The Barefoot Serpent

Cross posted from ComicsForge

Now you know you have a different type of book on your hands when one of the blurbs on the back cover is by Don Cheadle. That's right, the actor. Plus Scott Mosier, producer of films like Clerks, Chasing Amy, etc. How often do you see that happen for a graphic novel?? And there's a good reason for having Hollywood show up to review a book. This novel is a mix of a biography about the filmmaker Akira Kuroswa and the story of a family moving on after a tragedy. You wouldn't think a combination like this would work, but it does.

The first few pages of the book cover the early part of Akira's life up to where he made his first film. It very quickly covers who Akira is, how he got into movies, and a bit about his show more relationship with his family. We then get into the main story of a young girl and her family who at the beach. When she goes to investigate a noise she finds drummers...ghost drummers floating in the sky. Which leads her to a young boy carving a mask and the two become friends...or at least companions on a journey with some strange encounters. The dad and mom also have encounters that remind them of a son who is no longer with them. I won't say the island heals them, but something changes on their journey. The last part of the book covers the rest of Akira's life. His fall from the top of his game, to working his way back up, and at the end realizing that what the critics say doesn't really matter.

I really don't have any other work to compare this to, it's just unique in its layout and its execution. The combining of a seemingly unrelated biography with a short story at first makes no sense what so ever. But reading it and thinking about it, it begins too. Even without knowing much about Kuroswa. There are some similarities and parallels being drawn by the two stories, of loss and grief and hope. He even uses some elements from Kuroswa's films, such as the floating drumming ghosts. The writing is simple and flows easily, but it never lets go of your attention. What Scott Morse has done with this work is beautiful...even for such a simple story it makes you think. The fact that the family never has names makes it easier to put yourself in the story, to see your life or that of your friends before you.

I just have to say I freaking love, love the front cover of this book. It's absolutely perfect. I just wish the entire book was like that. And that's not to say it isn't good, because it is, I just imagine how much more impressive it is/would be in color. And I have trouble imagining that Scott didn't do the entire book in color when he was designing it and then just translated it to grayscale for final publication, because the pictures just look like the have color to them. But...at the same time I think he was going for a parallel between Kuroswa's movies so black and white kinda makes sense. The panels are even laid out on the page like film. Scott's work has a simple elegance to it that makes the drawings both poignant and powerful.

I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone and give it 5 out of 5 stars. You have to read it a couple of times, but it will grow on you. show less

This is a lovely example of a story told more in images than words. It's both a biography of Akira Kurosawa, and an alegorical story about healing. I just wish I were more familiar with Kurosawa's work - I think I missed a lot, not being familiar with the context. Its very much well worth a read.

The story-telling has a fairy-tale quality to it. It's much more about feelings and ideas. I'm not sure I'd choose it as a children's book - the ideas are mature, although not 'adult' - but it helps to bring a childlike mind to it.

Sad, but ultimately hopeful. Complex and fascinating. Beautiful, sketchy line drawings and filmy veils of saturated colors. The author weaves together a story about filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, with a story that is inspired and informed by elements in Kurosawa's films and from Hawaiian folklore. If you don't know much about Kurosawa's films, the two story lines may not quite gel together. Read the Afterword to provide some context.

Scott Morse pays tribute to Japanese film maker Kurosawa in this story of a couple and their child trying to move on after a tragic death in the family.

3067