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FREE - A COMIC-STRIP BIOGRAPHY PDF

Chester Brown | 152 pages | 08 Nov 2006 | Drawn and Quarterly | 9781894937894 | English | Montreal, Canada Slings & Arrows

Chester Brown creates nonchalantly brilliant books. Seemingly growing tired of autobiography, Brown diverted into something stranger with his, eventually abandoned, series Underwaterbefore turning his clear-headed, dispassionate style to something different — a biography of Canadian politician Louis Riel. Originally serialised in comic form over four years, Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography collection of these ten issues into a single volume is by far the best way to experience the initially perfunctory feeling Louis Riel. Louis Riel is an oddly bloodless book, particularly given it covers a particularly violent period in the early . Its characters all somehow come across as miniature people racing across a dioramic landscape. No head ever fills the frame. Brown places us in a God-like position, encouraging us not Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography make human connections with the unfolding story, but to find a sense of absorption through omniscient observation. Beautiful, understated cross-hatching crops up all over the place and the artist has a wonderful way with an aerial view. Release date: Format: Black and white. UPC: Contains adult content? Does this pass the Bechdel test? Positive minority portrayal? Categories: BiographyHistory. Chester Brown. Like this? Try these. . Ethel and Ernest. My Friend Dahmer. Newspaper Rock: Review of Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography

Goodreads helps you keep track of books Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Louis Riel by Chester Brown. Brown coolly documents with dramatic subtlety the Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography rebellion on the Canadian prairie led by Riel, who some regard a martyr who died in the name of freedom, while others consider him Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography treacherous murderer. Get A Copy. PaperbackFirst Paperback Editionpages. Published August 22nd by Drawn and Quarterly first published December 9th More Details Original Title. Other Editions 9. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Louis Rielplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Jul 25, T. Biography is always a tricky thing to pull off well. Ignoring the matter of interpretation, the biographer still has to grapple with the reality that there are not really any such things as brute facts. The biographer is never simply representing What Happened, but instead puts forth Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography version of what happened—a story that conforms more or less plausibly with the ultimately unknowable way history actually spun itself out. See, the thing of it is: biographers are every bit as much storytellers as Dickens or Gaiman or Hemmingway Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography Stoppard. They not only have a responsibility Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography the historical record, but perhaps more importantly, they are beholden to the attentions of their readers. The biographer, on the other hand, is more like a film editor who has to craft a compelling story with found material he had no hand in creating. As if truth and history even belong in the same sentence. Often in his research Brown is confronted with conflicting reports, some from recollections published well and many years after any of the involved incidents. To this end, Brown supplies the reader with a gratifying section of endnotes, in which he is allowed to explore questions that his straightforward narrative is unable to ask. He will often use this as an opportunity to show how the history he presents is an amalgamation of reports conflated again with fictionalization to help the story spring to life. As an example, Brown shows a scene in which historical figure and several others beat a Canadian aboriginal named Parisien. Neither Sutherland [another casualty] nor Parisien died immediately. Stanley p. This is just one example among over a hundred. He is unshackled enough that he can tell the story he is going to tell in the way he wishes to tell it. Visual space is used to create story beats, punctuating decisions or underscoring the humour in a given situation. The pacing and storytelling is excellent throughout. Hollow, pupil-less eyes float detached in wide-open faces. More insidious, however, is the blunt scheming of the Canadian prime minister to force Riel into open rebellion for the sake of some lucrative rail contracts. And his version of things might be more compelling anyway. Oct 18, Michael rated it it was ok. This is an ambitious effort to deal with a very complex part of Canadian history. The artwork is excellent, but unfortunately the resulting story is over-simplistic. Brown compensates for this somewhat in the extensive notes at the end of the comic book, where he goes so Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography as to admit that he made John A. MacDonald appear more villainous to improve the story. Not sure it's a good idea to take such liberties with important historical figures