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Convaincu que la survie dans le Grand Nord - bien au-delà des villages inuits qu'il a visités - est non seulement possible mais aisée, l'ethnologue et explorateur canadien, Vilhjalmur Stefansson lance deux expéditions polaires en 1913 et 1921. La première, cherchant à prouver que tout ce dont un individu a besoin pour survivre se trouve simplement caché sous la glace, tourne à la catastrophe, et de la seconde, tentative de colonisation de l'île Wrangel, ne reviendra qu'une rescapée... No Limit est le récit de ces deux fiascos. Mais en associant à la véritable histoire, celle, fictive, d'un professeur d'université en pleine crise de la quarantaine, Luke Healy explore, avec la sobriété déjà à l'oeuvre dans Americana, les questions intemporelles du dépassement de soi, de l'isolement, mais aussi du regard et du jugement d'autrui et de la difficulté de s'en détacher.
196 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2016
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711 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
February 7, 2017
Healy’s book from NoBrow tells three tales, two of them historical expediationary tales of the north, and one fiction. The fictional story is of a teacher who has been having an affair with a student and is given a paid leave, which he uses to explore two arctic expeditions. The first is a 1912 expedition led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson which involves a shipwreck and survival on Wrangel Island; the second is a 1926 expedition also led by Stefansson specifically back to Wrangel Island.
All three stories involve bad decisions that have some disastrous consequences. Stefansson, Robert Bartlett (a captain) and Ada Blackjack (an Inuit woman working as a seamstress on the 1926 voyage) are of central interest to us in these tales, where lives are lost. I think the person of greatest interest is Ada, who leaves her son for a year because she needs the money, and left behind by her crew, manages to survive many weeks alone with a cat, and gun, killing enough to eat, and even fending off polar bears in the process. I have to say I was really entertained by the arctic stories in particular. I’m a sucker for adventure stories with a human interest angle, and the best arctic exploration stories seem to have these angles. This is one of those stories.
Healy’s beautiful pastel artwork and delicate linework is impressive and engaging. The interwoven tales make for a complex narrative. It’s not always clear how the professor’s story is relevant to the arctic tales, but it finally is, even if it is less engaging than the adventure tales. Overall, I really, really liked this beautiful book!
Here’s an interview with Healy with the Comics Alternative folks:
http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a...
All three stories involve bad decisions that have some disastrous consequences. Stefansson, Robert Bartlett (a captain) and Ada Blackjack (an Inuit woman working as a seamstress on the 1926 voyage) are of central interest to us in these tales, where lives are lost. I think the person of greatest interest is Ada, who leaves her son for a year because she needs the money, and left behind by her crew, manages to survive many weeks alone with a cat, and gun, killing enough to eat, and even fending off polar bears in the process. I have to say I was really entertained by the arctic stories in particular. I’m a sucker for adventure stories with a human interest angle, and the best arctic exploration stories seem to have these angles. This is one of those stories.
Healy’s beautiful pastel artwork and delicate linework is impressive and engaging. The interwoven tales make for a complex narrative. It’s not always clear how the professor’s story is relevant to the arctic tales, but it finally is, even if it is less engaging than the adventure tales. Overall, I really, really liked this beautiful book!
Here’s an interview with Healy with the Comics Alternative folks:
http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a...
February 5, 2017
When we make poor choices, does it help to know that others have done the same with much more catastrophic results?
This graphic novel combines three narratives, two historical and one fictional, of people making bad decisions. The historical ones are both Arctic explorations, namely Vilhjalmur Stefansson's 1912 and 1926 expeditions. The 2013 fictional one is the story of a professor caught having an affair with a student. Things do not go well in any of the narratives, and it's interesting to see the links between the stories unfold. The flat colors of the art evoke the right mood, and help to determine which narrative one is reading, which is useful as we go back and forth between these three stories. A quick and enjoyable read.
This graphic novel combines three narratives, two historical and one fictional, of people making bad decisions. The historical ones are both Arctic explorations, namely Vilhjalmur Stefansson's 1912 and 1926 expeditions. The 2013 fictional one is the story of a professor caught having an affair with a student. Things do not go well in any of the narratives, and it's interesting to see the links between the stories unfold. The flat colors of the art evoke the right mood, and help to determine which narrative one is reading, which is useful as we go back and forth between these three stories. A quick and enjoyable read.
