Mindy Kay Bricker

Each of the millions of Syrian refugees who have fled their brutalized, unrecognizable homeland did so for uniquely personal reasons " the regime bombarding cities, the Islamic State threatening a return to the dark ages, the loss of jobs in a crumbling economy. Yet their quests cohered around one purpose: They all wanted better lives.

In the January/February issue of Foreign Policy, the odyssey of several refugees is presented in the form of a nonfiction comic, drawn by Josh Neufeld and based on firsthand reporting gathered by journalist Alia Malek.