I have never been a fan of exposition. I prefer books that jump into the story and let the reader figure it out on the fly. Glacial Period is a graphic novel that does just that. On the first page we meet the main character, an intelligent pig in glasses named Hulk. On the second and third pages we find out from the context that Hulk is part of an expedition of humans searching for artifacts from a lost civilization that has been covered up by an ice age. A few pages further in we come to understand that the civilization that has been covered is our own.
As the expedition moves on, we experience rivalries between members of the expedition, love and
jealousy for Juliette, daughter of the wealthy but handicapped man who is bankrolling the expedition. When Hulk gets left behind and discovers the entrance to an ancient art museum, things really start to get interesting.
The images in this book seem to be ink drawings colored by what appears to be watercolors. The desolation of the glaciers comes through clearly It is some beautiful work.
.
This book could only work on the high school level -- and teachers should be aware of some potential pitfalls. There is some vulgar language in the book (though it is used sparingly). There are also several scenes where classical paintings come alive, which involves some nudity. None of the nudity is meant to be arousing in any way, So it could result in some challenges, and the message of the book is somewhat obscure -- but it is still an excellent book that is fun to read (You might just want to get it for your personal collection.)
No comments:
Post a Comment