Radiant Comics

I’m back from the comic shop this week and I got two new comic, a trade paperback, plus a hard cover collection:

And now for a review of something I’ve read recently.

I continue to enjoy these Rick Geary historical comics. They are all real good. I have about a dozen of them. Basically Geary takes a look at a historical figure or event and tells us the tale of said person. From “The Murder of Abraham Lincoln” to “J. Edgar Hoover” all of history is open to Geary’s pen.

The story of Arthur Cravan is told in a direct style. No tricks or anything. Just the facts presented to us in a pleasing way. Sometimes the facts are unknown and we get historical speculation but they keep it real. The intent is to enlighten and entertain and not to use the usual bag of dramatic tricks found in fiction. There are not many nonfiction comics so this is refreshing.

This volume is about someone that I’ve never heard of: Arthur Cravan. Of course I, and any other reader, am not supposed to have heard of him. He’s not that well known.

Cravan was an interesting and almost famous man from the early 20th century. He lived a short and varied life in many different parts of the world. Never quite finding his place he did a lot of things and met a lot of people. He is supposed to have died at sea but no one really knows. A fascinating tale about one man’s life.

And it’s the way Geary tells a tale that I like. He has a lush, cartoony style that is filled with hatching and texture. Plus there is a sophisticated straightforwardness to Geary’s story telling that is masterful. He is truly one of the greats of the comic book art form and he doesn’t get mentioned enough for that. He deserves to be read more.

But enough praise from me. Check out this or any other of Geary’s volumes of historical comics.