For those who like their history in an artistic frame.
Graphic adaptation of the first volume of Atkinson’s acclaimed history of the American Revolution.
As adaptor Neus writes, the Revolution began with bad odds: “No colonial rebellion had ever succeeded in casting off imperial shackles.” As the narrative proceeds, she also takes up several themes that have recently defined the historiography of the era, particularly the trope that the Revolution was at heart a civil war, one that became “brutal and continental.” As to brutality, one key episode is the rebels’ torching of the loyalist town of Norfolk, Virginia, while driving a British garrison out; on the continental front, Neus, following Atkinson, spends a great deal of time treating the American invasion of Canada, which, some patriots worried at the time, might convert that civil war into a war of aggression against our northern neighbor “and lose the moral high ground of a country fighting for its own freedom.” In all events, that invasion turned into a shambles. Yet another theme is the thought that George Washington, while undoubtedly brave and stoical (“His appearance alone gave confidence to the timid and imposed respect on the bold”), wasn’t much of a strategic master, although he succeeded in doing the one thing he had to do, namely keep his army alive. Although the text is necessarily simplified—many frames contain no text at all—it is by no means dumbed down. Pietrobon’s artwork moves fluently, with plenty of attention to the mayhem of battle (which, Neus notes, Washington called “the rumpus”) and a few disturbing frames, such as one depicting the unfortunate meeting of a cannonball with a colonial’s head. Altogether, the narrative, which ends with the liberation of Boston on March 17, 1776—before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, that is—is an approachable treatment of a complex subject.
For those who like their history in an artistic frame.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9780593799307
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A provocative illumination of the nooks and crannies of a document that citizens have come to take for granted.
A thorough examination of the Constitution, its promises and problems, in the form of a graphic novel.
The latest entry in the publisher’s World Citizen Comics series isn’t a patriotic celebration but rather an engagingly readable and well-researched analysis of how the Constitution came about and what its decisions and compromises have meant for the U.S. ever since. Featuring text by the Levinsons, who collaborated on a children’s title of the same name in 2017, and illustrations by cartoonist Shwed, the book offers a “report card” for the Constitution, giving it a C overall (it fares better on defense and poorer on promoting the general welfare). If the Constitution aims to form “a more perfect union,” we might well need a more perfect document. This could be accomplished via a considerable revision of a document that has proven singularly difficult to amend or through the calling of a new Constitutional Convention, all in the effort to deal with issues that the framers couldn’t have foreseen in 1787 or problems that were inherent flaws in the original compromise at a time when the country seemed less like a truly united country and more like a confederation of independent states, to which citizens owed their first allegiance. Fears that more populous states would exert their will over smaller ones have resulted in processes that the authors suggest are undemocratic, including the Electoral College, the makeup of the Senate, the filibuster, gerrymandering, and all sorts of political finagling that runs counter to the wishes of the majority. They provide numerous examples of how issues we face now are the result of decisions made by the framers when the concerns were very different. Perhaps a better Constitution would inspire a better country.
A provocative illumination of the nooks and crannies of a document that citizens have come to take for granted.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21161-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
An informative, breathless sprint through the evolution and consequences of human development.
The professor and popular historian expands the reach of his internationally bestselling work with the launch of a graphic nonfiction series.
In a manner that is both playful and provocative, Harari teams with co-creators adept at the graphic format to enliven his academic studies. Here, a cartoon version of the professor takes other characters (and readers) on something of a madcap thrill ride through the history of human evolution, with a timeline that begins almost 14 billion years ago and extends into the future, when humanity becomes the defendant in “Ecosystem vs. Homo Sapiens,” a trial presided over by “Judge Gaia.” As Harari and his fellow time travelers visit with other academics and a variety of species, the vivid illustrations by Casaneve and colorist Champion bring the lessons of history into living color, and Vandermeulen helps condense Harari’s complex insights while sustaining narrative momentum. The text and illustrations herald evolution as “the greatest show on earth” while showing how only one of “six different human species” managed to emerge atop the food chain. While the Homo sapiens were not nearly as large, strong, fast, or powerful as other species that suffered extinction, they were able to triumph due to their development of the abilities to cooperate, communicate, and, perhaps most important, tell and share stories. That storytelling ultimately encompasses fiction, myth, history, and spirituality, and the success of shared stories accounts for a wide variety of historical events and trends, including Christianity, the French Revolution, and the Third Reich. The narrative climaxes with a crime caper, as a serial-killing spree results in the extinction of so many species, and the “Supreme Court of the future” must rule on the case against Homo sapiens. Within those deliberations, it’s clear that not “being aware of the consequences of their actions” is not a valid excuse.
An informative, breathless sprint through the evolution and consequences of human development.Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-305133-1
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Perennial/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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