![sheriff of babylon 9 sheriff of babylon 9](https://i0.wp.com/www.tomosygrapas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SHERIFF-S2-portada.jpg)
That’s the oldest plot - you have this murder mystery, and as they try and solve this murder, they explore this world. The easiest thing you can do as a writer is, you create a world that’s interesting and you want to explore that world so you create a murder mystery. King : It’s both organic and inorganic, but part of it was planned. Was the complexity of the story something you planned out before starting? It’s a murder mystery, but it’s also about the politics of the interim Iraq occupation, the relationship between Chris and Nassir and Sofia. It’s also a book that defies easy characterization. Their best intentions led to the worst results. The people there weren’t too concerned about the politics, they were just trying to do something right and every time they tried to do exactly that, it fell apart in their hands. One of the main memories I have is that, by the time I got there - about a year after the invasion - it wasn’t about politics anymore. The book is built out of my experience, my impressions and my memories of that time. It’s a story filled with flawed people trying to do their best, and that doesn’t always work out. It’s not pushing a particular agenda, with good guys and bad guys. How much of that experience ended up coming out in Sheriff of Babylon? It feels like a book that’s coming from a very real place.
![sheriff of babylon 9 sheriff of babylon 9](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81bsHM66P0L._AC_UL600_SR600,600_.jpg)
I was there from about February to July 2004. I only write about the time I was there, so everything is as right - or as wrong - as I can remember it. King : I was, I was there for about four-and-a-half months. Were you in Iraq during your time with them? Where did the book come from? Tom, you used to work for the CIA. With the series’ first collected edition - featuring the initial six issues of the title - in stores now, The Hollywood Reporter talked to King and Gerads about creating a comic about a real world situation where everything went wrong. When a former Florida cop turned military consultant is called in to investigate the murder of an Iraqi citizen he was training to be a police officer, the investigation into the killing uncovers the many ways the lives of Iraqis and Americans are connected, even if they don’t know it.Īt turns tragic, comedic, insightful and horrific, Sheriff has already seen its run extended beyond the initial eight-issue order. Written by former CIA counter-terrorism officer Tom King - who also writes Batman, Omega Men and Grayson for DC The Vision for Marvel - with art by Mitch Gerads, Sheriff takes place in Baghdad in the early part of this century as the country tries to come to terms with a new reality post-“liberation” by American and international forces. One of twelve new titles announced by DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint at last year’s Comic-Con, The Sheriff of Babylon has since emerged as one of the most unexpected and interesting launches from the publisher in recent memory.