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smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as I was expecting. But not bad either.
bryanzk's review against another edition
4.0
History always teach us something, such as avoiding bloodshed whatsoever..
emjay2021's review against another edition
5.0
Forgot I had read this. A colleague and I were considering using it for a literature course, so he lent it to me to read. I liked it very much, both the story and the illustrations, but we ultimately decided there wasn't room to include it in our syllabus. Too bad! Maybe one day.
woolfsfahan's review against another edition
4.0
Good introduction to Riel's life during the Red River and Northwest Rebellions. Brown's style is simple yet endearing—something about the contrast between Riel's stern face and enormous hands—and strikingly emotive: the panels showing his incarceration at St. Jean de Dieu, though few, are thick with Riel's suffering.
While this is essentially historical fiction—Brown is very clear that he's playing loose with the record for the sake of narrative—it's enhanced by its endnotes (I'm not a big graphic novel reader, but that's not common for the genre, right?) and assiduous attention to small details, like the feds' scheme with the train.
While this is essentially historical fiction—Brown is very clear that he's playing loose with the record for the sake of narrative—it's enhanced by its endnotes (I'm not a big graphic novel reader, but that's not common for the genre, right?) and assiduous attention to small details, like the feds' scheme with the train.
koreilly's review against another edition
4.0
If you've ever wondered what a just-the-facts, fully sourced biography of a Candian frontiersman would like if drawn by someone influenced by early 20th century newspaper comics then look no further.
While a bit dry, it's an easy read and the art itself is very well done. I had little to no knowledge of Louis Riel or the conflicts in Wester Canada thanks to my "World History begins with the Pilgrims and ends wit World War II" midwestern schooling, so it was also a fun educational read.
While a bit dry, it's an easy read and the art itself is very well done. I had little to no knowledge of Louis Riel or the conflicts in Wester Canada thanks to my "World History begins with the Pilgrims and ends wit World War II" midwestern schooling, so it was also a fun educational read.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
Story of the man largely responsible for the creation of Manitoba who fought for the rights of the first peoples-descended residents.
Truly horrifying stories of the many ways the Canadian government tried and generally succeeded at screwing over the homesteaders.
I was fascinated, although when Riel started going off the deep end, I started to lose interest and considered not finishing. It becomes a bit less of a story vindicating the little guy and more tragic tale of a mad man. At least in my eyes. Brown seems to stay pretty neutral, so it's hard to settle on a lens on the events.
Truly horrifying stories of the many ways the Canadian government tried and generally succeeded at screwing over the homesteaders.
I was fascinated, although when Riel started going off the deep end, I started to lose interest and considered not finishing. It becomes a bit less of a story vindicating the little guy and more tragic tale of a mad man. At least in my eyes. Brown seems to stay pretty neutral, so it's hard to settle on a lens on the events.
demy_giant's review against another edition
Am I crazy about this? Not really. But I had fun while reading it.
As a comic, the novel adheres strictly to a 6-panel-per-page format that feels comforting (almost boring), but the content within is anything but. The form imposes a symmetry while the representational strategies diverge asymmetrically. Despite the black and white print of the novel, most of the characters, the story, and the moral are greyer than grey. The formal symmetry couches the narrative at a critical distance away from Louis Riel as an affective character, while the asymmetry of light and dark demystifies him but never humanizes him. This dialectic energy creates a special reflective engagement between the reader and Louis Riel's narrative. We never quite get a hold of his interiority or "true self." The flatness (I don't mean it as a dig) of both his character and the art style does not satisfy any curiosities about figuring out Louis Riel as a Human Being. He remains a portrait framed within Canadian history. A historical figure rather than a person.
As a comic, the novel adheres strictly to a 6-panel-per-page format that feels comforting (almost boring), but the content within is anything but. The form imposes a symmetry while the representational strategies diverge asymmetrically. Despite the black and white print of the novel, most of the characters, the story, and the moral are greyer than grey. The formal symmetry couches the narrative at a critical distance away from Louis Riel as an affective character, while the asymmetry of light and dark demystifies him but never humanizes him. This dialectic energy creates a special reflective engagement between the reader and Louis Riel's narrative. We never quite get a hold of his interiority or "true self." The flatness (I don't mean it as a dig) of both his character and the art style does not satisfy any curiosities about figuring out Louis Riel as a Human Being. He remains a portrait framed within Canadian history. A historical figure rather than a person.