Lessons of Kent State Shown in New Graphic History

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Kent State by Derf Backderf

Derf Backderf was 10 when his ride to the drive-in was disrupted by the arrival of the National Guard on the streets of his Ohio town. The soldiers were deployed to thwart a Teamsters strike, but soon enough in the spring of 1970, they were ordered down the road to Kent State University where student protests had gotten out of hand.

The publication of Backderf’s graphic history, Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio (Abrams ComArts), was planned around the 50th anniversary of the incident. However, the timing couldn’t have been more relevant to 2020. To briefly summarize the events: a U.S. President irresponsibly lights a match under a volatile national mood, protestors take to the streets and some of them run on the adrenalin of destruction. The police respond, troops are called, citizens are incensed by broken windows and looted storefronts. Bad rumors spread—even without the internet.

Unlike the protests of 2020, the National Guard responded to stone throwing and taunting by firing live ammunition. Four students died, including several who took no part in protest or violence. Others were injured, some severely. The authorities were quick to raise a smoke screen around what happened on May 4, 1970—and why it happened.

Writing and drawing events and people with a good sense for depicting places and personalities, Backderf offers a well-paced narrative whose words carry the story from frame to frame. Included are historical sidebars—SDS, the draft, Vietnam, the growth of Kent State—that illuminate lives and shattered ideals while showing a remarkable understanding for many points of view in the previous era when America tore itself apart over political and social issues. Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio is a vivid illustration of how a chain of events can go tragically wrong.

Get Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio at Amazon here.

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