Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography

My older daughter knows that I am an omnivorous reader, and often read the most unusual books. She found this book in a little shop in California, and sent it to me for Christmas. Now, I've never really read a graphic novel before (unless you consider "The Gunslinger Born" one), but found the idea of using that form to retell episodes of history intriguing. After reading this work (and it only took very few hours), I have great admiration for the author/artist, who captured an unknown (at least to most Americans) episode of Canadian history, and made it come alive through his drawings. This is a tale of political greed and corruption, and a brave stand for fairness on the part of a group of people in the Western "wilderness" of Canada between 1869 & 1885. Even though you know how the story is going to end, you'r so caught up in the book that you hope it will finish differently. I sincerely hope that this wonderful author graces the reading world with more works of this type; we need them!

This strange and unsettling masterpiece works as a great companion piece when it's read together with Alan Moore's Jack the Ripper epic "From Hell". Both Graphic Novels are about the 1800 century, and about the thin line between genius and insanity, and the thin line between fiction and history. Highly recommended.

I was pleased to see this book appear. Though not Metis, ethnically, I have connections to individuals who are, through fiddle music. So I have heard bits and pieces of the Louis Riel myth, orally, in writing, and "on the ground" at museums in Canada. This book pulls it all together, dramatically and accessably. No doubt there are some disputable positions taken, as even today this is an emotionally charged piece of history. This does not detract from the overall value of the piece. Those seeking further viewpoints may google various events and places raised in the book for more scholarship.

As with his earlier work "Yummy Fur" and his take on the Gospels, Chester Brown doesn't shy away from exploring the darker aspects of human behavior in Louis Riel. With this work Chester hews closely to historical record, following the ultimately tragic life of Riel from his early days at the Red River settlement, his fight for independence and finally, his death at the hands of an imperial Canadian government. Chester also shows a deft hand as an artist, using a black and white minimalism throughout.

For many years I had little interest in the story of Riel. It seemed obscure, irrelevant, and uninteresting. Reading this excellent comic book changed all this. Brown's book makes Riel's story come alive in a very clear, and easy to understand way. Prior to reading this, all I knew about Riel were some vague facts about him being a Metis leader who staged a rebellion of some sort. I know know him to be the modern founder of the province of Manitoba, a foe of Sir John A. MacDonald, and savvy political leader with democratic ideas ahead of his time. Brown makes Riel's story fast-paced, interesting, and even contemporarily relevant. Unlike many other Canadian historians, Brown is not a snob to his audience. You don't need to know much about Riel before reading this book, the author goes out of his way to give all relevant information whenever nessisary. This book is an excellent educational material for anyone interested in this key period of Canadian history. It is a perfect example of the diverse medium of comics, and proves the art from is suitable for a wide variety of story-telling, even the very serious. I would love to see more comic book history books of this style. I hope Brown writes another someday.