Shackelton, Antarctic Odyssey

If there was an Alternative Earth-2 version of The Eagle which featured the Rian Hughes/Grant Morrison Dan Dare, then Shackelton, Antarctic Odyssey was serialised in its back pages – this is a truly ripping 120 pages of extraordinarily stiff upper lips and manly perseverance, with cartoonist Nick Bertozzi expertly and stylishly spinning the compelling tale of Ernest Shackelton’s remarkable mission to cross the Antarctic on foot.

In 1914, Shackelton, a veteran of Antarctic expeditions and colleague of Scott, Oates et al,, solicited donations from the Royal Geographical Society to finance a new polar venture. This was only a year after Scott’s entire party had died on route to the South Pole, but by tapping into either an insatiable scientific curiosity or gung-ho adventurism he secured funds from his peers and was able to mount another attempt to best the ice.

The comic follows the expedition from initial requests for monies, and gathering of a crew and dogs, right through to the incredible, heroic conclusion of his epic mission.

Bertozzi’s style is sparse and wry. He keeps the dialogue fairly clipped and expository but allows a glimmer of the deeper lives of his characters to occasionally surface – lending a brief historical piece a more substantial and human feel than it would have otherwise. This goes equally for the artwork – Bertozzi keeps it clear and simple with minimal line work and shading, but his actors are consistent and have mannerisms and tics that bring them to life, despite the deceptively simple delivery. He’s also a nice way with his layouts – mostly keeping a fairly rigid discipline of grids and then breaking out for the occasional action sequence.

Understated though the storytelling is, there’s nevertheless a very proper evocation of the grandeur and power of the Antarctic, as well as the mind-bending hubris and bravery which fueled the expedition.