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A review by kikiandarrowsfishshelf
Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem by Matt Santoro, Steve Niles
5.0
Crossposted at Booklikes
“And sometimes good sits right there in our hands, waiting to be molded”
The use of graphic novels to tell stories serious stories does have a long tradition. Today, however, most readers tend to think of the idea as starting with Maus, a groundbreaking graphic novel about a family’s experience both during and after the Holocaust. Breath of Bones follows in this tradition though the point is different.
Breath of Bones might not attract some readers because of the lack of color, but the like Spielberg’s Schinlder’s List, the lack of color lends poignancy to the story. It fits the story. The use of color would cheapen the story.
Unlike many stories where the length of the Second World War is compressed, the length of the war for Europe is brought to the front of the story here. The story opens with a soldier, Noah, who finds himself in dire situation, somewhat similar to one that he faced near the start of the war when he was a boy. His small village saved a British pilot and the Germans come a calling.
And all students of history, even the most hap hazard know what means.
On the surface, the story is about Noah and his struggle to not only understand the war that affects and effects his life in tragic ways, but it is also about the struggle, small as an act can be, to resist. It is Noah’s grandfather who takes the lead and who create Golem portrayed on the cover. A figure of service and protection, the Golem is perhaps the most well known figure in Jewish folklore, though the creature doesn’t seem to attract the attention and favor of vampires and werewolves. This is somewhat disappointing because in one of the more basic aspects a golem is about love for family and for friends.
And that is the purpose of this golem, to protect those little people who so often in war need protection but do not get it. Mostly, if we continue with the ideas expressed in this graphic novel, it seems this lack of protection is because of a lack of knowledge or desire to mold good.
The story in this graphic novel is simple and yet, like the golem, therein lays the power of it.
“And sometimes good sits right there in our hands, waiting to be molded”
The use of graphic novels to tell stories serious stories does have a long tradition. Today, however, most readers tend to think of the idea as starting with Maus, a groundbreaking graphic novel about a family’s experience both during and after the Holocaust. Breath of Bones follows in this tradition though the point is different.
Breath of Bones might not attract some readers because of the lack of color, but the like Spielberg’s Schinlder’s List, the lack of color lends poignancy to the story. It fits the story. The use of color would cheapen the story.
Unlike many stories where the length of the Second World War is compressed, the length of the war for Europe is brought to the front of the story here. The story opens with a soldier, Noah, who finds himself in dire situation, somewhat similar to one that he faced near the start of the war when he was a boy. His small village saved a British pilot and the Germans come a calling.
And all students of history, even the most hap hazard know what means.
On the surface, the story is about Noah and his struggle to not only understand the war that affects and effects his life in tragic ways, but it is also about the struggle, small as an act can be, to resist. It is Noah’s grandfather who takes the lead and who create Golem portrayed on the cover. A figure of service and protection, the Golem is perhaps the most well known figure in Jewish folklore, though the creature doesn’t seem to attract the attention and favor of vampires and werewolves. This is somewhat disappointing because in one of the more basic aspects a golem is about love for family and for friends.
And that is the purpose of this golem, to protect those little people who so often in war need protection but do not get it. Mostly, if we continue with the ideas expressed in this graphic novel, it seems this lack of protection is because of a lack of knowledge or desire to mold good.
The story in this graphic novel is simple and yet, like the golem, therein lays the power of it.