EUGENE BYRNE is a freelance journalist whose work focuses on
history and has been published in many periodicals, including BBC
History. Darwin: A Graphic Biography is the third historical
graphic novel on which Byrne and illustrator Simon Gurr have
collaborated.
SIMON GURR is a cartoonist and illustrator who has been producing
web and print comics with a focus on educational illustration for
more than twenty years.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Early in this bio, a college-age Darwin is out collecting beetles
when he spies a rare bombardier beetle. With beetles already in
both hands, he shoves the new specimen into his mouth, only to have
it release a “hot, stinking mixture” of chemicals, causing him to
lose all three insects. This is a typical anecdote in the account,
which covers Darwin’s entire life, from his upbringing and studies
to his fateful voyage aboard the Beagle and publication of On the
Origin of Species. Using the framing device of a group of
wisecracking monkeys recording a nature special, Byrne and Gurr
present Darwin as a misfit who never quite found a place in regular
society. Gurr’s b&w art is skillfully executed, but it does
little to further the narrative on its own, and the book falls into
a pattern of dense text explanations with drawings that fill in
examples. While the book may be too text-heavy for a mass appeal,
its drawbacks are outweighed by its sense of humor and its novel
approach to telling the life story of one of history’s most famous
and misunderstood scientists. Ages 10–15. (Feb.)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Darwin’s experiences and achievements are set within an overview of
how societal views on science and religion evolved before his
birth, during his lifetime, and after his death. The book is
introduced by a group of anthropomorphic wild animals in Madagascar
that are filming a documentary about Darwin’s life for a channel
called APE-TV. The monkeys serve to bookend the story, act as
narrators and commentators, and provide comic relief. While readers
who pick up this book will be able to learn a lot about Darwin’s
life, his theories, and the way they have stirred up controversy
over the years, the format does not make the book accessible for
assignments. That said, it is both witty and readable, and students
who finish it will definitely have a better handle on the man and
will see how his theories changed our understanding of the world.
The black-and-white illustrations include cartoons, diagrams, and
photographs, providing a good mix of scientific accuracy and humor
that will make the subject matter more appealing.–Andrea Lipinski,
New York Public Library
“a fine addition to outstanding graphic nonfiction, joining other
famous graphic biographies of cultural icons like Richard Feynman,
Hunter S. Thompson, The Carter Family, and Steve Jobs.” Brain
Pickings
Darwin: A Graphic Biography is aimed at 10- to 15-year-olds.
However, it’s also sophisticated and detailed enough to give older
readers a fantastic springboard into the life and scientific times
of the world’s greatest biologist. Grovel
Eugene Byrne and Simon Gurr have crafted another history title of
note with Darwin: A Graphic Biography, which will be published in
February. I've read many books on Darwin, and still think there are
not enough in the world, yet find it easy to recommend this new one
to teens. In detailed, shadowed black-and-white drawings, the
authors provide a "really exciting and dramatic story of a man who
mostly stayed home and wrote some books." The standard facts are
included: Darwin's childhood and early attraction to natural
science, his voyage on the Beagle, and his long contemplation of
evolution that led to writing and publication of The Origin of the
Species. But the facts are not what make this telling of his life
so good.
Byrne and Gurr frame Darwin within the fanciful setting of a
wildlife program filmed for "Ape TV," and the narrative is peppered
with plenty of pithy footnotes, as well as some intense discussion
of evolution. The apes interject infrequently, just enough to bring
in the humor, but keeping the story from devolving into silliness,
and the poignancy of Darwin's life and the challenges he faced on
his path to the truth (in a shared role, thankfully noted here by
Alfred Russell Wallace) are not overlooked. More importantly, the
authors manage to introduce some timely intellectual discussions
without intimidating readers who might be fairly new to Darwin's
biography and make clear that the conclusions he reached were not
casual or naïve. It's a careful tightrope Byrne and Gurr walk of
making their subject accessible, while not reducing his ideas to
talking points. I think they have done a great job with Darwin,
while injecting some unexpected humor into a very serious subject.
Taken alongside Economix, this slim volume proves further the
harmonious relationship that can be found between nonfiction and
the graphic novel format. BookslutIn Darwin: A Graphic
Biography, Eugene Byrne and Simon Gurr have created an enjoyable
account of Charles Darwin’s life and accomplishments that should
resonate with young readers and clarify the often muddy waters
surrounding the man and his contributions to science. [...] The
book’s primary audience may be children and teenagers, but Byrne
doesn’t dumb down the science; he simply gets to the core of it. As
a result, Darwin: A Graphic Biography is fun and informative for
readers of any age. Foreword
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