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A review by meepelous
Masks of Anarchy: The History of a Radical Poem, from Percy Shelley to the Triangle Factory Fire by Michael Demson
4.0
Another rather rewarding random find in the library catalogue. I was not aware that this was about Percy Shelley's poem when I put a hold on it, but it was certainly not a disappointing discovery. I have not come across many graphic novels based off of poetry, but since I enjoy graphic novels more than poetry it was not an unwelcome thing way to finally imbibe some Shelley. That said, there was a lot more going on than just the poetry.
As far as the kinds of nonfiction graphic histories that I have been reading of late, this particular volume fit in well. Despite this being the first graphic novel of an extremely privileged person I was really impressed by the way they decided to portray the life and influence of Shelley through the lens of women. Willing to not only show Shelley's greatness but also his weaknesses and shortcomings.
The artwork was also pretty phenomenal as well. Summer McClinton's black and white artwork is not only clear and dramatic but also gives you a sense that it is reflecting the historic times, since they seem to draw a lot of inspiration from antique photographs. I really have a growing appreciation for these larger print volumes and how I feel like I can really dive into the details! I feel like this size would probably help some less experienced readers as well with some of the more intricate page layouts. Nothing too mind bending, but I never felt like I was squinting to try and figure out what was going on.
As many other reviewers have pointed out, the introduction was extremely over-the-top and rather uninformative. Even the font choice was rather poor in my opinion since it made the whole thing seem even longer! I would highly recommend people NOT read it since I'm sure it has stopped more than one person from enjoying this otherwise quite phenomenal work!
As far as the kinds of nonfiction graphic histories that I have been reading of late, this particular volume fit in well. Despite this being the first graphic novel of an extremely privileged person I was really impressed by the way they decided to portray the life and influence of Shelley through the lens of women. Willing to not only show Shelley's greatness but also his weaknesses and shortcomings.
The artwork was also pretty phenomenal as well. Summer McClinton's black and white artwork is not only clear and dramatic but also gives you a sense that it is reflecting the historic times, since they seem to draw a lot of inspiration from antique photographs. I really have a growing appreciation for these larger print volumes and how I feel like I can really dive into the details! I feel like this size would probably help some less experienced readers as well with some of the more intricate page layouts. Nothing too mind bending, but I never felt like I was squinting to try and figure out what was going on.
As many other reviewers have pointed out, the introduction was extremely over-the-top and rather uninformative. Even the font choice was rather poor in my opinion since it made the whole thing seem even longer! I would highly recommend people NOT read it since I'm sure it has stopped more than one person from enjoying this otherwise quite phenomenal work!