I received this version of the recently-popular Fitzgerald story a month earlier than expected, and promptly devoured it the same evening.

DeFlilippis and Weir do a fine job of adapting the short story into the graphic novel format, though I must admit I'm a bit of a novice to the genre. The strange story flows quickly and effortlessly through its one hundred nineteen pages, communicating the quirks, humor, and critique of aging intended by Fitzgerald.

The real gem here is the amazing illustration work by Kevin Cornell. The pages present three hundred seventy illustrations, each of which relays a wonderful image of the characters, the setting, and the time. It's really quite an amazing body of work.

I get the feeling that this adaptation, debuting four months before the release of a Hollywood movie adaptation staring Brad Pitt, has a distinctly different interpretation of the origins and the ...

• whafro
• August 23, 2008
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
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A very gripping read for the first half, at which point it slows down a bit. 1491 discusses the hypothetical state of the new world prior to the landing of Columbus, complete with cities the size of Paris and some sciences (such as agriculture) which easily surpassed those in Europe and Asia. It gets you riled up about the misinformation you may have learned in your school days.

• whafro
• August 18, 2008
• 1491
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A very solid read about a guy who was great as much for his imperfections as he was for his many and varied talents. Isaacson does a great job helping you get to know someone you'd love to get a beer with, even though he lived at the upper crust of society 250 years ago.

• whafro
• August 18, 2008
• Benjamin Franklin
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