Wrong Topic for a Comic Book
Tuesday, July 25, 2006; Page A14
As a pilot for American Airlines who captained Flight 77 on Sept. 8, 2001, and who attended five memorial services in the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, I am outraged by the attempt to depict the horrific events of Sept. 11 in a comic book format ["The Bold Outlines of a Plot; Adapted as a Comic Book, the 9/11 Commission Report Hits Home Anew," Style, July 16].
How anyone can portray the following excerpt found on Page 9 of the Sept. 11 commission's report as a "soft, translucent tan mood" is inconceivable: "The hijacker pilot then advanced the throttles to maximum power and dove toward the Pentagon." Even more disturbing were the narratives appearing in this comic book; its casting of the individuals carrying out these evil acts as "newcomers" and "Hamburg pilots," not terrorists, is unconscionable.
Additionally, these terrorists didn't "settle in the United States," they infiltrated it. While shielding children from the details of this horrific tragedy is appropriate, telling the rest of society about it in a comic book isn't.
CARMEN D. VILLANI JR.
Chantilly