February 9, 2018
this was a pretty good book i liked it, if your into storys about the early days of exploration this is a good book, not only is it a easy read its filled wit great northern contemporary artwork thatll grab your attention at everypage.
June 26, 2016
*I was sent this for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
How To Survive in the North is a reimagining of two Arctic expeditions which happened in the 1900s weaved with a modern-day story of a man in crisis. The two different timeline narratives work together becuase the mistakes made by each of the characters certainly have similarities. The idea of weaving these two together made the book interesting, but equally I think it would have been just as nice to just see the Arctic expeditions as I was much more interested in what was happening there.
The artwork of this graphic novel is truly colourful and vibrant. The panels have a simple, small design most of the time, but they depict all the key details you need to understand the story. I have to say I most loved the minty colour scheme becuase that really did reflect the Arctic climes to me, and made me feel a little bit colder and frostier as I read.
In terms of characters and story I did find that the Eskimo story was the one I most sympathised with as she never asked to be involved and rather was forced to be due to circumstance. I found her to be the only character I really was rooting for though as although the Captain is likeable, he didn't seem to stand up for what he knew to be right until it was a bit too late (although given that this is based on true events that's hardly a critique of the author).
On the whole I much preferred the Arctic storyline to the modern-day one, but this worked well as a story and the two did combine nicely. I would give this a 3*s overall.
How To Survive in the North is a reimagining of two Arctic expeditions which happened in the 1900s weaved with a modern-day story of a man in crisis. The two different timeline narratives work together becuase the mistakes made by each of the characters certainly have similarities. The idea of weaving these two together made the book interesting, but equally I think it would have been just as nice to just see the Arctic expeditions as I was much more interested in what was happening there.
The artwork of this graphic novel is truly colourful and vibrant. The panels have a simple, small design most of the time, but they depict all the key details you need to understand the story. I have to say I most loved the minty colour scheme becuase that really did reflect the Arctic climes to me, and made me feel a little bit colder and frostier as I read.
In terms of characters and story I did find that the Eskimo story was the one I most sympathised with as she never asked to be involved and rather was forced to be due to circumstance. I found her to be the only character I really was rooting for though as although the Captain is likeable, he didn't seem to stand up for what he knew to be right until it was a bit too late (although given that this is based on true events that's hardly a critique of the author).
On the whole I much preferred the Arctic storyline to the modern-day one, but this worked well as a story and the two did combine nicely. I would give this a 3*s overall.
February 6, 2017
I'm always excited to find and read another book about the arctic. However, this one was a bit of a disappointment. The story jumped around to much, the fictionalized modern story was useless, the book opened with a little teaser of each of the three story lines (lifted from the books midpoint) which was not explained, the reader was just supposed to figure this out... the three storylines and that the opening was the middle. The story is about V. Steffansons polar explorations and how he was kind of an asshole, but Steffanson ends up being a minor character. This book needs an editor.
November 13, 2017
Гарно намальована графічна історія. Мені дуже сподобались частини про полярні експедиції. Але сенс сучасної частини залишався незбагненним. Вона якась недоречна, дивна і залишає питання: і що автор хотів цим сказати?
May 15, 2017
How to Survive in the North is a fictionalized story of two real Arctic expeditions in the beginning of the 20th century, with characters Ada Blackjack and Captain Bartlett in the forefront. Another story alongside these two historical narratives is set in modern times, following a man named Sully who is reading accounts and researching these expeditions. The three stories are told paralleled to each other, each with a unique color palette to distinguish the mood, place, and story from the others. The use of color is very effective in the stories both in the lovely shades of sky in the Arctic settings, and the slightly bleaker versions of Sully's reality. The art is such an effective tool for the story telling here, which is certainly a reason on its own to read this book. The story set in the modern times, while it had potential to feel relatable or authentic, I felt little was gained from its inclusion in the book except being the eyes through which we see the other accounts. To me, the book would've been better to focus solely on the Arctic expeditions as it is it's strongest theme anyway.
