Just a few notes --
- Riel was an important figure in Manitoban history -- the death of Thomas Scott resulted in his exile, which, in turn, led to an almost Messianic belief that he had to lead his people (the Metis) people in revolt aganist the Canadian government.
- Brown, on his inspiration (from an interview with Time.com):
I was looking to do something non-fiction because I had done a strip, "My Mom Was a Schizophrenic" [which examined the historical diagnosis of schizophrenia and those who disagree with its classification as a disease.] I really enjoyed the process of doing that strip, despite its subject matter. To do it I'd had to do a lot of research and reading and I figured I'd like to do that again. Also, in the last couple of years I've had an interest in history and politics. I was reading various historical books and I read Maggie Siggin's Louis Riel biography ["Riel: A Life of Revolution"] and it seemed like a good, dramatic story that would translate well into comic-strip form.
- A constant problem when recreating historical events is how to treat action and dialogue. Do you make it as painstakingly accurate as possible, leading to awkward storytelling? Or do you gussy it up because, hey, no one knows what really happened? Brown's deadpan dialogue (pictured above) is an elegant solution.
- I think it also goes hand-in-hand with the cartoony art style. Not a lot of ornament or fuss. Here's the facts as we known them. Have fun.
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