From Publishers Weekly
Ronald Reagan was a controversial president, no question. Revered by some, reviled by others, he was acknowledged to be an orator of the highest order. This graphic biography sets out to explore Reagan's life, but the creative team seems unsure which side they're on, so they veer between gauzy hagiography and hard-fact criticism without ever offering a coherent thesis about Reagan's appeal or legacy. Helfer
(Batman: Journey into Night) is strongest when he lets Reagan speak for himself (the dialogue on the page when Reagan is shot is particularly effective). Buccellato (
Battle of the Bands) and Staton (
Green Lantern) provide interesting graphics—showing the rapid successive deaths of the hardliners who preceded Gorbachev as a series of X-ed out portraits, or unraveling the complicated self-dealing behind Reagan's
GE Theater job with a cleverly modified organization chart. Overall, the cartoony art fits Reagan's aw-shucks persona, but undercuts Helfer's discussion of Reagan-era scandals. Helfer also crowds more powerful images (like the
Challenger explosion) with wordy caption boxes. This book makes an adequate primer of the Reagan era, but the lack of coherence limits its appeal. There are too many jabs for Reagan's disciples, and not enough bite for his critics.
(Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Opening with Ronald Reagan's death at 93 and continuing with a brief recap of childhood, early adult years, and such formative experiences as movie acting and union leadership, this graphic biography concentrates most on its subject's political career. Text and images present the 1960s California governor and fortieth president as intellectually shallow, ethically ungrounded, and somewhat supercilious. His various handlers appear ominous in their motivations and distinguishable by variously sized jowls and eyeglasses. As a brief introduction to Reagan from a blatantly liberal perspective, this works rather well. It hardly stands as a rounded biography or an investigation into the real complexities of military-industrial relations during the latter half of the twentieth century. The cartoon imagery suits the tone and scope of the presentation and is most successful in depicting the disjunction between the world of fact and that of Reagan's unscripted imagination. Reagan seems an ideal candidate for graphic-novel representation, but this book crucially fails to show why conservatives and others found him charismatic. Goldsmith, Francisca
See all Editorial Reviews