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florizona's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Sincerely a five star read. Striking and impactful in both art and poetics. Stylized facsimiles of media content contemporary to Johnson’s life - including racist cartoons, newspaper headlines and titles, and pictorial portrayals of reported dialogues - gives profoundly rich context to the story. Truly magnificent, deepens and enhances the whole concept of what a graphic novel can be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Car accident
jsrogers123's review
5.0
Gorgeous to look at, does a good job of grappling with a superstar who wasn't perfect. Really piqued my interest in the subject matter
goshcomics's review
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Jack Johnson was the first Black boxing heavyweight champion, fighting in the ring and outside it, derided, threatened and hated for the colour of his skin. This powerful, poetic graphic novel by Youssef Daoudi & Adrian Matejka tells the story of Johnson’s life framed by the rounds of his famous 1910 Reno, Nevada showdown with “Great White Hope” Jim Jeffries. Daoudi’s muscular, dynamic brush strokes bring the racial injustice and acts of defiance to life as we explore Johsnon’s past, and explode with energy in the depictions of the sport in all its brutal vitality. All the while, poet Matejka creates Johnson’s voice through verse, making for a unique, unforgettable experience.
tx2its's review
4.0
Reading 2023
Book 211: Last On His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century by Youssef Daoudi and Adrian Matejka
Wanted to read some nonfiction graphic novels for #nonfictionnovember. Loaded up at the library of all I could get. Reading was slow this month after all the reading in September and October.
Synopsis: Transporting readers directly into the ring, intersperse dramatic boxing action with vivid flashbacks to reveal how Johnson, the self-educated son of formerly enslaved parents, reached the pinnacle of sport—all while facing down a racist justice system. Through a combination of breathtaking illustrations and striking verse, Last on His Feet honors a contentious civil rights figure who has for more than a century been denied his proper due.
Review: The art in this GN was great, as well as the poetry. I had heard of Jack Johnson, but not all the details of his road to the heavyweight boxing title, and all his struggles to get there. My rating 4⭐️.
Book 211: Last On His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century by Youssef Daoudi and Adrian Matejka
Wanted to read some nonfiction graphic novels for #nonfictionnovember. Loaded up at the library of all I could get. Reading was slow this month after all the reading in September and October.
Synopsis: Transporting readers directly into the ring, intersperse dramatic boxing action with vivid flashbacks to reveal how Johnson, the self-educated son of formerly enslaved parents, reached the pinnacle of sport—all while facing down a racist justice system. Through a combination of breathtaking illustrations and striking verse, Last on His Feet honors a contentious civil rights figure who has for more than a century been denied his proper due.
Review: The art in this GN was great, as well as the poetry. I had heard of Jack Johnson, but not all the details of his road to the heavyweight boxing title, and all his struggles to get there. My rating 4⭐️.
totsfions's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.5
This book has a strong start and a strong ending, but the middle feels very repetitive and goes on for far too long. Would have been much better with about 50-100 fewer pages.