is this kind of an acknowledgments list? Or did they all have to act out the scenes for Modan to quickly sketch and then translate to the page?

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes. The only characters that engender any sympathies at all are Mahdi and Zuzu. Most of the characters come across as awful and immoral people and do not go through any sort of positive character development. The amount of familial neglect, selfishness, lying, illegal activity, stereotyping and prejudice that these characters are completely comfortable with made me entirely uncomfortable and even angry. The author in no way uses the story to confront these issues or actions either, leading me confused as to where they stand and honestly, what the point of the story even was. Overall, left me with some very negative feelings.