The two stories about the expeditions were interesting, engaging, and dealt with many themes I really like. For example the whole setting of living or being in such a harsh climate forces these people to push the boundaries of themselves and shapes their relationships of dependency but is also a catalyst for argument and fighting. There's a lot of use of silence, as a way to reflect the atmosphere of these places and the isolation felt in these amazing yet horrifying parts of the earth. Not only is human's limits and human's battle against nature and elements in focus but there's the smaller human stories like Ada leaving behind her young son, the loss of life along the expeditions progression, the homesickness, and the difficulty in returning home a changed person.
All in all, a wonderful book and not one to miss if you enjoy stories about Arctic expeditions, human's relationship with nature, or if you're in the market for a quiet but effective graphic novel.
The two stories about the expeditions were interesting, engaging, and dealt with many themes I really like. For example the whole setting of living or being in such a harsh climate forces these people to push the boundaries of themselves and shapes their relationships of dependency but is also a catalyst for argument and fighting. There's a lot of use of silence, as a way to reflect the atmosphere of these places and the isolation felt in these amazing yet horrifying parts of the earth. Not only is human's limits and human's battle against nature and elements in focus but there's the smaller human stories like Ada leaving behind her young son, the loss of life along the expeditions progression, the homesickness, and the difficulty in returning home a changed person.
All in all, a wonderful book and not one to miss if you enjoy stories about Arctic expeditions, human's relationship with nature, or if you're in the market for a quiet but effective graphic novel.
February 21, 2017
I was drawn in by the artwork and the subject matter, but this fell a little flat for me. The author interweaves three stories about terrible decisions. The one in present-day, about a professor having an affair with a student, is fiction and the other two are historical. The arctic adventures are way more interesting than the present-day story. None of the stories are gone into with enough depth to get anything out of them individually. The crux of this book really relies on some tenuous thing the author is trying to tie them together with but... I just didn't feel it. I was really interested in Ada Blackjack and would love to read more about her actual life and adventure on Wrangel Island. If nothing else, I found some new polar exploration subject matter to delve into, as that's a favorite subject of mine.
July 3, 2017
Told in three interwoven stories - two based on real historical events and one fictional - How to Survive the North is the story of how decisions can lead you down a different path than you expect. Metaphorically and physically!
I found the characters and the setting to be fascinating, both brought to life by vivid artwork and narrative that grabs you. Who knew the Arctic climate could be so fascinating? Watching the characters on the expeditions fight off polar bears, scurvy, hunger, and loneliness kept me engaged all the way through. In contrast, the professor in modern day fought his own demons, a narrative that paired well with decisions of the past and the will to move through life.
Highly recommend if you want something a little different with depth!
I found the characters and the setting to be fascinating, both brought to life by vivid artwork and narrative that grabs you. Who knew the Arctic climate could be so fascinating? Watching the characters on the expeditions fight off polar bears, scurvy, hunger, and loneliness kept me engaged all the way through. In contrast, the professor in modern day fought his own demons, a narrative that paired well with decisions of the past and the will to move through life.
Highly recommend if you want something a little different with depth!
September 20, 2017
Beautiful paper quality, lovely cover, Not A Happy Book.
August 21, 2022
Perhaps the most visually beautiful graphic novel I’ve ever read
January 16, 2020
Fyra starka blodtörstiga isbjörnar får denna!
June 16, 2021
Mostly forgetable and sometimes confusing which storyline is which expedition and I didn't particularly understand why the current day story was in there at all I didn't think it really added much. Furthermore, while the author does in the back aknowledge that saying Eskimo is considered offensive to some people but still used it for "historical accuracy" yet there is a complete fictional storyline running parallel to the other "historical" plots whuch have been altered slighlty to fit the narrative so then surely it could have been changed? Idk. Just a thought.
