Publication
Imprint: Vancouver ; Toronto : Berkeley : Douglas & McIntyre, c2009. Responsibility: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.. OCLC Number: 305104967. Physical: Text : 1 volume : 108 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 23 cm.
Call number
Graphic / Yahgu
ISBN
9781553653530
Collections
CSS Library Notes
Description: "Referencing a classic Haida oral narrative, this spectacular full-color graphic novel blends traditional Haida imagery with Japanese manga to tell the powerful story of Red, an orphaned leader so blinded by revenge that he leads his community to the brink of war and destruction. When raiders attack his village, young Red escapes dramatically. But his sister Jaada is whisked away. The loss of Jaada breeds a seething anger, and Red sets out to find his sister and exact revenge on her captors. Tragic and timeless, Red's story is reminiscent of such classic tales as Oedipus Rex, Macbeth, and King Lear. Not only an affecting story, Red is an innovation in contemporary storytelling from the creator of Haida Manga and the author of Flight of the Hummingbird; it consists of 108 pages of hand-painted illustrations, and when arranged the panels create a Haida formline image 13 feet long. A miniature version of the panel in full-color is on the inside jacket"
FY2018 /
FY2018 /
Physical description
108 p.; 23 cm
Awards
BC and Yukon Book Prizes (Finalist — 2010)
Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (Shortlist — Best Book — 2010)
Description
Referencing a classic Haida oral narrative, this stunning full-colour graphic novel documents the tragic story of a leader so blinded by revenge that he leads his community to the brink of war and destruction. Consisting of 108 pages of hand-painted illustrations, Red is a groundbreaking mix of Haida imagery and Japanese manga. Now available in paperback, the hardcover edition was nominated for the B.C. Bookseller's Choice Award, a Doug Wright Award for Best Book and a 2010 Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Cartoonist. It was also an Amazon Top 100 book of 2009. Red is the prideful leader of a small village in the islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia. His sister was abducted years ago by a band of raiders. When news comes that she has been spotted in a nearby village, Red sets out to rescue his sister and exact revenge on her captors. Tragic and time- less, it is reminiscent of such classic stories as Oedipus Rex and Macbeth. Red is an action-packed and dazzling graphic novel that is also a cautionary tale about the devastating effects of rage and retribution.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
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User reviews
LibraryThing member cocoafiend
As an experiment in form, Red is a resounding success. Penned by Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, it’s a beautifully conceived cross-pollination of Haida art and Japanese manga that retells the classic Haida oral tale of vengeful Red, a leader whose actions are poisoned by childhood
The story of Red is a found narrative: a classic of Haida folklore. During childhood, raiders take Red’s sister Jaada – an event that instills in the future leader an enduring dream of retribution. The two children were already orphaned; now Red faces the future without family. As an adult, he begins to arm his formerly peaceful society, depleting their resources to buy weapons and to build an ingenious sea-going vessel. One day, traders announce that they’ve located Jaada. What happens next is both a tragedy and a cautionary tale.
Visually, the tale is beautifully told, using a style inspired by traditional Haida arts. Unfortunately, the narrative is not quite as successful as its graphic rendering. More than once, I couldn’t figure out what was happening and who was who. Red isn’t the first graphic novel to suffer from a sketchy, fragmented, at times bewildering story. Textually abbreviated, this form is inherently at a disadvantage. Still, it can and has been done well, and should have been better executed here.
As for the graphics, the panels are colourful watercolours that depict events in the forests and on the waters of the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte) islands in British Columbia. Irregularly shaped, these panels are edged with thick, sweeping lines, curving between the scenes on any given page. This unconventional framing at once unsettles the narrative and creates a dynamic energy.
But this sequence of unusual panels is not the whole story. Taken together, on one of the book’s final pages, they add up to one large-scale formline that suggests an almost fated cosmic patterning. Inspired by traditional Haida art, this formline is also reprinted at a slightly larger size on the inside of the dustjacket. It’s a gorgeous work – one that pulls back to reveal the larger image constructed by the panel shapes. This unique form draws together in a single graphic presentation the close-up, moment-by-moment action of the present, as well as the wide-angled overview of history or mythology. Yahgulanaas goes so far as to recommend tearing out the pages to piece the formline together for yourself: a massive composition nearly ten by four feet.
Read this book for the inspired execution of a new form, for the way Yahgulanaas reinvents sequential art as synthesis as well as series.
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tragedy. The story of Red is a found narrative: a classic of Haida folklore. During childhood, raiders take Red’s sister Jaada – an event that instills in the future leader an enduring dream of retribution. The two children were already orphaned; now Red faces the future without family. As an adult, he begins to arm his formerly peaceful society, depleting their resources to buy weapons and to build an ingenious sea-going vessel. One day, traders announce that they’ve located Jaada. What happens next is both a tragedy and a cautionary tale.
Visually, the tale is beautifully told, using a style inspired by traditional Haida arts. Unfortunately, the narrative is not quite as successful as its graphic rendering. More than once, I couldn’t figure out what was happening and who was who. Red isn’t the first graphic novel to suffer from a sketchy, fragmented, at times bewildering story. Textually abbreviated, this form is inherently at a disadvantage. Still, it can and has been done well, and should have been better executed here.
As for the graphics, the panels are colourful watercolours that depict events in the forests and on the waters of the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte) islands in British Columbia. Irregularly shaped, these panels are edged with thick, sweeping lines, curving between the scenes on any given page. This unconventional framing at once unsettles the narrative and creates a dynamic energy.
But this sequence of unusual panels is not the whole story. Taken together, on one of the book’s final pages, they add up to one large-scale formline that suggests an almost fated cosmic patterning. Inspired by traditional Haida art, this formline is also reprinted at a slightly larger size on the inside of the dustjacket. It’s a gorgeous work – one that pulls back to reveal the larger image constructed by the panel shapes. This unique form draws together in a single graphic presentation the close-up, moment-by-moment action of the present, as well as the wide-angled overview of history or mythology. Yahgulanaas goes so far as to recommend tearing out the pages to piece the formline together for yourself: a massive composition nearly ten by four feet.
Read this book for the inspired execution of a new form, for the way Yahgulanaas reinvents sequential art as synthesis as well as series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
I was intrigued to hear about this work mixing Haida culture with Japanese manga. I had to read it twice to understand the story. The black lines separating the pictures collectively form native motifs (which you can see as a whole in the back of the book and the inside of the jacket.
LibraryThing member LibroLindsay
I liked this comic aesthetically and would love to see this as the giant composite of its original creation. However, I had a hard time following just exactly what was going on, and I'm also unsure what makes this a specific nod to manga and not just a general comic.
*****
Counting this as my indie
*****
Counting this as my indie
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publisher for the Panels Read Harder challenge. Show Less