shamfeldt's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn't keep the characters straight, story too complicated and boring. Nice art.
blchandler9000's review against another edition
3.0
This graphic novel tells the story of the rivalry between paleontologists O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope during the gilded age, when dinosaurs were still a fairly new thing and the bone beds out west were just being discovered. Both men compete to find and name the most dinosaurs, as well as discredit each other's work. As the battle rages on, paleoartist Charles R. Knight (he's the one who did the dinosaur murals in the Field Museum) tries to produce the most accurate representations he can. [As it turns out, Cope is all for Knight's work as it makes the dinosaurs come alive in the public's eye. Marsh on the other hand felt that the public had no business seeing fossils or paintings of the living things.:]
The artwork is simple, stripped down and clear. (The cover art was by Mark Schultz, who's old-school illustration style is not representative of the style inside.) The writing is nice, and there are a few great lines. The creators provide several pages at the end explaining what was "fact" and what was "fiction" in their retelling of this true rivalry.
Still, the book never really amounts to more than what it is: a comic about rivalry and paleontology in the late 1800s. And that's fine.
The artwork is simple, stripped down and clear. (The cover art was by Mark Schultz, who's old-school illustration style is not representative of the style inside.) The writing is nice, and there are a few great lines. The creators provide several pages at the end explaining what was "fact" and what was "fiction" in their retelling of this true rivalry.
Still, the book never really amounts to more than what it is: a comic about rivalry and paleontology in the late 1800s. And that's fine.
dinosaurhorrorshow's review against another edition
5.0
This is such a unique and awesome graphic novel. It has a great mix of historical facts and humour. The true story itself is pretty comical, the rivalry between Cope and Marsh was a embarrassing time in paleotological history but I think it's good that people know about it because of the dispute of Brontosaurus. I think it was terrible that they knew Brontosaurus wasn't a real dinosaur after the whole thing happened, but the reason they couldn't change it was because Marsh was held a high position in the USGS. I also like that at the end of the book there is a fact and fiction section telling what they added to make the story more exciting and what was actually true which makes the whole story so much more interesting. This is a hard book to find but deffinitly check it out, expecially if you are interested in the history of paleontology.
booksandbosox's review
3.0
http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-bone-sharps-cowboys-and-thunder.html
ederwin's review
2.0
Interesting subject (frauds and feuds among early paleontologists) but the story is hard to follow. I'm not exactly sure what went wrong, but it just didn't work for me. Lovely images, though. Interesting fact: all three of the paleontologists here supported the "dinosaurs are basically birds" idea, but kept that idea mostly quiet because their funders couldn't accept it.
skjam's review
4.0
It is the Gilded Age, a time of prosperity for some, and the advancement of knowledge. Science is making great steps forward, but so is entrepreneurship, seeking any way to make a fast buck. Professor O.C. Marsh, a paleontologist, and showman P.T. Barnum, an entertainer, meet on a train. Barnum shows off his newest acquisition, the “Cardiff Giant.” Marsh is not impressed, as he knows this is a copy, and he is convinced the original giant was a fake to begin with. Not that this is going to stop Barnum one little bit.
But Barnum’s antics are a sideshow here. The meat of the story is the rivalry between Professor Marsh and Professor Edward Drinker Cope as they competed for the best fossil finds, and the funding and recognition of the scientific community of the late Nineteenth Century. The story also delves a bit into the career of artist Charles R. Knight, whose pictures helped shape the way we see dinosaurs to this day.
This includes the story of the brontosaur, a dinosaur accidentally created when the wrong skull was placed on a skeleton due to the need for hasty publishing to ensure staying in the public eye. (“Publish or perish” indeed!)
As this is a comic book rather than a full scholarly history, some events have been invented to move the story along, and others tied up more neatly than they were in real life. But the medium of choice allows this to be a fast-paced telling, and there are stunning sequences rendering two Native American legends about the ancient bones. (Professor Marsh thinks one of these stories is not true because it contradicts scientific fact. Chief Red Cloud realizes that it is true in a different way.)
There are notes in the back indicating where liberties have been taken with known history.
Overall, this is an excellent graphic novel for science-minded dinosaur fans from middle school on up who can take the bitter history with the sweet pictures of prehistoric beasts. (Note: some period racism towards Native Americans, even if the people doing it are well-meaning.)
But Barnum’s antics are a sideshow here. The meat of the story is the rivalry between Professor Marsh and Professor Edward Drinker Cope as they competed for the best fossil finds, and the funding and recognition of the scientific community of the late Nineteenth Century. The story also delves a bit into the career of artist Charles R. Knight, whose pictures helped shape the way we see dinosaurs to this day.
This includes the story of the brontosaur, a dinosaur accidentally created when the wrong skull was placed on a skeleton due to the need for hasty publishing to ensure staying in the public eye. (“Publish or perish” indeed!)
As this is a comic book rather than a full scholarly history, some events have been invented to move the story along, and others tied up more neatly than they were in real life. But the medium of choice allows this to be a fast-paced telling, and there are stunning sequences rendering two Native American legends about the ancient bones. (Professor Marsh thinks one of these stories is not true because it contradicts scientific fact. Chief Red Cloud realizes that it is true in a different way.)
There are notes in the back indicating where liberties have been taken with known history.
Overall, this is an excellent graphic novel for science-minded dinosaur fans from middle school on up who can take the bitter history with the sweet pictures of prehistoric beasts. (Note: some period racism towards Native Americans, even if the people doing it are well-meaning.)
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