Darwin: A Graphic Biography

Stunningly entertaining and filled with interesting facts and stories. Starting the book with the prediction that Darwin made, that if there was a flower with a 10" tubular blossom there must also be a pollinator with a proboscis long enough to reach that far, is a great framing device for the usefulness of Darwin's theory, and the way the man's mind worked.The artwork, selection of facts and stories, and touches of sometimes wry, sometimes silly humor go a long way toward propelling the reader through a whirlwind tour of biography and biology. The reference toward the end to Human Genome Project hero Francis Collins, a brilliant scientist by any measure, and a committed evangelical Christian, initially seemed a little gratuitous to me (especially given that earlier on, I thought we had sort of dispensed with the religious view), but I can see that the authors wished to make sure that the facts of evolution were available to everyone, regardless what extra-scientific commitments they might also hold.It is a mistake to idolize Darwin too much. He was after all merely a man, but a smart, generous, solid man, I think; a good family man, filled with empathy and insight. But he got things wrong, and was a product of his times, as well. One great purpose to which Darwin can be put is to provide a narrative by which we can come to understand the rudiments of evolution. This graphic novel does that with as much economy, grace, and fun as I've ever seen.

Nicely done. The story has good momentum, and the scientific concepts are well presented. Only a bit of extraneous jokiness (to appeal to younger readers?) mars the book. The creators and publisher deserve much credit for this fine project.

I love the concept of teaching science history through a graphic novel but I was not impressed with the story being told as a premise of a nature docu-drama. I'm not sure to which audience that part was targeted, and it cheapened the subject. With that said, I hope the author continues to create these. Or that other people adopt this media for expanding science communication.

This illustrated biography of Darwin gives a nice overview of Darwin's life and ideas. It's fun to read the biography as a comic book and it may do a better job of engaging younger readers.

Purchased by school district. Didn't hear any complaints from the teacher (and I would), so assume all's good.

This book was silly....

This is the complete review as it appears (http://ianwoodnovellum.blogspot.com/2015/04/darwin-graphic-biography-by-eugene-byrne.html) at my blog dedicated to reading, writing (no 'rithmatic!), movies, & TV.As a young man, Darwin was rather rudderless. He was pointed in the direction of family tradition (for men) which was medicine, but he couldn’t stand the sight of blood and had to leave the OR during one surgery he was supposed to be witnessing. Of course, medicine was far more of an experimental – if not just plain mental – endeavor back in his day than it is now, and far more bloody and painful (there was no anesthesia). Perhaps Darwin was wise in deciding that he would much rather spend his time taking nature rambles and looking at beetles, plants, and life in tidal pools.His father determined that he should become a clergyman in default of a medical career, and though he was religious, Darwin wasn’t interested in that, either. He did manage, with some help, to complete his schooling, but before he had a chance to lose his way in the church, he had the opportunity to take a sea voyage on a ship called The Beagle. The idea was to finish mapping South America’s coast line and estuaries for trade and naval use.The voyage was supposed to last two years, but Darwin was gone for five, and when he returned, he was quite a celebrity in scientific circles, having documented geology and life, both plant an animal, extensively, and sent back hundreds and hundreds of specimens, some of them live, along with letters and reports. One of these live specimens was a giant tortoise from the Galapagos, which ended up in Australia and died only in 2006.The idea of organisms changing over time is inescapable to anyone with eyes and a decent amount of smarts. It’s evident even in living species, and it’s blatantly evident from the fossil record, but because of the power of the church, it was very much a taboo subject. Nonetheless, the evidence forced it into the light, and Darwin wasn’t the first person ever to think about this. He was the first to marshal so great a wealth of evidence, supported by a working, testable explanation, that the subject could no longer be ignored by the populace, dismissed by scientists, or repressed by religious authorities.This book describes his life leading up to the Beagle voyage, the voyage itself, and the years of hesitation and agonizing over the theory before he finally published his land-mark work late in 1859. Darwin’s On the Origin of Species… was a best-seller, and was read not only by scientists and the wealthy, but by ordinary people for whom it was an expensive purchase. When he learned that everyday people were reading it, Darwin even produced a “mass market” version – using smaller print so it cost less to produce and buy.This graphic novel explains lucidly and accurately what the theory was all about, and details some of the extensive evidence that supports it. It also cuts the legs out from under a lot of the lies which young-Earth creationists have been forced to ‘create’ in their attempts at character-assassination of Darwin over the years, as they realized their attempts at ‘science’ have failed dismally and repeatedly. I thoroughly recommend this book.

Very nice view and short look to Darwin's mind and his life. The book is not just about life chronology, it has many funny points and additional information as well.

This was a great read and the combination of words and pictures makes this a lot of fun.I already had a layman's understanding of evolution and this fleshed out a lot of the background to how Darwin himself developed it.One tiny gripe is that the story on the back cover about Darwin having 3 bugs to carry and putting one in his mouth isn't illustrated!If you're in charge of buying books for schools, get this in bulk.

I enjoyed the concept and the recital of a very familiar story. Darwin is an iconic figure in scientific circles and details of his life are not hard to find. However, I think this story was meant for children and I did not like the convention of using creatures to comment on Darwin. So far we know of no creatures who are capable of connected, rational speech other than humans.I liked the drawings and maps but found the choice of fonts difficult. The serif fonts disappeared against the grey background of some of the drawings while the font for thought and speech inside bubbles , was abundantly clear.Overall,ma good attempt but could be improved for reading. I think some of the cinematic material could have used actual photographs - appreciate the cost factor though. Maybe a little above 9th grade and not detailed enough for 10th.Peter

Una biografía de Darwin en un formato poco habitual: el cómic. Muy completo y riguroso, con unas ilustraciones muy acertadas que permiten entender con claridad la vida y obra del gran naturalista y autor de la teoría de la evolución por selección natural.

This graphic tale about Darwin's life is pretty and well drawn. It explains his theory and his life with a touch of humour.

evolution explained in direct terms.