Seattle Times recommends Tunnels

In this graphic novel by preeminent Israeli cartoonist Modan, when the irrepressible Nili Broshi discovers a map to the Ark of the Covenant, she sees the chance to restore her ailing father’s name as one of the great archaeologists of all time. After gathering a motley crew of Israelis and Palestinians, Nili restarts her father’s now-illegal final dig. “Tunnels” touches on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as no Westerner could, complete with an afterword that examines the role of storytelling via religion and archaeology in the region. “Drawing in a throwback ‘Tintin’ style that emphasizes elaborate backgrounds with exaggerated foreground characters, Modan embraces political absurdity, subverting ridiculous aspects of faith and fanaticism while never devolving to mockery,” a starred Publishers Weekly review said of the graphic novel. “The conclusion’s surprise Spielbergian reveal contains equal parts comedy and horror. It’s the very best kind of satire.”