Red: A Haida Manga - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 155365353X ISBN 13: 9781553653530

Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre, 2010

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas melds his cultural experiences as a Haida with contemporary graphic literature to produce a unique genre called Haida Manga. Yahgulanaas was formally introduced to Haida iconography by his elder cousin - painter, carver and printmaker Robert Davidson. He also studied with Cantonese artist Cai Ben Kwon. His books include Flight of the Hummingbird, and Hachidori, a bestseller in Japan.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Red's life is changed forever when his sister is kidnapped by raiders. As years pass and he rises to power in his small village off the coast of British Columbia, he dreams of elaborate scenarios for getting even with the people who took her away from him. When his revenge fantasy is finally fulfilled, it turns out to be both his greatest victory and his tragic downfall. The idea of "Haida manga," an artistic fusion invented by Yahgulanaas, might cause confusion among readers, or at least send them running to Google to find out what "Haida" is. This artistic style, used by the Haida tribe of Native Americans, will be familiar to readers who have seen the stylized faces on totem poles. The bright and colorful artwork is definitely unique, but sometimes it is so overwhelming that it overpowers the story, which might leave readers confused about plot details. "I welcome you to destroy this book" is never something a librarian wants to hear, but that's what Yahgulanaas encourages his readers to do in order to assemble each page into a "formline illustration." It is only when the pages are assembled in this manner that readers will be able to see how every panel connects to other panels and appreciate the true complexity and vision of Yahgulanaas's art. Luckily, this "complete" image is reproduced at the end of the book and inside the dust jacket, so readers should not find it necessary to vandalize more library books than usual.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 155365353X
• ISBN 13: 9781553653530
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 120
• Illustrator: Yahgulanaas Michael Nicoll