Northwest Passage Volume 1

Northwest Passage #1

by Scott Chantler

Most westerns have traditionally dealt with the rough and tumble life on the high plains and deserts of America. Yet an even greater territory with an even more inhospitable climate rests to the North in what is now Canada. Rupert's Land was a vast expanse held by the Hudson Bay Company under a charter issued by the British Crown. It is amongst these beautiful and harsh lands surrounding the Hudson Bay that this great epic unfolds. After Fort Newcastle is brutally captured by invading French mercenaries, Charles Lord and a band of his surviving soldiers, trackers, and explorers embark on one last great adventure to unite the people of Rupert's Land to reclaim their home. This rollicking historical adventure fights its way on land and sea, all in search of and control of the mythic Northwest Passage.

Genres: Graphic Novels, History, Comics

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Scott Chantler is the acclaimed cartoonist of the graphic novels SQUIRE& KNIGHT, BIX, TWO GENERALS (which was long-listed for CBC’s CANADA READS: TRUE STORIES, named one of Chapters-Indigo’s Best Books of 2010, and selected for BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2012), NORTHWEST PASSAGE (which was nominated for Eisner, Harvey, Shuster, and Doug Wright Awards), and the THREE THIEVES series (the first book of which, TOWER OF TREASURE, won the Joe Shuster Award for Best Comic for Kids).

Reviews

[Mario Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't get the paperback, but rather read a scanned copy.

[Gphatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good beginning to a series covering a time in history that doesn't often appear in graphic novels (at least in English. I've read a few German ones that love the "romantic" era of pre-colonial America.) Starts off with the transfer of a Hudson Bay outpost to a new governor, with treachery from an unknown enemy before the resupply ship arrives. Hope this series continues, too.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was recommended to me by my personal comics guru - and I finished it in one day. The art reminds me a bit of Bone but the story, as it says on the cover, is good old-fashioned two-fisted adventure - and seems to be well-researched to boot. The third volume finishes the initial conflict but it seems like the story is just getting started.