Niko Henrichon
French-Canadian comic artist and writer best known for Pride of Baghdad with Brian K. Vaughan, plus work on Barnum!, Fables, and New X-Men.
📍 Canada
Niko Henrichon draws animals the way other artists draw superheroes — with majesty, terror, and heartbreaking humanity. The French-Canadian cartoonist made his name on one of the most unlikely masterpieces in comics, and he’s spent two decades proving it was no fluke. His signature work, Pride of Baghdad, remains essential reading for fans of Y: The Last Man and literary comics.
Barnum! and the Road to Baghdad
Henrichon’s first major work was Barnum! (2002), a biography of P.T. Barnum written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman that immediately announced a major talent — lush, painterly cartooning with the sweep of a period epic. It was the run-up to his signature project: Pride of Baghdad (2006), written by Brian K. Vaughan. The original graphic novel follows a pride of lions who escape the Baghdad Zoo during the 2003 American bombing of Iraq, and Henrichon’s animal protagonists carry the full weight of the story’s meditation on freedom, survival, and war. It was hailed by the LA Times and Publishers Weekly as an instant classic, and Henrichon earned an Eisner nomination for his art.
Across the Industry
Since then he has worked across the industry: Fables at Vertigo, New X-Men and Spider-Man at Marvel, Sandman, and covers for both DC and Marvel. He took on Joe Kelly’s Fang, drew the epic sci-fi Metabaron with Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jerry Frissen, and illustrated Noé, an adaptation of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah — a string of ambitious, varied projects that showcase his range from literary drama to cosmic sci-fi.
Spectators and the Anniversary
In 2025 he reunited with Vaughan for Spectators, a new original graphic novel published by Image Comics — and Image is also releasing a 20th Anniversary hardcover edition of Pride of Baghdad to celebrate the book’s enduring legacy. Follow Henrichon on Twitter and Instagram or visit nikohenrichon.com for his latest work, and start with the book that made his name: Pride of Baghdad — a story about war told by lions, as timely today as the day it was published.