August 9, 2021
a graphic novel based closely on the true events of the canadian arctic and wrangel island expeditions in 1913 & 1921 respectively.
oh. my. goodness. i have to say that nobrow press did it again - THE COLOURS!!!! gotta admit that the illustration colours used in here are sooo my style, so colourful and so pleasing to look at 😍 told in 3 tales - with 1 of them being set in present day, this is such a pretty decent read and a good reading experience overall. i love how it has its historical bits & talks more about what happened after the expeditions based on the true events.
as for the storyline, it does get a bit confusing at some parts - i just wished they would have seperated the three stories orderly so that it would be much easier to read.
glad to pick this up randomly on the library shelves. 📚 truly got inspired by its art style.
oh. my. goodness. i have to say that nobrow press did it again - THE COLOURS!!!! gotta admit that the illustration colours used in here are sooo my style, so colourful and so pleasing to look at 😍 told in 3 tales - with 1 of them being set in present day, this is such a pretty decent read and a good reading experience overall. i love how it has its historical bits & talks more about what happened after the expeditions based on the true events.
as for the storyline, it does get a bit confusing at some parts - i just wished they would have seperated the three stories orderly so that it would be much easier to read.
glad to pick this up randomly on the library shelves. 📚 truly got inspired by its art style.
November 26, 2017
This was great. It's a well told, beautifully illustrated (if you're a fan of Jordan Crane, you will love Luke Healy) story of Arctic exploration, and I am forever indebted to Healy for introducing me to the story of Ada Blackjack, seamstress, savior, hunter, and all-around heroine extraordinaire. You can bet I'm going to be trying to learn more about this badass broad.
The historical bits are interspersed with a present-day story of a fictional researcher, an academic who is on a forced sabbatical due to an all-too-human mistake. Healy's quite successful at portraying the struggle that comes with difficult decisions.
TL;DR: Read this damn thing!
The historical bits are interspersed with a present-day story of a fictional researcher, an academic who is on a forced sabbatical due to an all-too-human mistake. Healy's quite successful at portraying the struggle that comes with difficult decisions.
TL;DR: Read this damn thing!
May 11, 2022
I love how the three stories are split up, they bounce back and forth between each other well. The two non-fiction stories (or recreations) have a sense of adventure to them while the fabricated third story easily ties them all together and helps make sense of the themes in a way that following the individual stories might not have. It's a great lesson in arrogance, ignorance, and the absolute tenacity of human beings to push on and survive in even the worst circumstances.
March 15, 2025
this was a super speedy read. honestly didn't like any of the three accounts that were in here-- the professor's story i'm sure was supposed to be a parallel to the two accounts of polar exploration with a captain that abandoned ship, but i don't think it added anything of note. the art style was blessed, but that was about it. appreciated the historical explanation at the end for further context.
October 9, 2017
The art in this graphic novel was simply amazing. And the color palette was just so aesthetically pleasing. It's a quick read, and definitely the most enjoyable format I could imagine learning about some semi true historical events in.
February 11, 2018
Best thing about this was the colors, which probably isn’t great to say. I can appreciate it as a doorway into reading more about the true stories it was based on, and I can see the themes of perseverance and compassion, but it sort of fell flat for me. I didn’t *dislike* it, but I’m not sure if I would actually recommend it to too many people.
February 5, 2026
pas à 100% convaincue que l'arctique est cool à vivre après avoir fini cette bd, étrange.
j'ai kiffé les couleurs et le format mais par contre pourquoi c'était écrit en si petit ? l'impression d'avoir cinquante ans en faisant cette remarque
j'ai kiffé les couleurs et le format mais par contre pourquoi c'était écrit en si petit ? l'impression d'avoir cinquante ans en faisant cette remarque
October 19, 2017
Fascinating, compelling.
March 7, 2018
I’m a sucker for stories about the arctic
July 21, 2018
Well this was depressing
July 23, 2023
Beautifully illustrated. I loved the color palettes for each story. I found the overall theme a bit boring and I was a bit confused on the timeline of the stories and how they related.
August 25, 2024
3,2⭐️
Toujours aussi fan des dessins de cet auteur, et j’apprécie toujours les histoires qui se passent dans le grand nord.
J’ai été souvent confuse, toutefois, dans les débuts de cette histoire. Les récits de trois personnages s’entremêlent plus ou moins habilement, et l’abondance de personnages rend ça difficile à suivre.
