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SANDWALK ADVENTURES #1
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Active Synapse
Writer/Artist: Jay Hosler
Price: $2.95 US/$3.95 CAN |
About two years ago, Jay Hosler released a book called Clan Apis, following the life of a bee, and it turned out to be well-researched,
funny and compelling. So I was onboard for his newest project, which sounds even
more off-the-wall, being the story of a follicle mite living in Charles Darwin's
eyebrow. What I got was another well-researched, funny and compelling tale, at
once educating and entertaining. This is a story about Darwin and his theories
of natural selection, but it's also a cute tale of young children (well,
follicle mites, but stay with me) and an amusing meditation on the man behind
the well-known theories. It is, like all of Hosler's work, smart and utterly
charming and well worth your time.
There are some strange
implications about the nature of God in this story, as the mites in Darwin's
eyebrow have built up a belief system in which their host is their God. Taking
this thought process a little further, when one of them gains the ability to be
heard by Darwin, he is assumed to be a prophet, but what begins as an obedient
and worshipful relationship quickly becomes a burgeoning friendship, and a
vehicle through which Hosler can explore the nature of follicle mites as well as
Darwin and his theories.
I don't know for sure if
Hosler teaches for a living, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. He has a way
of making scientific topics fun, and by that I mean not just for us comic geeks
who will read anything the medium has to offer but also for anyone who likes a
good story. I can't imagine your average kid or adult reading this and coming
out without a few laughs and, maybe against their will, some knowledge they
didn't have before. Hosler is able to teach without you knowing that he's
teaching, with the mites complaining about their anatomy in a way that makes it
a gag even as it imparts information, or Darwin's routines serving as an
important story point as well as a bit of historical knowledge.
I've used the phrase
"well-researched" a couple times already, and that's the truth. Hosler even
includes some annotations in the end, which are a whole lot of fun to read,
although not as much fun as his self-effacing commentary on the work. Hosler
comes at this like a historian or an archaeologist, piecing together a story
from the facts that he has and filling in gaps where possible.
Though I wouldn't hesitate to
call the book intelligent, I certainly wouldn't insult it by calling it strictly
high-brow. There are wonderful slapstick moments, such as Darwin's attempt to
batter his imaginary voices away or the large type used to indicate his voice
when speaking to the follicle mites. And the banter between Darwin and the mites
is a lot of fun as well.
If you're looking for a lesson on evolution or a bit of biography information, Sandwalk Adventures is the place to look. Alternatively, if you're just looking for a really funny read that will appeal to all-ages, Sandwalk Adventures is a good plan as
well.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
