Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi Elizabeth Bush Bertozzi, Nick. Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey; written and illus. by Nick Bertozzi. First Second, 2014. 125p. Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-59643-451-6 $16.99 R Gr. 6-10. In this graphic novel, Bertozzi follows legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton from professional nadir (in the opening sequence Shackleton collapses from scurvy, bringing his time as lieutenant on Robert Falcon Scott’s 1902 expedition to a disappointing end) to triumphant climax, saving his team from feared abandonment at the bottom of the world. In between is, of course, a whale of an adventure—as readers familiar with the expedition will know and newbies will learn. Black and white artwork is largely confined in tidy frames unless, for example, Endurance lists under ice compression and sends Bertozzi’s artwork tumbling as well. The illustrations effectively relay what prose alone would take pages to tell—how the small fleet of lifeboats driving landward against the wind had to pick their way through ice-jammed leads, or how an emergency operating room was cobbled together when a crew member had to have frostbitten toes amputated. Bertozzi opts here for more breadth than depth of coverage, and life-threatening episodes often fly by so quickly that it’s difficult to fully appreciate one panic before the next one [End Page 562] arrives. The bone-chilling wetness, the numbing cold, and the persistent struggle against hopelessness come through clearly, though, and should send armchair adventurers sprinting for a history of the expedition (perhaps Elizabeth Kimmel’s Ice Story, BCCB 2/99) or Tim Jarvis’ recreated journey in Chasing Shackleton. Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois