This new feature will appear from time to time on the FIRST SECOND website… Various authors and creators will share with us an all time favorite graphic novel scene. Something that struck them and stayed with them, and contributed to their love of the medium.

To kick things off, here’s one from me.

THE RABBI’S CAT by Joann Sfar — coming out in the US from Pantheon books this summer. I love this book, through and through, and I think it places Sfar high among great authors in any form.

© Copyright Sfar, 2005

My favorite scene is when the old rabbi meets up with an old Arab who shares his last name — Sfar. The whole sequence, beginning with the meeting of their respective pets, a cat and a donkey, leads to one of the most enchanting moments I’ve ever found in a graphic novel. Like the whole of Sfar’s still unfolding story, this scene makes a bridge between Jews and Muslims and makes me believe Art will succeed where politics continually fail.

If you’re hungry for Sfar’s magical worlds, check our CATALOG PAGE in coming weeks for his many upcoming titles with FIRST SECOND.