Page 45 Review by Stephen
Some of the reasons why I believe comics is the perfect medium for communicating complex ideas, restructured from my review of vol 1:
SAPIENS examines the development of our singular species through its Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions from small bands of independent, multi-skilled hunter-gatherers to interdependent specialists cooperating in our millions by inventing shared fictions like laws, myths and money – essentially our skill at telling stories.
Harari is a consummate, convivial storyteller, bringing order and context to the complex with a lot of lateral thinking and deftly plucked comparisons in order to illuminate what could otherwise remain opaque. Here he is joined by Vandermeulen and Casanave in transforming the SAPIENS prose into an even richer entertainment with ADDITIONAL insights, using properties and devices unique to comics.
Giving physical room to a single sentence allows it to breathe; to be absorbed at leisure.
When set apart within the pictorial space which a panel affords, that sentence commands even more attention. And when a longer sequence of observations, arguments and conclusions are bound into a coherent sequence of images, we can follow the logic then digest the whole before moving on. Also, images make a succinct point which the prose no longer has to labour, not merely illustrating but illuminating ideas, and images like a monkey are much easier to find again to refresh your memory than the written word ‘monkey’ in a haystack on prose.
Instead of Harari addressing us directly in the prose, he’s found in conversation with experts both real and imagined. This variety further breaks up the narrative into those bite-size chunks, which are again more easily referred back to: “Oh, I remember who narrated that: I’ll flick back and look out for her.” Wittily, it’s a police Detective who gathers evidence with which to convict Homo Sapiens of the wholesale slaughter of the world’s most massive animals as it moved across the globe; that a (clearly imaginary) superhero is our guide through shared fictions is the icing on the cake!
For more examples please see my review of vol 1. The publisher writes:
"Sometimes history seems like a laundry list of malevolent monarchs, pompous presidents and dastardly dictators. But are they really the ones in the driving seat? Sapiens: A Graphic History-The Masters of History takes us on an immersive and hilarious ride through the human past to discover the forces that change our world, bring us together, and just as often... tear us apart. Grab a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth, and explore the rise of money, religion and empire. Join our fabulous host Heroda Tush, as she wonders: Which historical superhero will display the power to make civilizations rise and fall? Will Mr. Random prove that luck and circumstance prevail? Will Lady Empire convince us of the irrefutable shaping force of conquerors? Or will Clashwoman beat them all to greatness by reminding us of the endless confrontations that seem to forever plague our species?"