i. Canada's first prime minister for something th This is an ambitious effort to deal with a very complex part of Canadian history. Canada's first prime minister for something that doesn't explicitly present itself as fiction. Moreover, the reader doesn't come away with an adequate view of the real complexity of Riel as a historical figure. Perhaps this would be best described as historical fiction or fictionalized history? Either way, if you do read this comic book without any prior knowledge of Riel, you'd better also read the notes at the end. Sep 04, Aloke rated it it was amazing Shelves: non-fictioncanadaownedcomixhistory. A must read for those interested in Canadian history. Being a it does have obvious trade offs between completeness and artistic license. The cool thing is that Brown is upfront about that in the intro and the very thorough endnotes in true graphic novel these are handwritten very neatly but somewhat hard to read. These along with the bibliography make it a great starting point to learn about Louis Riel's tumultuous life and his role in history. I thought it was the perfect fit to represent both the time and the subject matter. The layouts are clean and clear with about nine panels per page to tell the Metis story. The first being his leadership of what would become , the Red River Settlement, and the establishment of . The second part concerns his return to Canada following his complete mental breakdown. Having spent time in a Montreal insane asylum, Riel believes himself to be a prophet sent from God and his ensuing actions lead to increased hostility between both the Metis of Manitoba and the Canadian government. Jul 31, Sam Quixote rated it liked it. Brown retells the history of Louis Riel using his unique drawing skills. Each of the characters are given blank eyes and expressionless faces, as well as enormous hands and small heads - deliberate choices by the artist. The story is a bit dusty for most of the book. This law was passed which meant this border changed which meant this happened which meant people had to move until this law was passed, blah blah. Unless you're really into 19th century Canadian history regarding the Metis people yo Brown retells the history of Louis Riel using his unique drawing skills. Unless you're really into Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography century Canadian history regarding the Metis people you'll gloss over these sections. Maps are included to show the shifting borders. What's interesting is when Louis Riel loses his mind and believes he's a prophet from God. There are some brilliant sections like the siege or when Louis and his men are held captive. There's quite a comedic scene with one of the racist prisoners shouting expletives you just see "XXX" in the caption baloon and coupled with his blank face and cavernous mouth it made me laugh. It's a good, thorough read and reminded me of Rick Geary's work which is also brilliant. Apr 29, Andrew rated it it was amazing Shelves: alternative-comicscomics. Throughout, Riel was both inspired and hampered by his own religious fanaticism. Chester Brown tells this incredible true story in a unique way. He uses rigid formalism and minimalism each page is a 2 x 3 panel grid with wide margins and gutters; the characters' faces are often blank and affectless to heighten both the humor and the heartbreak of this desperate, small-scale rebellion. He then shoots an innocent bystander. The soldiers Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography him and hack him to death with an ax, while the bystander bleeds to death nearby. The scene blends comedy and horrific violence in a way that reminds me Stanley Kubrick or the Coen Brothers. Louis Riel is a fascinating character. He's a man who believes he communes with God and knows all the secrets of the universe, but he cannot grasp the scale of what he's up against, or how to deal with the combined forces of the Canadian government, the , and the Hudson's Bay Trading company. In this way, he's a classic Western hero - a strong man made obsolete by capitalist progress. The extensive handwritten end notes make this an even richer reading experience. The comic is an engrossing, one-of-a-kind history, and the end notes are an impressive historiography and self-critique. That Chester Brown provides both in under pages is a truly remarkable achievement. Thank you Mr. Your book is now on Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography 'prioritiesed' shelf Do you know another book that'd look really nice up there Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography - Chester Brown - Google книги

