Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974

Description

Award-winning writer JD Morvan and renowned photographer Abbas' stunning graphic novel masterpiece which uses iconic photos to uniquely illustrate the historical 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. On the 30th October 1974, the most famous boxing match of the 20 th Century took place. Nicknamed the "Rumble in the Jungle", it pitted Muhammad Ali, desperate to win back his world champion belt, and George Foreman, the current holder, against each other. Foreman had just KO'd the only two boxers to have ever beaten Ali. By his own admission, Ali was terrified of facing him in the ring... Now, the photojournalist Abbas immortalises this legendary meeting, having kept his photos in his personal archives for 36 years before unveiling them to the world. In a cross between a documentary, photo report and graphic novel, this book reveals the context of the most powerful photographs taken by one of the greatest photographers of the Magnum Photos agency. Enriched by the testimony of Abbas himself, Jean-David Morvan's script is rigorously brought to life by artist Rafael Ortiz.

Jean-Davide Morvan started out as a comics artist before realising his masterful talent for storytelling. Born in France, he studied art at the Instiut St Luc in Brussels. In 2004, he became the writer of classic Franco-Belgian comic, Spirou & Fantasio. Over the years he has produced over 230 comics, winning multiple awards including the Youth Award in 2006 at Angouleme International Comics Festival, and Best Story in 2008 at Prix Saint-Michel. Abbas is a world renowned photographer, originally from Iran. He dedicated a lot of his work to political and social coverage of developing southern nations, and from 1970 onwards, many of his works appeared in magazines across the world. After capturing the Iranian revolution, he self-exiled for 17 years before returning. One of his most controversial subjects has been religion, extensively documenting different faiths, from Islam to Buddhism, with accompanying essays. He has produced many books of his photographic works and has held exhibitions all over the globe. In 1981 he joined Magnum Photography Agency and was a governing member until he died in 2018.

"A graphic novel turns the Rumble in the Jungle into a visual gut punch" - The New York Times "A Powerful Combination of rarely seen photographs and comic book art in a new graphic novel" - The New York Times "Muhammad Ali as you've never seen him...powerful" - The New York Times "The drawings and photos allow us to revel in the imagery and history of that unforgettable night, and the torrid pace of the storytelling, the many flashbacks allow us to see the full context of the fight" - The Ring "[A] gritty, action-packed hybrid work of photography and comics art ... lands plenty of punches" - Publishers Weekly "One of the most interesting sports documentary graphic novels I've read, and one of my favorite reads of 2021" - Comic Book Herald "One of the pleasures of reading Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974 is how seamlessly Abbas' photos mesh with Ortiz' artwork. Combined with Morvan's prose it is as though you are ringside witnessing history while viewing the spectacle from Abbas' perspective ... Using a new lens on a spectacle that has been chronicled many times over it delivers from start to finish and adds another layer to one of the most famous sporting events of all time" - Comix Asylum "A must-have book for boxing fans ... Abbas's photographs combined with Rafael Ortiz's art elevates this legendary fight to a new level" The Fandom Post "Equal parts sports journalism and comics history, it's the celebration of one of the all time greats viewed through the lenses of art as history, and history as art" - AlastairStewart.com