Customer Reviews

Bourbon Island 1730

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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...

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

Ah, the allure of a pirate tale. Who can resist it?

Surely not the readers of BOURBON ISLAND 1730, which comes to us courtesy of two French comics creators. Appollo (actually, Olivier Appollodorus) and Lewis Trondheim (also a pseudonym; this time for Laurent Chabosy) collaborated on this story of the sea. They know what they're doing here, and they're determined to have fun with it, raking in action and suspense of the swashbuckling variety unapologetically. Using animals to star in the story doesn't hurt either. It may seem surprising, but it never devolves into cute-animal-story territory. That's a wonderful thing.

BOURBON ISLAND 1730 takes place at the time when piracy is giving way to ongoing colonialism. The marauding ways of the sea are no longer in vogue, at least not for most. But that's not the case for Raphael Pommery, an assistant to ornithologist Dr. Despentes. Both have come to a small island off the coast of Madagascar to document the fauna there, but Pommery is caught up in a daydream about pirate life. It's a pirate's life for him, if he has anything to say about it.

Sure enough, he does. Soon, the book is swimming in tales of outrageous acts and hidden treasure, and Pommery, like the reader, is dazzled. Appollo and Trondheim make it easy to fall in love with this story. They take it seriously enough to imbue it with so much fun that it's hard to resist.

Still, BOURBON ISLAND 1730 transcends any particular genre boundaries. It features some mild language (a "hell" here or there, and the "S" word) that keeps it from strictly fitting into the confines of kids' literature, but it's suitable for older children. The elaborate nature of the artwork --- never cartoony --- is probably enough to ensure the book appeals to older readers anyway. It doesn't look like typical animal books do.

Like every good pirate story, it owes much to Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND. The popular pirate motifs abound here, as does the overarching theme of human morality. Amid a changing world, the characters here try to determine their place based not so much on what's right and what's wrong but on how the world at large is changing permanently.

The teamup of Appollo and Trondheim has created some buzz, with a lot of readers anxious to see what these two turn out. Those people are in for a treat, because BOURBON ISLAND 1730 is something unexpected, and as respectful as it is to the genre it celebrates, it still manages to tread into new territory. For most American readers, though, it will probably be some kind of unknown surprise, a new take on an old saw. Both groups will be able to have some fun here.

--- Reviewed by John Hogan

I should say first off that I'm not a fan of Lewis Trondheim's artwork, it's just too rough and choppy for my taste, and I'm not into his anthromorphized animal characters. However, since I have a soft spot for things pirate-related, and do find the notion of historically-based graphic novels kind of interesting, I thought I'd give this particular book of his a chance.

The story is set on the titular island (which is better known as Réunion and is roughly 600 miles east of Madagascar and 100 miles southwest of Mauritius) in 1730, about a decade or so after the end of widespread piracy. The island is home to a large number of ex-pirates, who were offered amnesty, land, and slaves, in exchange for settling down and working the land as coffee plantation overseers. Some of these slaves periodically run off into the highlands where -- if the slave catchers don't catch them -- they establish small villages, from which raids are sometime launched against the colonists. Our vehicle for learning all this is a newly arrived assistant to an ornithologist in search of the possibly extinct dodo bird. The assistant is full of all kinds of romantic notions about the brotherhood of pirates and the liberty to be found at sea. He acts as a stand-in for the reader, who quickly learns about the more complicated reality.

While the story has some nice little moments here and there, it doesn't have much of a dramatic arc. It does strive to create one, via the capture, imprisonment, and imminent execution of a popular pirate captain. Many of the ex-pirate colonists, and some of the highland renegades, aren't too pleased about this, and there are rumblings of revolt against the governor. But this conflict never gets tense enough to fully engage one. Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting story about how the forces of colonialism co-opt or enslave everyone in their path, but it's not a particularly dramatic one. Indeed, rather than being swept along by the story, I found myself more interested in flipping to the back to constantly read the historical footnotes.

Unfortunately, the artwork is so loose and sloppy that I often found myself completely taken out of the story. I can't help but feel that a different artist could have imparted a much more effective menacing tone to the whole thing. Still, if you're interested in the odd bits of history, this is probably worth checking out. After all, the island is part of the European Union!

Ah, the allure of a pirate tale. Who can resist it?

Surely not the readers of Bourbon Island 1730, which comes to us courtesy of two French comics creators. Appollo (actually, Olivier Appollodorus) and Lewis Trondheim (also a pseudonym; this time for Laurent Chabosy) collaborated on this story of the sea. They know what they're doing here, and they're determined to have fun with it, raking in action and suspense of the swashbuckling variety unapologetically. Using animals to star in the story doesn't hurt either. It may seem surprising, but Bourbon Island 1730 never devolves into cute-animal-story territory. That's a wonderful thing.

Bourbon Island 1730 takes place at the time when piracy is giving way to ongoing colonialism. The marauding ways of the sea are no longer in vogue, at least not for most. But that's not the case for Raphael Pommery, an assistant to ornithologist Dr. Despentes. Both have come to a small island off the coast of Madagascar to document the fauna there, but Pommery is caught up in a daydream about pirate life. It's a pirate's life for him, if he has anything to say about it.

Sure enough, he does. Soon, the book is swimming in tales of outrageous acts and hidden treasure, and Pommery, like the reader, is dazzled. Appollo and Trondheim make it easy to fall in love with this story. They take it seriously enough to imbue it with so much fun that it's hard to resist.

Still, Bourbon Island 1730 transcends any particular genre boundaries. It features some mild language (a "hell" here or there, and the "S" word) that keeps it from strictly fitting into the confines of kids' literature, but it's suitable for older children. The elaborate nature of the artwork--never cartoony--is probably enough to ensure the book appeals to older readers anyway. It doesn't look like typical animal books do.

Like every good pirate story, Bourbon Island 1730 owes much to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The popular pirate motifs abound here, as does the overarching theme of human morality. Amid a changing world, the characters here try to determine their place based not so much on what's right and what's wrong but on how the world at large is changing permanently.

The teamup of Appollo and Trondheim has created some buzz, with a lot of readers anxious to see what these two turn out. Those people are in for a treat, because Bourbon Island 1730 is something unexpected, and as respectful as it is to the genre it celebrates, it still manages to tread into new territory. For most American readers, though, Bourbon Island 1730 will probably be some kind of unknown surprise, a new take on an old saw. Both groups will be able to have some fun here.

-- John Hogan

In this fanciful, engaging pirate tale, a young explorer named Raphael accompanies a Darwin-like scientist to a far-away tropical port, on an island that just happens to be one of the last bastions of a dying pirate culture. The island has a budding colonial plantation economy, but is heavily populated by the remnants of a vigorous renegade piracy, outlaws who have been forced to abandon the high seas and either submit to lawful society, or elude it. A naive romantic, young Raphael is drawn to the former pirates and their tales of lost treasures and losing battles, and to their subterranean struggle against the corrupt colonial authorities. Told in a broadly cartoonish (and captivating) graphic style, "Bourbon Island" features anthropomorphic animal characters and a sly understanding of colonialism (as only a pair of French authors could portray...) This is a very engaging, fast-paced book, highly readable and good for a wide range of ages. Recommended! (Joe Six, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

Great book - better graphic novel - would be great to read for a high school history class. Characters are well written, the story and plot are a little thin but the historical connections are deep and would make for an interesting start to reading comics in the classroom.