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Loading... Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biographyby Chester Brown
 gypsysmom | Dec 9, 2011 |  Louis Riel: A Comic-strip Biography is a graphic novel by Canadian graphic novelist, Chester Brown. It won Harvey Awards for best writing and best graphic novel. As the title implies, the book is a graphic novel biography on nineteenth century Metis leader, Louis Riel. The majority of the graphic novel centers on Riel’s role during the Red River Rebellion in Manitoba and the North-West Rebellion in Saskatchewan. While many still assume that comics and graphic novels are intended chiefly for children, Louis Riel: A Comic-strip Biography deals with a variety of mature and complex themes including, imperialism, violence, discrimination and religion. Overall, both the writing and illustrations are of high quality, which make for an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend this graphic novel to anyone studying Louis Riel or is interested in Canadian history. (  ) chengc28 | Nov 19, 2011 | This comic-strip biography makes the story of Louis Riel accessible to a broader range of readers than a more academic text ever could. Mr. Brown has done an excellent job of telling the basic story, supplemented with footnotes to expand on some historical points. (Those footnotes are also a source of minor irritation as they are not marked in the text. Also, some of the notes explain things the author has portrayed unnecessarily -- e.g. to say a ship should have been pointed in the other direction -- why not just draw it that way in the first place? Or that it probably wasn't snowing...so why draw snow?) The drawings are well done and add depth to the words. This, I think, is an important feature that makes graphic novels/histories more than adult comic books. Mr. Brown has given us a portrait of Riel as a man committed to his people and his beliefs -- a Father of Confederation. Flawed, but who isn't? (  ) LynnB | Nov 17, 2011 | Riel's time in exile and leading the Metis spoke to the cause of his mental breakdown. I felt like there was no way back after that -- his increasing obsession with religious visions lived side-by-side with his just political visions. Chester Brown uses dialogue to tell the whole, tightened narrative and puts the most meaning in an expressionless face that I have ever seen. (  ) allison.sivak | Jan 19, 2011 | Brown's graphic novel treatment of Louis Riel is a tour de force for Canadian history for youth. Instantly accessible, it allows young people who complain about how boring Canadian history is to see a different view. Brown's effort is well-researched and his bias is indicated in the beginning, portraying Riel as a flawed human with good intentions for the Metis people. At times the biography drags, but the illustrations and clear text allow for entry at various points in Riel's life story. (  ) cmcvittie | Aug 11, 2010 |
 In a remarkable move that lets Brown tell the best story and tell the truth, every deviance from recorded history is meticulously footnoted at the end. Deeply researched yet carefully manipulated, the final result goes past history and into literature....Louis Riel," as told by Chester Brown becomes a deeply personal, utterly compelling page-turner in the guise of a 19th-century history book. Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography is yet another landmark work by Chester Brown, an artist considered to be one of the greatest cartoonists living today. This is not hyperbole: each of his major works – Ed the Happy Clown, I Never Liked You, and The Playboy – have broken new artistic ground in their different ways. His work has not only upped the high-water mark for fellow comics artists, but has served as a portal for the medium into mainstream culture....Brown’s black and white art is vibrant and striking – you feel the artist’s hand on the page. Not overly intellectualized yet dense with detail, the book is a wonderful combination of factual resources and powerful art and storytelling.
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"This award-winning Canadian bestseller tells the story of the charismatic, and perhaps mad, nineteenth century Mâetis leader, whose struggle to win rights for his people led to violent rebellion on the nation's western frontier"--P. [4] of cover.
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I thought it was really well researched. Brown is upfront about the fact that he took some liberties with the truth but he has copious notes at the back that show where he changed things and why he did so. Reading those notes were almost as interesting as the book itself. I would certainly recommend that people read them but you'll have to choose whether to read them as you go through the book or, as I did, after finishing the book.
I liked the graphic style which reminded me of TinTin comics, which Brown acknowledges as one of his sources of inspiration. He also said he was inspired by Little Orphan Annie which I couldn't really see.
Louis Riel was either adored or reviled while he lived. And long after his death by hanging there were probably as many people in one camp as in the other. Around the 1950's or 1960's a transformation in how he was perceived occurred. Now he is acknowledged as the father of Manitoba and a hero for Metis rights. Manitoba even has a holiday named for him. Personally, I think he suffered from schizophrenia but he was brilliant and charismatic and he was the right person at the right time.
Read this book if your memory of history is a little dim. It really brings that time to life. (