Trotsky: A Graphic Biography [Hardcover]

Rick Geary (Author), Andrew Helfer (Consultant Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009

Trotsky was a hero to some, a ruthless demon to others. To Stalin, he was such a threat that he warranted murder by pickax. This polarizing figure set up a world conflict that lasted through the twentieth century, and in Trotsky: A Graphic Biography, the renowned comic artist Rick Geary uses his distinct style to depict the stark reality of the man and his times. Trotsky’s life becomes a guide to the creation of the Soviet Union, the horrors of World War I, and the establishment of international communism as he, Lenin, and their fellow Bolsheviks rise from persecution and a life underground to the height of political power. Ranging from his boyhood in the Ukraine to his fallout with Stalin and his moonlight romance with Frida Kahlo, Trotsky is a stunning look at one of the twentieth century’s most important thinkers and the far-reaching political trends that he launched.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A principle architect and hero of the Russian Revolution, then a pariah and exile under Stalin, Leon Trotsky, born Lev Davidovich Bronstein, is a perpetually controversial figure, which makes the tameness of this graphic biography so disconcerting. Geary does a good job treating a touchy subject objectively, but that objectivity is detrimental in the long run: there is no context or commentary, no point of view, and while none of the facts and philosophies behind the Russian revolution are hidden, it is all relatively passionless. The text is basically a verbose time line, reinforcing the feeling that this book is a sort of supplement for some unseen history textbook. The primary customers for this book will be Geary's fans, and they won't be disappointed. Best known for his ongoing series of graphic novels looking at famed murders, here he recreates Russia of the period in his own distinct style. It's instantly recognizable while never distracting; detailed, but not cluttered. Occasional flights of fancy, like his portraits of Trotsky done in the style of negative and positive propaganda posters, are wonderful, and the book suffers from not having more like them. (Sept.)
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From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–Geary leads readers chronologically through Trotsky's exile by Tsarist Russia, his instrumental part in the Bolshevik Revolution, and his varied roles in foreign affairs during World War I and as leader of the Red Army during a civil war. A key theme is Trotsky's back and forth and back again relationship with Lenin. Lenin's death in 1924 left a void for power-hungry Stalin to seize control and eventually force Trotsky into political exile. He met his death by a Stalinist assassin. Geary's familiar cartoonlike drawing style and factual presentation make this title an accessible and concise introduction to Trotsky's life.–Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; First Edition edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809095084
• ISBN-13: 978-0809095087
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #598,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As an introduction to Trotsky's political ideas and the life he lived, Trotsky is top-notch, December 8, 2009

By 

GraphicNovelReporter.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Trotsky: A Graphic Biography (Hardcover)

Leon Trotsky. To know him was to love him. Or to hate him. It was hardly a simple matter, and he was hardly a simple man (men who die by pick ax rarely are--there's a reason they elicit so much emotion from their fellow human beings). Of course, saying Trotsky was a complicated person is understating everything, but saying that Trotsky, Rick Geary's new graphic biography, is simple is a pure compliment.

Geary uses graphic novels to breeze through history with such grace and charm that he makes you want to live it yourself. His gift is that he makes his intricately textured panels look easy, and they usher you through page after page of important social and cultural upheaval. If you look closer, though, you see the details in many of his panels. The important lines and perspectives that he employs throughout are the mark of a fine artist.

He's a fine writer as well. I admit, I've always loved his cheeky style. In Trotsky, he's more serious than in much of his previous work. He guides us through the Soviet Revolution of the early 20th century and shows how Trotsky helped form the Soviet Union while inspiring critical dialogue and political thinking.

Geary is nicely suited to the task at hand. As writer, he stays mostly impartial, presenting just the facts of Trotsky's life along with his layered artwork. As an educational tool, Trotsky works wonderfully. As an introduction to Trotsky's political ideas and the life he lived, Trotsky is top-notch.

-- John Hogan

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No one does comics about specific historical events as well as Geary, December 5, 2009

By 

Andrew C Wheeler (Pompton Lakes, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Trotsky: A Graphic Biography (Hardcover)

Trotsky is a well-researched and engagingly told (if, inevitably, very wordy) graphic account of the life of the loser of most of the great Communist power struggles of the early 20th century. I have the vague sense that the audience for books like this are mostly schoolchildren looking for the subjects of a report, but I'd be surprised if school systems in at least half of this country would be particularly amenable to a book on Trotsky. (Of course, that assumes they remember Trotsky, which I doubt anyone to the right of Teddy Kennedy does, these days.) Geary is excellent with historical material as always, though I do miss the sly humor of his early short strips. Perhaps some enterprising publisher can hire Geary for a project that merges all of his strengths -- maybe a story about the mole-men's invasion of the Columbian Exhibition or something equally unlikely?

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taking the Wrong Fork In The Road!, January 12, 2010

By 

Richard C. Geschke "In search of History!!" (Bristol, Ct) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Trotsky: A Graphic Biography (Hardcover)

"Trotsky" represents a graphic synopsis of a key Communist Revolutionary who in essence got lost in the shuffle in the forming of a ruthless totalitarian government. Rick Geary's artwork skillfully depicts the changing moods and actions of Leon Trotsky who was born Lev Davidovich Bronstein in 1879 in the Ukraine. Geary goes into detail of a young Revolutionary who as time goes on develops a permanent and identifiable scowl which later blends into the vestiges of his Communist peers. Trotsky was the intellectual who followed the teachings of Marx and developed a liberal and more leftist view of a Communistic state. On the other hand his political peer in the person of Vladimir Lenin was a revolutionary who thought that the revolution had to be violent in all respects. Trotsky and Lenin did work together to ultimately realize their basic goal of bringing down the Tsarist government in Russia.
The animosity existing between Lenin and Trotsky continued until the death of Lenin in 1924. By the time of the formatting of the government Trotsky, who was not a backroom politician, was losing influence and power within the party. Joseph Stalin on the other hand was growing stronger and was eliminating all upper echelon leaders who dared challenge him in any way.
In effect Trotsky became the odd man out and went into exile travelling to a plethora of locations in Europe. Finally Trotsky crossed the Atlantic and ended up living in Mexico. As I read this fascinating true story, I wondered what would have happened if Leon Trotsky had obtained the reigns of Communist USSR and not Joseph Stalin. Indeed the script of European and World history would read a very different story. This provides food for thought in looking at a fork in the road of critical historical happenings. While Trotsky would not have been a cuddly Teddy Bear, there's good reason to believe that Communism may have taken the high road if indeed the other fork was taken.
Geary's depiction is done well. His artwork is excellent, however as he tells his graphic tale he does have a propensity to use too many words. His artwork is good enough to develop the story with fewer words with more graphic intensity to flow in his story telling. All in all, I still rate it 5 Stars. This is an excellent historical graphic depiction which is worth our attention.