by Nick Bertozzi
2014 / 125 pages

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was obsessed with reaching the South Pole. He tried to be the first to get there, setting out on two expeditions that fell short when harsh conditions drove them back. Ultimately he was beaten to the Pole by a Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, who made it there in December of 1911.

But if Shackleton couldn’t be the first to the Pole, then he was determined to be the first to traverse the Antarctic from one side to the other. With this ambitious goal in mind, he set out with his crew on August 1, 1914. Shackleton would fail this time too, but in such a spectacular and heroic manner that the tale of his failure has been retold again and again in countless books and several documentaries. His ship sunk, his sled dogs were killed to be eaten for food, and his crew was stranded on an icepack that was constantly breaking up, the only solid ground being an island 100 miles away across the open water. Yet, somehow, Shackleton and his crew all made it home alive, more than 2 years after they left.

Nick Bertozzi’s graphic novel is one of the latest and certainly one of the greatest additions to the Shackleton canon. At times humorous – it includes a toga party and a stowaway who readily accepts that should food be in short supply he will be the first eaten – and gripping throughout. Bertozzi presents Shackleton as a man who would risk much, but who wouldn’t throw away his men’s lives to complete this goal. As obsessed as he was with the Pole, Shackleton was more obsessed about his men’s well-being and he was determined to do whatever it took to get them back home.

Cautions

This does have some language concerns, but doesn’t take God’s Name in vain. “Damn” or “damned” occurs about a half dozen times, and also notable is the use of the word “bloody” which I understand is quite offensive among the British (but doesn’t seem so bad to me) – it is used more than a dozen times.

Conclusion

I’d recommend this for any teens who might have a history project to do. They might not find it as gripping as the latest Marvel movie, but this is a pretty rollicking tale, and especially if they keep in mind that this is true, it really could grip them. Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey will also appeal to any adults who aren’t embarrassed at the thought of being seen reading a comic.