Graphic novels at Words Without Borders

Words Without Borders is running a series of excerpts from graphic novels from around the world this month, including two from Egypt and Lebanon. The fantastic Mazen Kerbaj, whose use of collage first surfaced during the Lebanon war of 2006, has an account of growing up during the Lebanese civil war:

For Egypt, I also like Magdy al-Shafee's The Metro, which shows cynical unemployed youths planning a bank robbery. He lays it on a bit thick with the obvious political references (remember to read right-to-left, as it's translated from Arabic):

Some great Cairo shots too, as well as use of the metro.