There are a lot of reasons why I like Oni Press as a publisher. One of them is that they are amazing when it comes to discovering new talent, and even better at encouraging that new talent into quickly finding a niche that is perfect for them. Scott Chantler, who makes his writing debut on Northwest Passage, is no exception. While Chantler's talent was clear in his work on the period pieces Days Like This and Scandalous, Northwest Passage is an evolution in his work, a lively adventure story with a rich cast of characters, an interesting historical backdrop and cartooning that is amazingly clear and engaging. I was expecting something akin to a western with a Canadian setting, but Chantler instead offers up a story of pioneering spirit, old rivalries and the dreams of exploration that battle with the natural tendency to grow older and retire from such adventurous pursuits, whether you want to or not.
Northwest Passage is a story based on historical fact, but it's anything but a dry historical story. Instead, Chantler has used the jumping-off point of real people and events to create a narrative that might hew closer to fiction, focusing on the personal interaction that is rarely captured in history books and the action elements that are also difficult to find in your average history book. The focus of the story is on Governor Charles Lord, a former famous adventurer who has grown old and settled into governing a trading colony. Chantler really gets across Lord's competence in his role as a governor while also sharing Lord's frustration with aging and being "put out to pasture" by changing times. Lord is a terrific character, a mixture of smart and rough and tumble, clearly loyal and warm toward his friends, and Chantler's visual design for the character likewise blends his rugged former career and the rigors of age and retirement. It's easy to buy this character as the head of a colony or as someone who is out adventuring in the world.
While Lord is definitely the central figure of Northwest Passage, Chantler doesn't skimp on the other characters. Eagle Eye of the Cree is a fantastic character who gets the most memorable action sequences in the book, and a terrific speech that opens the book on a note of adventure and danger. Duncan, Lord's aide-de-camp, is a standard character type, but the relationship between the two men is a good one. Lord's son Simon gets only a few panels, but is quickly defined as a sullen and troubled young man, and Lord's nemesis likewise gets a short time on the page but makes a clear impression as well. Basically, Chantler has populated this book with memorable characters, and I'm reminded of how quickly I was drawn into, say, the world of Indiana Jones the first time out, getting the sense of a world-weary adventurer who has been exploring for a long time and made many interesting friends and enemies along the way.
As I said before, Chantler's artwork was impressive on his previous projects from Oni Press, but Northwest Passage is far and away the best work that he's done. I've seen his work compared to that of Jeff Smith, and I think that's an apropos comparison to make. There's the same cartoony, simple-looking style that upon further examination features all manner of detail, the same ability to use a few simple features to make characters distinctive and easily recognizable. Chantler's characters have a lot of character in their face, whether it's the noble Eagle Eye, whose face is dominated by a large, hooked nose or the distinguished hair and beard that informs so much of Charles Lord's face or even the bit player Hob, whose missing teeth and slightly misshapen face speak to a kindness and goofiness that makes his ugliness a fun character trait rather than a sinister one. Chantler also does a great job of conveying the wilderness, the open spaces and beauty of the relatively unspoiled land around the traders. This is frontier adventure, a western of sorts but not the kind that we so often see in American westerns, set in dusty towns or on open, featureless prairies.
As anyone who took history in high school knows, it's very easy to take historical stories and turn them into engaging but somewhat dull reads. That's a shame, because there are fascinating tales of adventure to be found in history, if they can be placed in the right hands for exploration. Scott Chantler clearly has the skills and the viewpoint to be able to bring the later adventures of Charles Lord to life, and Northwest Passage is a strong opening in what should be a fun series of adventure tales about Lord's search for the Northwest Passage while battling against old foes and the new foe of British complacency.