Aussi, je ne suis pas la plus grande fan de l’histoire de Sully, celle qui se passe à l’époque contemporaine, la seule qui est 100% fictive. Je comprends l’idée de l’auteur « d’emballer » le récit des autres personnages, inspiré d’histoires vraies celles-là, dans une enveloppe actuelle, mais je ne suis pas convaincue par la réalisation.
Toujours aussi fan des dessins de cet auteur, et j’apprécie toujours les histoires qui se passent dans le grand nord.
J’ai été souvent confuse, toutefois, dans les débuts de cette histoire. Les récits de trois personnages s’entremêlent plus ou moins habilement, et l’abondance de personnages rend ça difficile à suivre.
Aussi, je ne suis pas la plus grande fan de l’histoire de Sully, celle qui se passe à l’époque contemporaine, la seule qui est 100% fictive. Je comprends l’idée de l’auteur « d’emballer » le récit des autres personnages, inspiré d’histoires vraies celles-là, dans une enveloppe actuelle, mais je ne suis pas convaincue par la réalisation.
December 18, 2019
How to Survive in the North by Luke Healy is a historic comic about a group of scientists that travel to the Arctic to prove a theory that a group of people can survive up there with a limited amount of supplies. It switches between the 1920s where the group is trying to survive to the late 2000s where a college professor is assumed to be seeing a student (he is) and is not fired but put on a type of paid vacation. On his vacation he does a lot of research on the scientists that went to the Arctic back in the 1920s. The art style is absolutely beautiful with the brightest colors. Each story has a different color, with the scientists side being yellow or blue and sometimes pink while the college professors side is mainly just pink. The panels are all normal shapes like squares and rectangles.
I think this comic should count as literature because it has a really good plot with scientists that travel to prove a theory and it fast forward in time to a college professor who researches about it, making it have a historic twist. This comic should be nominated for an award because it has very unique characters and there are many of them, and alongside the characters come a really good plot that mixes together the past and the present. I recommend this book because I ended up really liking it after being hesitant on this book and being confused the first few pages and think the plot is thought out very well.
I think this comic should count as literature because it has a really good plot with scientists that travel to prove a theory and it fast forward in time to a college professor who researches about it, making it have a historic twist. This comic should be nominated for an award because it has very unique characters and there are many of them, and alongside the characters come a really good plot that mixes together the past and the present. I recommend this book because I ended up really liking it after being hesitant on this book and being confused the first few pages and think the plot is thought out very well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2017
I mean, OBVIOUSLY I was going to read this graphic novel tying together Ada Blackjack and the Karluk, weirdo obsessed with dead polar explorers and Ant/Arctic adventures that I am. I was a little nervous because a number of reviewers seem to have found this hard to follow or too depressing, but I didn't have that trouble at all. Then again, I already knew how things turned out on both these expeditions, so none of it came as a surprise to me and I didn't go into it expecting a light and fluffy everything-turns-out-great-in-the-end kind of story.
Another complaint I've seen is that people didn't like the third story that takes place in recent times and didn't feel like it fit with the others. But actually...I really liked the parallels, and I appreciate that they're subtle. The theme is dealing with being shipwrecked, through the choices the various characters have made, and about figuring out how to survive and move on from that, and I feel like that third story really worked in that vein. Plus, I love the idea of coming across one little thing that makes you curious and then going down a rabbit hole into a ridiculous amount of reading and research and how it can just...change you. Ahem.
The whole thing is quiet, with the colors of the Northern lights and the sparseness of the Arctic landscapes, and...I don't know, I just really liked it, all of it. I think Luke Healy's done a beautiful job with this one, and I'm really glad I picked it up.
Another complaint I've seen is that people didn't like the third story that takes place in recent times and didn't feel like it fit with the others. But actually...I really liked the parallels, and I appreciate that they're subtle. The theme is dealing with being shipwrecked, through the choices the various characters have made, and about figuring out how to survive and move on from that, and I feel like that third story really worked in that vein. Plus, I love the idea of coming across one little thing that makes you curious and then going down a rabbit hole into a ridiculous amount of reading and research and how it can just...change you. Ahem.
The whole thing is quiet, with the colors of the Northern lights and the sparseness of the Arctic landscapes, and...I don't know, I just really liked it, all of it. I think Luke Healy's done a beautiful job with this one, and I'm really glad I picked it up.
