Isle of 100,000 Graves

If you've seen Seven Psychopaths, then you're well-primed for this slight comic, by the author of the screenplay and Jason, the famously laconic and unexpected graphic novelist.

And while slight, 100,000 Graves packs a punch. Gwenny finds a treasure map in a bottle and realizes it's the same one her father found and followed years ago, never to return. Having been left alone with her (crazy?) mother, Gwenny hires a band of pirates and bluffs her way into one of them swearing to protect her.

Of course, in a twist that should be expected from the two creators but still hits, the island is revealed as an executioner's training academy, and anyone who arrives is found guilty and used as practice dummies. Gwenny's protector, mired in show more quicksand, begs to be left behind. Gwenny then reveals she never knew his secret, and was blackmailing him over nothing. The panels after he tells her to leave, in which he realizes his quickly approaching and lonely death, are heart-wrenching and true. How many of us have pushed someone away and immediately regretted it?

Gwenny's father, it turns out, never made his way to the island and instead used his leaving as a chance to create a new life, leaving his wife and daughter behind. When Gwenny confronts him, there is no shouting or crying: she calmly confronts him and leaves. She is a confident, self-possessed girl, and now that this mystery is solved she can move on.

A beautiful, unexpected, and sparse novella. show less

Brilliant

A young girl finds a bottle with a treasure map within that will allow her to find her father who went missing after finding a bottle with a treasure map within. She hires a ship’s crew of pirates and they make their way to the island where the treasure alledgedly is. There are some surprising plot developments here and many laugh out loud moments.

Overall – This is a delight to read with fairly simple but fitting art.

Darkly funny and hugely entertaining, this a gripping adventure on the high seas as young Gwenny swears to find her father who went in search lost treasure and instead finds a secret school for torturers that lures pirates for practical sessions. It's a genius idea and while I was unsure if the art at first it works sublimely well with story and its deadpan humour and pitch perfect comedic timing. It’s absurd and lovable and absolutely delicious.

Highly recommend. I am off to seek more works from the both of them.

Feels like a companion piece to the world Lewis Trondheim built with Bourbon Island 1730. Deadpan humor and brisk storytelling combine into a short but pleasing comic.

Loved this book. The main character is refreshing. The plot is engaging. The twists are witty.

Quirky little graphic novel about a girl who goes off to look for her dad, missing for 5 years since he went in search of the treasure on the Isle of 100,000 Graves.