Once Upon A Time In The North

From my school library.

Title: Once Upon A Time In The North
Publisher: Random House Kids
Date: 2023
Writer: Philip Pullman
Artist: Chris Wormell

Not a comic, but beautifully illustrated, this novella (novelette? fairly long short story?) is a prequel to Pullman's His Dark Materials series. This is a classic western tale (well, northern, technically) featuring a stranger coming to town, a corrupt politician, an evil mining company, a good-hearted librarian, gunslingers, and, of course, a talking bear.

This is the story of the first meeting of Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. Lee arrives in a sleepy northern oil town, and gets introduced to the local political scene, where an offer is made to pay him to be hired muscle in the unfair treatment of a merchant captain. Instead, Lee decided to side with the captain, and earns the support of the armored bear Iorek Byrnison.

This was really fun because the pacing of most of His Dark Materials makes it difficult to give center stage to secondary characters like Scoresby and Byrnison, and even more difficult to spotlight a character like Scoresby's daemon, Hester, who is absolutely awesome here.

This features an intense gunfight with an extremely nasty villain, a good bit of worldbuilding, and some fun subplots. Really enjoyable as a fan of Pullman's other works, but stands on its own pretty well as long as you have an idea of the daemon concept.

Rating: 8.5/10

Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey

Taking a break from the zines to review a graphic novel I just finished.

Title: Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey
Publisher: Villard Books (Random House)
Date: 2011
Writer: GB Tran
Artist: GB Tran

I actually bought this a couple of years ago and had put it aside. It got pulled back out when and packed with books I was bringing on the move to Vietnam (I pretty much grabbed up all of the Vietnam-related books I had in the massive to-be-read pile, which amounted to, well, several).

I'm glad that I read it now, because I always feel more connected to a book when I have some firsthand knowledge of the book's geography, and I've had the good fortune to visit Vung Tau, which much of this graphic novel is set.

This is an ambitious project. It's a multigenerational biography spanning the Vietnam War, from the conflict with the French through the US involvement, and the flight of refugees to America. It touches on immigration and the ways that different generations adapt to changing life circumstances, the loyalty of friends and family, and the idea of the journey back to the past.

As Gia-Bao visits family in Vung Tau, Vietnam, the long journey of his family to America (and back) is pieced together through the stories of his grandparents, his parents, and their friends and siblings. The story is a personal one and a family one. The politics of the war come into play as they affect people's lives and shape the course of the family history. "Individuals pick sides. Families don't." is a recurring theme in one of the early chapters. We learn the varied stories of different family members, many of them affected tragically as they choose their own paths against the background of war and upheaval.

This was a very powerful, personal story with some beautifully detailed artwork. I especially liked some of the scenes that captured the chaos of Saigon in more recent times.

Rating: 9.5/10