Graphic novel of the week: A song of democracy and demagogues

For some reason, and I can't imagine why, this week has got me thinking about the rise of charismatic tinpot tyrants -- and how a supposedly democratic society can fall for this sort of thing. 

For a fascinating historical analysis of that question, I recommend veteran blogger Andrew Sullivan's controversial piece on why America has never been so ripe for tyranny. But if you want a gripping visual narrative that shows why democracy and tyranny have been locked in a battle to the death from the very beginning, you should rush out and pick up Democracy by Alecos Papadatos, Annie DiDonna and Abraham Kawa. 

This is a beautifully rendered, almost dreamlike historical comic book about the birth of democracy in Athens, around 490 B.C. 

In part, it's the story of how a guy named Cleisthenes was exiled by a tyrant -- supposedly because his family was cursed. 

The tyrant was assassinated; another tyrant took over. He looked like a man of the people, then he brought the Spartans in to police his permanent rule. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

But at least in the gap between tyrants, Cleisthenes came back and proposed a radical and dangerous idea. Instead of the great families choosing their leaders, how about having tribes -- each carefully drawn to contain a diverse group of people -- make the decisions?

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Here, as Democracy makes clear in a wonderful discussion between the gods Athena, Apollo and Dionysus, was something new in the world. Because of what Cleisthenes did, we still carry the torch of representative government, from the people, by the people, for the people, forward to this day.  

Change didn't come peacefully. Not to spoil the best bits of the book, but there was a spontaneous popular revolution, a siege in the Acropolis, and more Spartans than you'll see in 300. 

A bunch of stoned teenagers

As I said, that's all part of the story. In greater part, it is a love story. Leander, an Athenian boy who lost his father in the first tyrant's assassination, falls for a Pythia (virgin priestess) at the Oracle of Delphi. Since they're both fictional, I won't reveal how that part ends. 

Leander is sent to Delphi after his father's death. He discovers the Oracle is pulling the strings behind pretty much the whole Greek world. The priestesses, basically stoned teenagers who sit over an intoxicating mountain fissure and claim to speak for Apollo, give everyone visions that tell them what to do.

And who was pulling the Oracle's strings? Cleisthenes. How? Generous donations. 

You see, even here at the beginning of democracy, the process was being corrupted by money, and pundits made self-fulfilling prophecies. 

Somehow the central idea managed to survive, but it had to beat back several more attempts to shut it down. Many of those attempts were successful.

Tinpot tyrants have a way of seducing people out of their democratic yearnings. They also have a greater hold on our history than we would like to remember. 

Democracy came out last September, but it is only becoming more relevant to our perilous democratic situation by the month. Given that Papadatos and DiDonna were the team behind the award-winning Logicomix, which managed to make philosopher Bertrand Russell interesting, we expect this one to stick around for a while.

Like democracy itself, hopefully. 

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