December 31, 2017
A very interesting graphic novel with a few interlocking stories.
A fictional professor is forced into sabbatical when it is discovered that he was having an affair with one of his students. Depressed and bored the professor begins researching arctic expeditions involving Wrangle Island. It was interesting to learn about these two historical expeditions through the lens of this fictional narrator, who like the explorer Steffansson seemed to have a self-destructive streak, making poor choices that stranded him in difficult positions.
Ana is another historical character who's story is explored here, and the most sympathetic figure in the book. While the others seemed to make their own trouble, Ana chooses to join the expedition in the hopes that it would help her young family. I was relieved each time she evaded tragedy. Having read other stories about arctic expeditions in the past I was ready to see all hands die, but it ended up being less tragic than I feared.
Overall a well done graphic novel, great illustrations, nice pacing between the three storylines, well done all around.
A fictional professor is forced into sabbatical when it is discovered that he was having an affair with one of his students. Depressed and bored the professor begins researching arctic expeditions involving Wrangle Island. It was interesting to learn about these two historical expeditions through the lens of this fictional narrator, who like the explorer Steffansson seemed to have a self-destructive streak, making poor choices that stranded him in difficult positions.
Ana is another historical character who's story is explored here, and the most sympathetic figure in the book. While the others seemed to make their own trouble, Ana chooses to join the expedition in the hopes that it would help her young family. I was relieved each time she evaded tragedy. Having read other stories about arctic expeditions in the past I was ready to see all hands die, but it ended up being less tragic than I feared.
Overall a well done graphic novel, great illustrations, nice pacing between the three storylines, well done all around.
March 21, 2018
The two historical story lines were interesting. It made me want to read more about Ada Blackjack (and I appreciate the "After the expeditions" at the end that shared what her life was like later.) The present day fictional character researching those historical story lines was one dimensional and an overused trope.
Now about the artwork....
I was put off by the 12 panel pages. I think more story could've been shared visually with larger panels, fewer panels, and the occasional full page scenes.
In general, the drawings were pretty poor anyway. Arms were boneless in appearance, men looked fat instead of wrapped in a coat, noses looked perpetually drunken red. You couldn't tell it was the arctic/snowy/icy when everything looked like Pepto Bismal. The inside of the ship looked like a new, empty, pine cabin. This surprised me with a cover so beautiful and rich. I did like that all three eras had a different color theme to them to separate them, but maybe the arctic shouldn't be differentiated with warm pinks and oranges. An explorer can't freeze to death on salmon colored sand-ish snow.
Now about the artwork....
I was put off by the 12 panel pages. I think more story could've been shared visually with larger panels, fewer panels, and the occasional full page scenes.
In general, the drawings were pretty poor anyway. Arms were boneless in appearance, men looked fat instead of wrapped in a coat, noses looked perpetually drunken red. You couldn't tell it was the arctic/snowy/icy when everything looked like Pepto Bismal. The inside of the ship looked like a new, empty, pine cabin. This surprised me with a cover so beautiful and rich. I did like that all three eras had a different color theme to them to separate them, but maybe the arctic shouldn't be differentiated with warm pinks and oranges. An explorer can't freeze to death on salmon colored sand-ish snow.
November 15, 2016
I can never seem to get enough books on Arctic exploration. The story is a combination of history and fiction, telling three separate but related narratives. First, a 1912 expedition of Vilhjalmur Stefansson's which ends with a shipwreck and survival on Wrangel Island (Russian). Then a 1926 expedition of Stefansson's specifically to Wrangel Island which finds them stuck due to heavy ice. Finally, in 2013, a completely fictional story of a professor caught having an affair with a student who turns to the library during his forced sabbatical and ends up studying Vilhjalmur Stefansson and the previously mentioned expeditions. It is with interest to see them all becoming connected with a single crew member and Stefansson's abandonment of both crews. Also included are real-life figures Robert Bartlett (captain and later explorer) and Mrs. Ada Blackjack (an Inuit woman included on a voyage as seamstress) who eventually stands out as a hero. Like most books from Nobrow Press the art is excellent. An attractive book and thoroughly enjoyable and interesting tale.
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