Days of Sand

Aimee de Jongh's Days of Sand was initially published in France by Dargaud Benelux in 2021. It was published in English on April 19, 2022. The story takes place in the Dust Bowl area of the United States in 1937. It's interesting to me that this Dutch author chose to write a comic based on the dust bowl history. She has been publishing comics for 18 years.

The publisher's summary:

In the middle of the Great Depression, 22-year-old photographer John Clark is brought in by the Farm Security Administration to document the calamitous conditions of the Dust Bowl in the central and southern states, in order to bring the farmers’ plight to the public eye. When he starts working through his shooting script, however, he finds his subjects to be unreceptive. What good are a couple of photos against relentless and deadly dust storms? The more he shoots, the more John discovers the awful extent of their struggles, and comes to question his own role and responsibilities in this tragedy sweeping through the center of the country.

 

I am impressed with the thoroughness of de Jongh's research. As a history buff, I am well acquainted with the dust bowl era and believe that the author exhibited her knowledge of the subject in her story. The story itself was  well told. The characters were convincing. Using a professional photographer to tell the stories of those who lived in the affected states was brilliant. John Clark, the photographer, is the most fleshed out character as he is involved in the story from its beginning to the end. He meets a wide variety of people in his quest to complete a to-do list of photos that his boss wants. The artwork is appropriate for the story. The pages are colored in shades of browns and dull reds to match the dusty landscape of the dust bowl region. 

The writing in Days of Sand is commendable. I recommend this comic not to just history buffs but young students as well. The comic format is perfect for young readers to learn about this part of history.

5 out of 5 stars.

Amazona

Amazona was published on May 3, 2022. It is a graphic novel by Canizales that concerns an indigenous group in Colombia. Andrea, a young Indigenous Colombian woman, has returned to the land she calls home. Only nineteen years old, she comes to mourn her lost child, carrying a box in her arms. She also comes with another mission. Andrea has hidden a camera upon herself. If she can capture evidence of the illegal mining that displaced her family, it will mark the first step toward legally reclaiming their land. 

Amazona is advertised as a socially conscious thriller from graphic novelist Canizales. I wouldn't call it a thriller but it was definately written to get the attention of readers who like socially conscious books. I thought it was a little dull, though. It could have been written as a reportage comic, a la Joe Sacco, but it was written as fiction. 

The story shows the indigenous people being taken away from their beautiful rainforest to live in tiny apartments. Andrea's family of 38 people all lived in a one room 600 square foot apartment. The illustrations were done expertly here.  We see the apartment in the eyes of an Ikea decorated home. Where you would see an Ikea lamp are 5 people on the floor. In an other part of the home where you might see an Ikea rug, are 8 people lying on the floor. This analogy to Ikea was fantastic. It helped me to see what the real situation was for these indigenous folks. The pages were colored in either reds or graphic pencil. The pages showing Andrea in the rainforest are done in shades of red. The pages showing her in her apartment are done in shades of black. The purpose for the coloring is obvious.

Illustrations aside, the story was not very suspenseful and is definitely not a thriller.  I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

Bootblack

Bootblack is a historical graphic novel of 1930s New York City. It takes place during the construction of the Rockefeller Center.  Originally published in French in 2020, it has now been translated in English. The story is about Altenberg Ferguson who hates his German name and family. Leaving home still a child, he lives on the streets working as a shoe shiner also referred to as a blackboot. After changing his name to Al Chrysler, he soon tires of being hungry and sleeping outside in the cold. Al returns home only to see the building his parents were living in on fire. They perished. Returning to the streets he teams up with 2 friends to shine shoes. New friend Frankie talks the trio into running money for the mob but after deciding to steal some of the mob's cash, Al is caught by the police and sentenced to 10 years in an adult prison. By the time he is released WWII is ongoing. Al joins the army and is sent overseas to Germany, where he finds himself in the town of Altenberg, the town he was named after.

I enjoyed Bootblack. There was alot of mystery concerning where life would take Al. The story alternates between Al's childhood and his soldiering during WWII. I initially had a hard time figuring out where the story was going but after realizing that the story was alternating time periods, it was easy to accept and continue reading. In fact, I believe it enhanced the story. I certainly did not expect the ending but it was most appropriate given Al's identity issues.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Waiting

The Waiting is a fictional account of the life of the author's mother. The story is set in Korea before, during and after the Korean War in both North and South Korea. When Gwija was 17 her family rushed to marry her off because they had heard that the Japanese occupiers were seizing unmarried girls. However, Japan soon fell and Korea gained its independence. Gwija began having children and while she was on the run out of North Korea she became separated from her husband and young son. While she searched for them for days, Gwija soon realized that if she didn't leave them behind that she would be stuck in the North. Seventy years later, daughter Jina decides to help her mother locate her lost son as well as a lost sister. She is hopeful that a program that unites families from both countries for a day will select Gwija into the program. Most of the narrative of this graphic novel focuses on Gwija's march south. American jets overhead shot at the refugees, increasing the desperation of the migrants. 

The author's first graphic novel, Grass, dealt with the women who were taken by the Japanese soldiers during WWII. The history of Korea continues with The Waiting. Both stories are heartbreaking. Here we read about the pain people felt over the separation of their country and, fortunately, before this older generation passes into history. Most Koreans are much younger and do not understand what it feels like to be separated from your family. The story is quite sad but is informative for those of us lucky to not have experienced what the author calls the "wounds of war."  

5 out of 5 stars.

British Ice

British Ice is a fictionalized account of a commissioner's year on Reliance Island off the northern coast of Canada. At the time of Commissioner Harrison Fleet's visit, the island was part of the British Arctic Territory. British Ice is a graphic novel. 

Since the plot revolves around the setting, it will need some explanation.  The British Arctic Territory is an imagined territory that consists of one main island, Reliance, and a few smaller ones including rocks and underwater formations. It was discovered in the early 1800s by Captain Netherton and the main island was named after his ship. It has remained British land since its discovery and has been constantly manned by a member of the British High Commission even though it is in remote, freezing location. The artwork contributes to the setting. It has been colored entirely in an icy blue tone to match the setting. Drawings in comic strip panels complete the look of this book.

Upon his arrival on Reliance Island, Fleet immediately realizes he cannot speak the native language. He soon meets Ana and Abel, the Community Engagement Officer, both whom treat him with plenty of distrust and sarcasm. After snowmobiling to Netherton's home, a townhome, Fleet settles in for what is supposed to be a four year post. Inside he finds a few items owned by the prior commissioner, who disappeared without a trace. The natives refuse to communicate with him so Fleet must rely upon his pilot, Ana and Abel to determine why the indigenous people have always mistrusted the British.

I did not expect this book to be a mystery but love that it is a historical mystery. Fleet did an investigation into the background of the natives anger toward British rule and was surprised at what he discovered. It wasn't just a reaction to colonial rule. I won't be a spoiler but the answer to that question connects to the first chapter. He also asked plenty of questions about his predecessor. Why did he disappear?  Fleet was able to figure this out after snowmobiling around the island looking for clues.

I was impressed with the author's creation of the setting. He went into great detail in the beginning of the book to tell the reader about the geography of the area, the person who discovered it and British colonialism. Then he began the story.  Incredible!

5 out of 5 stars.