Post a Comment. In Happy Louis Riel Day! Time Magazine included it in its annual Best Comix list in Brown eschews defining exactly what Riel, the most debated figure in Canadian history, should mean to a contemporary audience. His ambivalence about Riel's status in Canadian history is revealed in the novel's very large appendix, which serves in part as a running commentary on the novel's action. In some instances, Brown wonders why he depicted certain scenes in the way he has, suggesting perhaps a postmodern approach to his subject, in that precise meaning is deliberately confused or left vague, thereby enjoining the audience to "fill in the gaps," as it were. Over five years in the making, Brown's work Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography completely realized here, from the strikingly designed two- color cover to the cream-colored paper and pristinely clear drawings. The story begins inwith the sale of the independent Red River Settlement area of what's now Canada to the Canadian government. Riel is bilingual and becomes a de facto leader for the Red River Settlement, demanding the right for them to govern themselves within Canada. Not Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography, this request is denied, and the conflict is set in motion that ultimately consumes Riel's life. Brown doesn't deviate from a six-panel grid for the entire book, telling his story in a cartoon realism style reminiscent of . And while the book concerns imperialism, empire, nationalism and the chaos that results, Brown maintains a still, almost silent atmosphere. He brilliantly renders a lengthy courtroom sequence by setting figures against a black background, heightening the tension of the events by employing minimal effects. Even the battle scenes are subdued. All of this will hook readers' minds and eyes, but never tell them what to think or feel. Instead, Brown calmly lets his story unfold, making the reading process deeply affecting. This is an ingenious comic and a major achievement. Brown tells the story using silent pictures whenever possible. Characters are drawn in a flat but beautiful way. No one is depicted as a cartoon, but the tone never matches a straight history book, either. Brown goes further by using the footnotes in a surprising way: He tells you that he got things wrong. Then he says he isn't sure why. At first, these tiny confessions seem strange, but then you realize he's just being honest. If you're looking for a great graphic novel, this is the book to buy. Chester Brown has taken the story of a historical figure very few Americans have heard of and presented it in a unique way. Although it was written for adults, Louis Riel is a perfect gift for a young reader--it's a comic book, but a very sophisticated one. Amazing artwork should be noted too. Rob's review Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography includes five pages of glowing comments from reviewers, many from major publications. So the comments above are typical rather than atypical. Some people have called it "gripping" and "a page-turner. I was able to put it down and pick it up several times. It reads quickly because there are a lot of wordless pages, not because it's the greatest piece of literature ever. I'd say Louis Riel is comparable to the best biographies and historical narratives. Not just in the comic-book field, but in all Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography literature. True, history is complex and convoluted, so it's rarely as good as a work of fiction. But this is about as good as history gets. Brown has presented a story that could've been boring or confusing and made it clear and compelling. That alone is a huge achievement. The tiny print can be wearying, but the information is provocative. It makes you rethink the whole concept of writing history. Brown provides sources for his storytelling decisions along with further details. That's standard footnote or endnote practice. What isn't standard is how he critiques his decisions. He repeatedly tells readers how he moved characters in time or space, combined Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography characters into Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography, changed a character's age or shape, decided a character's motivation when it wasn't known, etc. Each choice is likely to provoke one of three reactions: 1 Disagreement: Why change such-and-such when the actual history was just as straightforward? For instance, making a thin character fat. This change seems arbitrary if not incomprehensible. Maybe yes, maybe no. You'd have to read an alternate version of the story to Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography for sure. For instance, combining several lawyers defending Riel at his trial into one. Having to learn four or five minor characters wouldn't improve the reading experience; it would only bog it down. Accuracy isn't always good As Newspaper Rock readers know, I'm a stickler for accuracy. But Louis Riel makes the case that you have to simplify and sometimes change history to make it readable. Like most historic episodes, Riel's life has hundreds of characters participating in hundreds of events. A writer has to decide which of these characters and events to include or exclude. The takeaway is that every work of historic nonfiction is really a Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography of fiction. The author chooses what to emphasize and so manipulates the reader's perceptions. That's why you can read a thousand books about Lincoln or Kennedy and no two will be the same. This is why we read several books on a subject, and reviews of the books: to see what we've missed. By critiquing his own book, Brown has done that for us. That's impressive. But it's a worthy addition to any collection of Native-themed books and comics. Rob's rating: 8. No comments:. Newer Post Older Post Home. Subscribe to: Post Louis Riel - a Comic-Strip Biography Atom.