“History doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes.” Whether or not Mark Twain said those words, their truth is made evident when reading Derf Backderf’s newest graphic novel Kent State in the fall of 2020. This cartoon volume is, first and foremost, a work of history—carefully examining the Kent State massacre and three preceding days with special focus paid to the lives of the four students murdered by the National Guard on May 4, 1970. It is a work of years with copious notes and excellent sourcing supporting the brief narrative of four worsening days along with examinations of the surrounding culture and causes that made the tragic incident possible. Reviewing the facts of this incident 50 years later and many facets of the story reflect nightly news stories from our current moment. Imagery, details, and other connections call out on almost every page, reminding readers that these events are not so distant and too different from our present reality.