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A review by blchandler9000
Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani
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.