TITLE: Journey into Mohawk Country
AUTHOR: H.M. van den Bogaert
STARTED: October 25, 2010
FINISHED: October 25, 2010
PAGES: 144
GENRE: Graphic Novel
FIRST SENTENCE: [From the introduction] There were hundreds and hundreds of miles of wilderness that white men had yet to claim, let alone see.
SUMMARY: [From Amazon.com
] O'Connor, writer and illustrator of the entertaining children's book Kapow! puts pictures to the actual diary entries of Dutch trader Van den Bogaert, who set off through New York's Indian territory in 1634, searching for a source of valuable beaver pelts. More than simply illustrating the account, O'Connor fills it with a new life--expanding on ideas only touched upon, creating action and conflict, and casting some welcome humor into the Dutchman's somewhat dry original commentary. While not exactly fast paced, the odyssey is filled with unusual details and insights about the Native Americans--the frequency of bear meat in their diet, their practice of treating certain illness by vomiting on the patient, their attitudes toward the foreigners. O'Connor himself seems well versed on the subject, and his pictures conjure an authentic sense of a sparse and demanding landscape as they offer a glimpse into a lost culture. THOUGHTS: This was a fun book. The graphic novel is based on the actual diary writings of H.M. van den Bogaert. There is no added dialogue or storytelling. The character, then, comes through in the art. And that art is fun.
The writings of the diary could be rather dull on their own, but the art combined with the writing actually makes for a rather enjoyable final product. The characters are given individual personalities and even characters with just one appearance seem to have their own attitudes and motives. I particular enjoy how the artist was able to instill a sense of comedic timing to the art.
From one panel to the next there was a sense of rhythm and dynamic tension that kept the story from becoming stale. Journey Into Mohawk Country was a simple book and a quick read, but it was a nice bread from the usual graphic novels I read.
RATING: 6/10 [Good]
Comments