Comic books are presumably for children, but they have long served as a viable conduit for social commentary.
From superheroes fighting Nazis to battles between good and evil, comic books provide authors a powerful way to reach a young audience with a social message.
So while “Pur-Sang,” (“Thoroughbred”) a new hard-cover comic book series from the team of Camille Vercken, Rodolphe and Michel Faure appears at first glance to be a story of girl-loves-horse, girl-saves-horse, they are so much more.
Perhaps most importantly right now for the racing industry, they spread a positive message about how we love the horses we breed, raise and race, and what heroes those horses are.
The books are available at the Arqana boutique across from the welcome bureau this week, and if you’re looking for a special Christmas present for a French-speaking friend or relative, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
The first in the series, Red Bird, is inspired by the story of Ipi Tombe, the champion mare from Zimbabwe.
Ipi Tombe – 2002 Vodacom Durban July
Ipi Tombe was bred by Peter Moor, chairman of the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association of Zimbabwe. In the turmoil at the end of the 1990s when Robert Mugabe ruled the country and the government’s land reform law mandated confiscation and redistribution of horse farms in Zimbabwe, she was sold for the U.S. equivalent of $30 at auction.
She went on to win over $1.5 million, and was South Africa’s champion 3-year-old filly and Dubai’s Horse of the Year.
Read more on www.thoroughbreddailynews.com
