Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey

Ernest Shackleton was a British explorer who made multiple forays to Antarctica during what was called The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Many of the journeys he was a part of were historically significant, and the one chronicled in this book, the Imperial Trans-Antarctica Expedition, is considered the final journey in that Heroic Age. It is a harrowing tale of survival, with men facing adversity and life-threatening conditions in the pursuit of traversing the southern continent. This book presents various episodes in the trek, some technical and others very personal. It is an excellent balance of human drama and historical documentary.

History + fart joke = Awesome

The artwork is expressive, informative, and extremely expert in terms of its storytelling. Sometimes the characters blend together, but just marvel at how much gets packed into this two-page spread that opens the book, summing up what has transpired before these events:

The full array of tools available to sequential artists and graphic novel readers are on display here.

Author/artist Nick Bertozzi is an accomplished graphic novelist who has created a number of excellent nonfiction works, including Houdini: The Handcuff King, Jerusalem, and Lewis & Clark. He also created the historical fantasy romp, The Salon, and recently published a collection of his webcomic, Persimmon Cup. He speaks more about his many works in this interview.

Reviews I have read have been very positive. Publishers Weekly summed up a starred review, "A must-read for history buffs and fans of cinema-quality visual storytelling alike." In another starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it "A top-shelf rendition of one of the greatest survival stories to come out of the Age of Exploration." Kendal Stegmann wrote, "Even though the illustrations are fairly simple and in black and white, they are able to tell a very interesting and intense story." Barbara Basbanes Richter added, "Bertozzi’s black and white illustrations overflow with visual detail while creating a solid and engaging story."

A preview and much more are available here from the publisher First Second.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Jerusalem: A Family Portrait

Jerusalem is an impressive graphic novel both in size and scope. It is set from 1940 to 1948, a time when the Jewish nation of Israel was being constituted. The main plot follows the Halaby family. Two brothers, Isak and Yakov have a long standing conflict of Biblical proportions and there is also financial drama between them. This conflict between Isak, a candy peddler, and his affluent brother devolves into debts, slights, and legal actions. This strife also affects their spouses and children, all of whom are trying to coexist in some manner.

Layered into that family drama are the political happenings of the day, and this book is as much about political machinations as it is familial ones. Complicating matters further, some family members are part of the anti-British and French occupation movements. We are privy to some of the children, especially Isak's defiantly outspoken son Motti, pushing back against the indoctrination happening in the schools. The older children are embroiled in various military forces and actions, and they are often divided along political lines. These conflicts are depicted in human and affecting ways, but the story is also chock full of historical information, and I felt that I was enlightened much more about the origins of Israel of a country.

Also, it is worth mentioning that this story does not shy away from the brutality and horrors of war, and is stunningly graphic concerning destruction and death. The art is not over the top regarding these depictions, and I think that the violence of war juxtaposed well with the emotional violence that occurred between a number of the characters. Prisoners are not taken on many fronts in this book.

This book was a collaboration between writer Boaz Yakin, a screen writer who has also written the graphic novel Marathon, and Nick Bertozzi, a prolific graphic novelist interested in historical work. Among his works are the Harvey and Ignatz Award winning series Rubber Necker as well as the graphic novels The Salon, Lewis and Clark, and Houdini: The Handcuff King.  I felt that his moody, atmospheric grays and brand of cartoon realism made for some very effective and evocative scenes. His art style perfectly balances the emotional and factual needs of the narrative. For those interested more in the narrative, this interview with Yakin casts more light on Jerusalem's inception and creation.

In regard to its critical reception, Booklist gave this book a starred review, but most reviews I have seen appear more measured. Hillary Brown opined that it was "reasonably compelling with its dynamic politics and wide scope, even if it tries to pack too much in." Henry Chamberlain praised that it "provides a rich and dense texture to a narrative that invites a thorough reading." April called it "immensely readable," even if she was not a big fan of the artwork. I admit that this book does have a lot packed into it, but I felt in the end that that memorable characters, dramatic situations, and ambiguous, impactful conclusion made this a powerful work.

A preview, reviews, and more are available here from the book's publisher First Second.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

The Salon

The Salon is a murder mystery set in 1907 Paris where someone is killing artists. Art patrons Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo think they may be next, so they enlist the assistance of several of their closest friends, including historical figures Alice B. Toklas, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Erik Satie, and Guillaume Apollinaire to figure out the killer's identity and put a stop to these gruesome murders. The path to solving these crimes leads the reader through the city and its landmarks, a tour of art history, and assorted absinthe-tinged escapades.

Nick Bertozzi created this graphic novel. He has a number of other credits and is known for the graphic novels Houdini: The Handcuff King, Lewis & Clark, and Stuffed! He is also a contributor to ACT-I-VATE, drawing the webcomic Persimmon Cup. Bertozzi speaks in depth about his work on The Salon in this interview with Tom Spurgeon. 

