Calamity Before Jane

I recently borrowed this book from my local library. Libraries RULE! Calamity Before Jane is a biography/history book for younger readers, and I feel it is very successful in deflating romantic myths about the American West. When this book opens, Jane (born Martha Jane Canary) is a performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, telling her tales to an audience in upstate New York. She happens upon a couple of young runaway orphans and tells them about her own tough childhood. She is run-down, barely able to tell her own tall tales, and adding insult to injury, they rob her after she passes out.

What we know to be true: Jane's dad moved the family around a lot, trying to get rich by mining gold, gambling and later farming. Her mom died when she was young, and she had to take up the housework before she decided to strike out on her own. She had to fend for herself in places of ill-repute, learning to ride a horse and shoot along the way. She drove cattle and was a US Army scout. The rest may or may not have happened.

All in all, the brown and grey coloring of this book matches the dour town of the story, which is enlightening in how it dispels the typical "cowboys and Indians" tenor of many Western tales. This book does not sugarcoat the treatment or depictions of Native Americans, describing how it avoids the stereotypes used to portray them as wild people. It also touches on their genocide, the pointed decimation of the American buffalo, and later small inclusions in traveling shows like Buffalo Bill's. 

Bolstering the story are informative essays by Dr. Susana Geliga that add more context to Jane's life and times. There are also copious period photos in the inside covers and endpapers that show readers more about the reality of her life, and they also reveal how much reference work went into the drawings. I feel like this is an excellent source for learning about American history for readers of any age.

Cartoonist Noah Van Sciver wrote and drew this book. He is one of my favorite comics creators, the Ignatz Award-winning author of the graphic novels Beat It, Rufus, One Dirty Tree, The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, Saint Cole, and Fante Bukowski.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews called it "engaging and eye-opening." Publishers Weekly wrote, "Gritty illustrations and ample 19th-century vernacular render a thought-provoking portrait of the rapidly changing era." Melanie Jackson described it as "fun, lively."

Calamity Before Jane was published by Toon Books, and they offer more information about it here.

Coyote Doggirl

Coyote Doggirl is a fantastic graphic novel, full of heart and humor while not skimping on the drama. It is deceptively simple in appearance, a sparse tale of a female coyote/dog hybrid who just wants to live a quiet life on her own terms. Mostly, she just wants to tend to her modest piece of land and incredibly fast horse named Red.

 

When the book begins, for reasons I will not spoil, she is being pursued by a band of cowboys who want revenge on her. As she tries to elude their grasp, she gets shot with multiple arrows and the stories begins to take one of multiple plot twists.

Coyote Doggirl's plight is relatable and she is very easy to root for. She meets and gets to know a band of indigenous folks, who take her in and teach her about their ways and herself. One of the most enjoyable parts of this book for me was how deftly its plot is woven, in ways that both pay homage to traditional western stories while also critiquing them and turning them on their ears. The ending of this book seems to me to be open-ended, and I would love to see the adventures continue.

I loved reading this book. It is relative short and brisk to read, but it is filled with much detail and nuance. The title character has an idiosyncratic personality and is a terrific fashion designer to boot. The dialogue is snappy and terse, and the artwork is delightfully composed and paced. The character designs in particular are very strong, and the coloring is both vibrant and pleasing.

This book's creator Lisa Hanawalt is an illustrator and animator who is best known for her production and design work on the Netflix series BoJack Horseman. Although this book is her first graphic novel, she also has published a couple of comics collections named Hot Dog Taste Test and My Dirty Dumb Eyes. She speaks about her work on Coyote Doggirl in this interview.

All the reviews I have read of this book have been very positive. Mel Schuit wrote, "Coyote Doggirl might share a lot of the same tropes as a traditional Western, but it’s peppered with quick wit, cute clothing, and lots of ass-kicking, making it a modern day Western classic." AJ Frost described it as "an unabashed western with a contemporary twist as well an imaginative take on the genre that feels more mature and grounded." Lenika Cruz elaborated, "Hanawalt’s book sheds the self-seriousness of the genre, but it also retains another sort of poignancy—one anchored by the heroine’s free spirit and stubborn sense of wonder in spite of the constant dangers she has to navigate."

Coyote Doggirl was published by Drawn & Quarterly, and they offer a preview and more here. Because it features profanity, some sexual violence, and mature themes I recommend this book for mature readers.

The True Death of Billy the Kid

While reading this book I realized that pretty much all I know about Billy the Kid I know from popular versions of his story, like Young Guns or Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, which means I have really only been acquainted with lots of legends and lies about the guy. This book, The True Death of Billy the Kid, is not a full biography of the infamous outlaw, but it is a well researched and fully realized account of his last days: After being captured, tried, and found guilty, Billy enacts a daring escape and goes on the lam for a time before he is finally tracked and gunned down.

As you can see from the excerpt above, this book features lots of action and intrigue. It is a relatively short work and a page-turner as well. The art is crisp and beautiful to behold. And unlike most books by this author, this one features larger pages, which help feature the maps, floor plans, and lots of other details that help bring the story to life. I feel that this book is pretty economical in terms of storytelling, but it is still affecting and fascinating. It was a fun read, plus it taught me a bunch to boot.

Long time readers of this blog may have realized that I am a huge fan of Rick Geary's work. He has been making comics for decades now, winning major awards for his efforts, and telling all kinds of historical tales in graphic novel format. He is meticulous in detail and research, and I love his specific art style. He is especially known for his Victorian Era and 20th Century series of murder tales. Go check out these reviews and see what I have written about them over the years. He talks about his work on this newest book in this interview.

The reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Publishers Weekly concluded, "While the Kid has been treated to ample renderings in film, television, and prose, Geary makes his story feel fresh." Johanna Draper Carlson stated that "Geary’s art is well-suited for this kind of reporting, as it’s straightforward in showing expression and setting. With its pen-and-ink, old-fashioned flavor, the reader feels transported back to an earlier time." R.C. Harvey wrote, "As always, he is scrupulous in covering the known as well as the unknown ground."

The True Death of Billy the Kid was published by NBM, and they have a preview and more info about it here. This book was funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign a few years ago.