Bibliographic Data
Bertozzi, Nick. Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey.
First Second, 2014. Print.
Summary
A graphic
novel about Earnest Shackleton’s 1914 voyage to Antarctica on an expedition across
the continent, Nick Bertozzi’s Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey takes the reader along for the trip. Bertozzi tells about the preparations, the
hardships, and the life-and-death decisions with a mixture of art, conversation,
and maps and charts. Shackleton and his
crew, suffering from starvation, frostbite, and hard labor, battle the weather
and ice to achieve their goal. Will they
be successful and all survive?
Analysis
In writing his
graphic novel about the 1914-1916 Shackleton expedition to the Antarctic, Nick
Bertozzi has incorporated an artistic interpretation of the events along with
stylistic elements which make an account interesting and informative.
Bertozzi recognizes
his limitations. In a note to the
reader, he says he wasn’t able to draw the 300 pages it would have taken to
provide all the details of the expedition.
He has necessarily compressed some of the timeframes and actions in
order to accomplish his work on Shackleton.
For example, there is a two- page condensation of the history of
exploration to the Antarctic and one page detailing the whole Shackleton plan
to walk across the continent.
While
constructing his graphic novel about serious goals and risks, Bertozzi recognizes
his teen audience. His sense of humor is
evident. He draws a monster seal which attacks Mr. Orde-Lees. It probably wasn’t that large in reality, but
the shock magnifies the danger the men were in without supplies. He draws
imaginary sea creatures lurking beneath the ice. They were not real either, but manifestations
of imaginations running wild with the noises of the ice cracking and heaving
beneath the men. There is scatological humor
involving bathroom habits and flatulence. Even when the situation is grave and
survival is questionable, Bertozzi uses an illustration of each of the men
reacting with alarm to their scarce water supply’s contamination, except for
Crean who says, “Not Bad” (108).
Even with
humor in evidence, Bertozzi does not convey levity in his drawings of serious
events which occur during the expedition.
Danger is conveyed with panorama drawings and the crew reduced to small,
unidentifiable figures in a mostly white box.
Dark waters and grey figures are prominent in the evening water scenes.
The strength
of Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey is
in the humanity conveyed by Bertozzi’s illustrations. The facial expressions, physical actions, and
interpreted conversations all seem to point to very human reactions to a
possible fatal situation. The crew is
shown taking their minds off their troubles by playing soccer (33), holding a
mock trial (37) and dog races (38), riding a bicycle (44), and storytelling
(60). When Blackborow’s frostbitten toes
are amputated, the illustrations show suspense and concern (94).
If there were room to improve Bertozzi’s book, it might be suggested
that he include a lexicon of expressions and clearer maps. Some terms were used that were not made clear
at all, and some had to be guessed as to their meanings. For example, “scurvy” is the sixth word in the
novel and the illustration of Shackleton’s face makes it seem as if he has
pneumonia. The term “semaphore” is
somewhat understandable two illustration boxes away from its use. Bertozzi has been excellent in including
information for the reader, such as blueprints of the Endurance on the
inside covers and as background to the escaped-dog incident (22-23); thus, a
lexicon would be useful for the reader. The lexicon could be illustrated
also. As concerns the maps, they are
somewhat difficult to use because the illustrations are in black, white and
gray. The reader will find himself orienting events and places by the maps on
pages 54 and 71. Both maps have gray
sections; however, the gray on one map seems to indicate water but on the other
map, gray is labeled a peninsula. If
teens aren’t paying attention to the geography of the events, there could be
some confusion.
Bertozzi’s Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey would hold great appeal
to young adults. To study history is to cope with numerous names, dates, and places. A graphic novel can be not only more
interesting, but it can make the history “come alive,” possibly encouraging
more reading on its subject. Even more,
because today’s teens are visually-oriented due to so many technology devices,
a graphic novel seems a fit with their reading styles.
Shackleton:
Antarctic Odyssey is
developmentally appropriate for all teens.
There is something for young teens as well as older to take away from
reading. Bertozzi illustrates both dramatic
and lighter-hearted events without dismissing the life-and-death undercurrents
of Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica.
Nick Bertozzi’s Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey
has a place in Young Adult literature. It
has been awarded Kirkus Reviews’ Best
Teen Books of 2014, SLJ’s Top 10
Graphic Novels 2014, and YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2015, Nonfiction.
Activity
Playing board
games having to do with exploration will provide teens with the opportunity to
experience some of the events, both positive and negative, which occur on
expeditions similar to Shackleton’s. They also can strategize for their
expedition’s success. Teens can form
teams to encourage collaboration, just as the crew members of the Endurance did.
·
Historical: Expedition: Famous Explorers published in 2013 by 8th Summit. Recommended ages 13 and up. 2-6 players.
·
Hypothetical: Settlers of Catan: Explorers & Pirates
published in 2013 by Mayfair Games. Recommended ages 12 and up. 2-4 players plus 5-6 expansion.
·
Imaginary: Eldritch Horror: Mountains of Madness Expansion published in 2014
by Fantasy Flight Games. Recommended
ages 14 and up. 1-8 players.
·
Specific: Roll to the South Pole published in 2012 by Rio Grande Games.
Recommended ages 10 and up. 2-5 players
Related Resources
1. Providing
teens with another visual opportunity to learn about Shackleton’s expedition
would increase their appreciation of the courage exhibited by Shackleton and
his crew. Because Shackleton is a Collector’s Edition, it contains special
features: a 50-minute presentation on
the making of the movie, an A&E biography of Shackleton, and a History
Channel 2-hour program on Antarctica. The
Last Place on Earth is about the competition between Amundsen and Scott to
plant their respective flags in Antarctica, a fact noted by Bertozzi .
Shackleton – The Greatest
Survival Story of All Time (3-Disc) Collector’s Edition. Dir. Charles Sturridge. Perf. Kenneth
Branagh, John Gillo, Paul Humpoletz, Phoebe Nicholls, and Eve Best. A&E
Home Video, 2002. DVD.
The Last Place on Earth:
The Complete Epic Miniseries. Dir.
Ferdinand Fairfax. Perf. Martin Shaw, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Sylvester McCoy,
Hugh Grant, and Bill Nighy. BFS Entertainment, 2011. DVD.
2. Bertozzi’s
graphic novel is inspiring; the illustrations convey courage and
problem-solving under pressure. Tim
Jarvis recreates Shackleton’s portion of the expedition from Elephant Island to
South Georgia and Shackleton’s walk across South Georgia in admiration of
Shackleton’s efforts. Jarvis’s book
contains original pictures of the expedition and of his reenactment. A DVD is
also available if desired.
Jarvis,
Tim. Chasing Shackleton: Re-creating the
World’s Greatest Journey of Survival. HarperCollins,
2013. Print.
Chasing Shackleton.
PBS, 2014. DVD.
Published
Review
Hunter,
Sarah. “Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey.” Booklist
110.19/20 (2014): 62. Web. 25 July 2015.
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