I felt that Bertozzi did an excellent job weaving an interesting tale, conveying information about the period and characters, and also using color and form to his advantage in this book. The art has painterly aspects, and the colors portray not only mood but also transport the reader into different spaces and worlds where the action takes place. Balancing accuracy and fantasy is a difficult endeavor, and Bertozzi pulls it off with elan here.

Reviews I have read of this book have been positive about its form, flow, and content. Rebecca Porte praised the book with its combination of "energetic line with touches of cartoon flair and high modernist whimsy." Brian Heater called the book "a fun tale, culminating in an atmospheric climax." The Comics Journal's Dirk Deppey concluded that "Bertozzi's ability to make all the elements blend together is such seamless fashion is remarkable." A comprehensive list of reviews can be found here from the author.

Unfortunately, much of the publicity about this book came from a court case that arose when comics store owner Gordon Lee unwittingly distributed a comic book that contained an excerpt of this book featuring a naked Pablo Picasso to children during a trick-or-treat event in Rome, Georgia. He was defended by the Comic Book Legal Defense Club, "a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers." In the end, after years of litigation, all charges against Lee were dismissed. This controversy overshadows an inventive, daring, and cerebral graphic novel.

A brief preview and more are available here from the author. He also provides a preview video here. The Salon was published by St. Martin's Press.

Greg Burgas reviews Lewis & Clark

Greg Burgas at Comics Should Be Good has a nice, thoughtful review about Nick Bertozzi's latest book I recently posted about. Go check it out!

Lewis and Clark

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were two Virginians selected by President Thomas Jefferson to explore, study, and chart territory across the North American continent, including the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and the contested Oregon Country. Their exploits have long been considered classic tales of American heroism and exploration. This graphic novel puts a very human face on their journey, showing their interactions with local politicians, various Native American clans and tribes who have their own agendas, trappers, British, and Spaniards. The author shows them dealing with obstacles, difficult terrain, flatulence, in-fighting, and their necessarily Spartan regimen. These various events are told in episodic fashion, with dates and labels helping make sense of what happened when.

This beautifully rendered book is the work of Nick Bertozzi, a prolific comics creator who is best known for his graphic novel about the major players in the Modernist scene in Paris, The Salon, his art in the Houdini: The Handcuff King graphic novel, and his series Rubber Necker. That last work won 2003 Harvey and Ignatz Awards, and he was also awarded the Harvey for Best New Talent. Bertozzi also regularly contributes comics to the online Act-i-vate. He describes his artistic process in this entry from the Drawing Words and Writing Pictures blog.

Like much of Bertozzi's work, this graphic novel has been extremely well received. Beth Hewitt praises the book, citing Bertozzi's great craft in navigating the chronology of events and capturing the voices and personalities of historic figures. The Comics Journal's Rob Clough called the book "a clever, well-crafted and exciting mainstream story with a number of deeper flourishes" and also applauded Bertozzi's ability to make deceptively simple-looking work. The Graphic Novel Reporter wrote that it is "an intimate tale of a great American epic."

A preview is available here from the book's publisher, First Second.
More information and reviews, including one from famed documentarian Ken Burns is available here.

A big Thank You to Gina for the review copy!

Houdini: The Handcuff King

Harry Houdini was the most famous magician of his and perhaps of all time. His name is synonymous with the term escape artist, and he was a master of death-defying stunts and public relations. He would escape from straight jackets while suspended in air, chains while underwater, or contained in a water torture cell. He also popularized tricks where he escaped from milk cans and from underground chambers. In part, his notoriety and fame have endured because his wife Bess kept a full-time publicist for 16 years after Houdini's death to keep his memory alive, but also because he was a consummate showman.

A small part of Houdini's amazing exploits is contained in Houdini: The Handcuff King. In this book, we see how Houdini drummed up interest for a public escape in Cambridge where he was chained and thrown off the Harvard Bridge into the Charles River. We also get to see how he prepares for the trick, as well as some of the public reaction to the spectacle, not all of it positive. Additionally and perhaps most importantly, we are privy to his escape methods.

This book was written by Jason Lutes, a writer/artist known for his ambitious works Berlin and Jar of Fools. Lutes is also an instructor at The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. One of the goals of The Center is to publish quality graphic novels, and this one is their first offering. The art is handled by Nick Bertozzi, who also writes, draws, and teaches comics, and is best known for his graphic novel about modernist painting and Paris, The Salon. Both creators are invested in historical accuracy, and their depictions evoke the time period well.

Reviews of the book have ranged widely. David Elzey found many great features in the book, including the introduction by Glen David Gold and the detailed back matter, and hoped that this initial offering was a sign of things to come. Bill Peschel found the book engaging but admits that he is keen on magic and Houdini in particular. Blogger Kevin Church found the book beautifully designed but more academic than gripping. More reviews can be found at Goodreads.

A short preview of the book is available here. A discussion guide is available from the book's publisher, Hyperion.