3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but I miss the point, January 21, 2012
While I found this to be an enjoyable read, I never was able to find the center or theme of this book. I understand the idea of looking at colonialism but I felt that this book did a poor job of that. Instead it was like Sunday funnies in a historical setting. Basically a huge failure where a piece like Maus is a success.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Very cool, offbeat riff on a faraway time and place, March 1, 2011
One reviewer used the word "captivating" to describe this graphic novel, and although that's a word I tend to avoid, it was my thought exactly. After a bit of resistance, which never wholly vanished, I surrendered to the Bourbon Island 1730's beguiling charm. (Oops, "beguiling" - another word to watch out for...).
I think the source of the resistance was that both Lewis Trondheim's drawing and Appollo's story are rather loose. The novel shifts from quotidian semi-comic scenes to the heavy history of slavery, piracy and colonialism to dreamlike panel sequences of the island's scenery. This all happens with great fluidity, which is sometimes very lyrical and charming, and at other times may seem rather arbitrary. As a former working cartoonist, I tend to downgrade loose drawing as an indicator of lack of craft - looseness often being the sign of an indulgent creator who thinks her message is independent of the form in which it's packaged. Not in this case, though.
Here, it feels more more like the aftermath of a rather whimsical and inspired collaboration between writer and artist, The end result being a kind of romance that's enriched by the real history and geography but doesn't worry too much about getting things exactly right. And, it certainly doesn't try to put forth a social, historical or political analysis. The plot moves along, but it's not the main thing. Sub-plots open and close without necessarily going anywhere, but without much harm. It's more about mood and feel, and the sometimes casual drawing isn't a serious drawback. Besides, the draftsmanship is often quite lovely. I love the cover, the spot drawings, the chapter titles and many of the humanized animal characterizations. There's no doubt that Trondheim, unlike tyro artists, could have tightened it up if he'd wanted to... But, a certain kind of artist would rather establish a flow than obsess over the perfect form. Often these artists create a volume of work that stuns their more constipated brethren. I was reminded a bit of Craig Thompson's first graphic novel "Good-bye, Chunky Rice", which also used animal characters in a quirky and lyrical plot with great charm. Thompson is without question a *flow* type of artist who thinks visually rather than in terms of linear plot - his 2nd. novel is 600 pages long! Perhaps, Trondheim, too, is an artist who creates work intuitively, guided by visual ideas, rather than someone who works step by step beginning with the writing.
Bourbon Island also reminds me of the mini-comics of the 1980s, those pre-web, creative improvisations that creators were mailing all over creation. However, rarely if ever did minicomics deliver at this level. At their best, in works like Steve Willis' epic "Morty the Dog" (which Bourbon Island's style somewhat resembles) they hinted at this kind of inprovisational riff on a theme.
At the start of Bourbon Island I was scratching my head and wondering if I liked it. By the end, there was no question that I did...
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5.0 out of 5 stars
16 Pirates and A Bit of Treasure, November 27, 2008
This review is from: Bourbon Island 1730 (Paperback)
Jerry Bruckheimer who? What about Olivier Appollodorus and Lewis Trondheim?
Bourbon Island is a superior literary/illustrated tale of pirates long pardoned pondering the release of their old mate, Buzzard by a major show of force. Ornithologists in pursuit of the last Dodo, join the adventure as a treasure(of course) lay in hiding at St Hyacnith. The cast of Dr Despenthes, Raphael, Buzard,Roboert De La Huche, Virginia, Laverdure, Evangleine, Rapier,Ravolson,Captain Dhermitte, and the elusive dodo jump off the pages into your imagination.
Apollo and Trondheim have created a delightful waltz through pirate life (sort of). On the colony, as former pirates have taken up settling the island growing coffee, word of hanging Buzzard unifies them.
Entertaining and lively exchanges between pirates, ex pirates, and slaves make this a must read.
I love the art of Lewis Trondheim. It reminds me of Sergio Aragones on speed! I looked, but I did not see Groo anywhere!
www.firstsecond.com
Tim Lasiuta
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