"Habibi" based on a Middle Eastern fable tells the story of Dodola who escapes being sold
into slavery and rescues an abandoned baby she names Zam. They live in isolation in an old boat
in the desert. As they age their relationship shifts from mother and son to brother and sister
and eventually lovers. In the meantime however Dodola is forced to prostitute herself to desert
traders in order to provide for Zam. When he seeks an alternative means of income Dodola is
captured by the Sultan and Zam is forced into a quest to try and rescue her. At heart Habibi is
like Blankets a profound love story but it also functions as a parable about the environment
and the state of the world. Set in the place where Christianity and Islam began it explores
the fundamental connection between these religions and also the relationship between the first
and the third world and the increasingly important battle for the earth's resources. Ambitious
but always deeply felt "Habibi" is a beautifully drawn and moving graphic novel that will get
a huge amount of attention.
