Biographical comics are a strange breed. When telling a real life story and painting a picture of an individual's mindset, there are certain questions as to what should be included and what should be left out. This is ultimately up to the writer to decide, but there are pros and cons to everything, gives and takes that can alter the experience one way or another. Dozer Manifesto is no doubt a sprawling work that tells the story of Marv Heemeyer, a man who in 2004 went on a rampage using a bulldozer he turned into a tank. The comic is a sprawling work that doesn't just tell Marv's story, but the story of his entire town and the ramifications of his actions, including that of the comic’s creator. It succeeds in its mission of creating an honest and artistic depiction of the event. But the question remains as to whether that’s the best version of the story.
It's hard to pin down just one instance that set Marv on his path. Because of this, the story begins years earlier as he has some business in town. Over the course of years, Marv grows angry and bitter as he feels the town, its people, and its government are working against him. He eventually snaps and believes God sent him to punish those who wronged him, resulting in his notorious rampage. But the story doesn't stop there as the comic shows what happened in the aftermath, up to and including the difficulties the creator faced trying to publish this work.
As I said earlier, as a chronicle of the events, it's hard to imagine the book doing a better job. There's so much information that the comic comes in at a whopping 280+ pages. There are interviews with townspeople as well as an immersive backstory that shows every single little detail of Marv’s frustration leading up to the event. There is so much information that I’m curious to imagine what the book would have been like in a much slimmer version. This is definitely a comic that gets inside Marv's head, so it's hard to consume in one sitting. But for those looking for a more tightly knit depiction of the event, the comic will be hard to get through. All in all, Dozer Manifesto is a sprawling work of research and care that one should be proud of. Readers should just be aware of what they're getting into when starting this journey because it is fairy dense.
Comments