Synopses & Reviews
A symbol of counterculture worldwide, Ernesto Che” Guevara is one of the most, if not the most, recognizable and influential revolutionary figures of the twentieth century. From the pages of history textbooks to silk-screened T-shirts at Urban Outfitters, his mythologized face is positively unavoidable. But what, exactly, does this glorified image stand for? During his life, and perhaps even more since his death, Che has elicited controversy and wildly divergent opinions as to who he was and what he represented. In
Che: A Graphic Biography, Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colónthe graphic duo who made the 9/11 Commission Report understandable in their bestselling
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation and who most recently explained the ongoing war on terror in
After 9/11have come together again to give a real portrait of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna. Following Che from his fabled motorcycle journeys with Alberto Granado as a young medical student to his eventual execution at the hands of Bolivian soldiers and CIA operatives,
Che: A Graphic Biography not only provides a concrete time line of his life but also gives a broader understanding of his beliefs, his legacy, and Latin American politics during the mid-twentieth century.
Sid Jacobson and
Ernie Colón most recently collaborated on
After 9/11: Americas War on Terror (2001 ) and
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. In
Che: A Graphic Biography, Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colónthe
New York Times bestselling graphic duo who made
The 9/11 Commission Report understandable in
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptationhave come together again to give a galvanizing portrait of Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna. This biography captures Che's entire life: from his childhood to his fabled motorcycle journeys with Alberto Granado; from his support of Guatemala's confrontation with the 'Capitalist octopus' to the Cuban Revolution; from his efforts to spark revolts in the Congo and Bolivia to his execution at the hands of Bolivian soldiers and CIA operatives. Throughout, Jacobson and Colón incorporate the wider historical context of Che's life, providing a broader understanding of his beliefs, his legacy, and Latin American politics and leaders through the mid-twentieth century.
"A lively, well-drawn rendering of Guevara's eventful lifenot out of place in a fashionista's handbag, but worthy of a more serious audience as well."Kirkus Reviews "Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón make a formidable team, as nimble, persistent, and resourceful as Che and Fidel trekking through the Sierra Maestra. Their graphic biography Che, like their previous collaborations, is history contextualized with the range, precision, and vividness demanded by its momentous subject."Mark Singer, author of Character Studies
"Im not much for graphic novels, but its pretty cool to stare at drawings of Ernesto Guevera and Fidel Castro plotting strategy in the Sierra Maestra. Do you think Castro knows this book exists? If he does, he must think its pretty fucking weird. How would you feel if you saw a comic book of a war you fought? Then again, maybe youre a really laid back hippie-type. Maybe youd think it was no big deal."Justin Moyer, The Washington City Paper
"Revolutionary icon Ernesto 'Che' Guevara becomes a graphic hero in Jacobson and Colón's latest. Che has long since been appropriated as graphic icon, festooning T-shirts and posters around the world, thanks to his handsome look and jaunty beret. Odds are that most Che-sporting hipsters have only the vaguest idea of just who is accessorizing their look, however. Here Jacobson and Colón, a top-drawer writing and art team, perform a useful service, incorporating material from weighty tomes such as Jon Lee Anderson's life of Che and technical writings such as Guevara's own handbook on guerrilla warfare. In a nod to The Motorcycle Diaries, Jacobson and Colón begin with Guevara's motorcycle journey across southern South America of 1952 and beyond, when Guevara's eyes were opened to the pernicious effects of U.S. domination of third-world economies (reads one caption, 'Though Bolivians ran the mine, to Ernesto the Americans were once again the moving force'). The authors chart Guevara's growing radicalism and his partnership with Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, while providing a surprisingly thorough survey of South American history, a tale of caudillos and exploiters. Throughout, the tone is respectful but not hagiographic, and Jacobson and Colón take pains not to gloss over a signal moment in Guevara's role in the Cuban revolution: his ordering of the execution of some unknown number of supporters of the previous regime . . . The narrative continues to embrace the history and aftermath of Che's storied martyrdom, a term that the closing graphic would seem to suggest. A lively, well-drawn rendering of Guevara's eventful lifenot out of place in a fashionista's handbag, but worthy of a more serious audience as well."Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón make a formidable team, as nimble, persistent, and resourceful as Che and Fidel trekking through the Sierra Maestra. Their graphic biography Che, like their previous collaborations, is history contextualized with the range, precision, and vividness demanded by its momentous subject.” —Mark Singer, author of Character Studies “A lively, well-drawn rendering of Guevaras eventful life—not out of place in a fashionistas handbag, but worthy of a more serious audience as well.” —Kirkus Reviews “Colóns propulsive, full-color cartoons depict everything from the UN to Chilean copper mines to Prague. One full chapter of the book takes readers through every country in Latin America and each countrys history to the mid-1950s—a crash course from writer Jacobson in colonial rule, independence movements, and CIA involvement in things like the overthrow of Guatamalas democratically elected Jacob Arbenz.” —Suzi Steffen, Eugene Weekly
Synopsis
A symbol of counterculture worldwide, Ernesto “Che” Guevara is one of the most, if not the most, recognizable and influential revolutionary figures of the twentieth century. From the pages of history textbooks to silk-screened T-shirts at Urban Outfitters, his mythologized face is positively unavoidable. But what, exactly, does this glorified image stand for? During his life, and perhaps even more since his death, Che has elicited controversy and wildly divergent opinions as to who he was and what he represented. In Che: A Graphic Biography, Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón—the graphic duo who made the 9/11 Commission Report understandable in their bestselling The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation and who most recently explained the ongoing war on terror in After 9/11—have come together again to give a real portrait of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna. Following Che from his fabled motorcycle journeys with Alberto Granado as a young medical student to his eventual execution at the hands of Bolivian soldiers and CIA operatives, Che: A Graphic Biography not only provides a concrete time line of his life but also gives a broader understanding of his beliefs, his legacy, and Latin American politics during the mid-twentieth century.
About the Author
Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón most recently collaborated on After 9/11: Americas War on Terror (2001- ) (H&W, 2008) and The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation (H&W, 2006). Jacobson was formerly the managing editor and editor in chief for Harvey Comics, where he created Richie Rich, and an executive editor at Marvel Comics. Artist Colón has worked at Harvey, Marvel, and DC Comics. At DC, he oversaw the production of Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Blackhawk, and The Flash; at Marvel, Spider-Man.