Pocahontas: Princess of the New World

by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky, Sandra Smith (Translation)

A stunning interpretation of the unforgettable story of America’s greatest Indian princess, vividly illustrated as never before.

Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, has been promised to her betrothed, Kokum, according to custom. At that very moment, three British ships arrive on the coast of America.

It is 1607, and the life of Pocahontas—like the fate of the entire American continent—is about to change dramatically. With her great love of freedom—as well as her belief in understanding and tolerance between the two peoples—and by defying her father’s taboos, Pocahontas forges a relationship with the British colonists who have just disembarked. She secretly provides them with food and saves the life of the handsome Captain Smith . . . and falls madly in love.

Set in pre-colonial America, this dynamic new graphic novel evokes the end of a way of life against the backdrop of territorial and amorous rivalries.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Historical Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Historical, Adult, Retellings

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2015

Reviews

[Breeze · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art style is lovely and I hoped that the story would be respectful, however it was very disappointing. The book was a show of revisionist history, glossing over how young Pocahontas was, how much of a relationship she actually had with John smith, and especially the relationship between the Powhatans and the people of Jamestown. It positioned the Powhatans as cruel and violent and the settlers as simple victims, and seemed to praise Pocahontas for leaving behind her culture.

[Adin The Friend · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely adored the artwork in this book, however, it’s another depiction of the “white innocence”, framing the colonizers as calm gentle people, and the native americans as angry rampaging people.

I had such high hopes in the beginning, in the first few pages I thought it was going to honor native Americans, but it truly felt like a biased narrative, one I am sick of reading about.

[LynnDee (LynnDee's Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a more factual telling of the story of Pocahontas, and definitely less glamorous than the Disney version. The artwork is interesting in that the author only uses black, white, and yellow. The epilogue was a little confusing but other than that I liked it.

[Meb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is so, so beautiful in this. I think some things got lost in translation with the dialogue transferring from French to English, but the topic is just so interesting. Amazing art, strong well researched portrait of an interesting woman.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

More serious treatment of Matoaka, also known as Pocahontas which means ‘shameless whore’ in Powhatan-a fact that I don’t believe was mentioned in the Disney film…!

Her love of nature and warning to the English about environmental damage was retained though; that being the beginning and foundation of her forbidden friendship with John Smith.

Cinematic, breathless sketching tells the story with minimal text.

[lil4 · Rating 1 out of 5]

n'est pas historien qui veut l'être !!! très beaux dessins mais même le disney était plus woke

[Eva B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous art, but it took a lot of historical liberty.

[Luis Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more beautifully told and illustrated graphic novels I have read in recent years. The art is spectacular. Sensate black lines that surprisingly are scribbling around in many parts with a nice yellow color to define and give depth to the story. At first I was a little hesitant to want to read this novel. We all pretty much know the story of Pocahontas, but the more I read the more I was enveloped by it. I almost saw the whole story animated though not in the typically mundane Disney feel. I think the Epilogue really hits it home. Bravo. I will have to own this one. Right now I have it on loan from the great library in my town.

[Dani Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
I loved the artwork, but I wish the story was fleshed out more, so we could maybe learn more about the customs of the Powhatans and explored the inner turmoil of Pocahontas a bit more; I also would have liked to see her assimilation into english society a bit more, as well as both her relationships with Smith and Rolfe.
This probably could have been 2 volumes (:

[Joce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The colouring is so striking. And the epilogue is bittersweet and powerful.

[Kelly Dashiell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+ really pretty and also sometimes depressing but it's great!

[Schausette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une magnifique BD qui se concentre sur la vraie histoire de celle que nous connaissons - grâce à Disney - sous le nom de Pocahontas (de son véritable nom Matoaka).

Comme toujours avec Loïc Locatelli, les planches et le trait sont sublimes (mention spéciale à la couverture pleine de dynamisme), les dessins sont spontanés et pleins de vie, c'est rythmé et fluide. Contrairement à son autre BD, Perséphone, aux couleurs foisonnantes, Locatelli travaille ses planches en trois couleurs : le blanc du papier, le noir du crayon, et l'ocre, pour un rendu très graphique et qui n'enlève rien à la beauté du trait. La BD est scindée en trois parties, correspondant aux trois noms et aux trois "vies" de cette jeune fille pleine de fougue et de rage, dont on suit le destin avec grand intérêt et une touche d'appréhension.

Comme c'est une biographie, j'aurais cependant apprécié quelques précisions historiques sur la vraie Matoaka et sur le contexte de l'époque, par exemple en fin d'ouvrage. J'ai trouvé également que certaines périodes étaient survolées et manquaient un peu de profondeur. À réserver donc aux personnes n'étant pas familières avec l'histoire originale, et qui voudraient avoir une première approche du personnage.

À lire si :
- vous aimez les biographies BD
- les héroïnes qui ont pas le temps pour les mecs et qui savent se débrouiller toutes seules merci, c'est votre truc
- vous avez envie de creuser plus loin que l'histoire de Disney
- vous êtes sensibles au trait de Loic Locatelli

[Aude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une très belle BD, contenant peu de texte, et avec des dessins en noir et nuances de jaune. Le trait est fin et avec relativement peu de détails.

J’ai beaucoup aimé redécouvrir l’histoire de Pocahontas à travers cet ouvrage (j’ai regardé récemment le dessin animé, que je n’avais pas vu depuis mon enfance).

L’histoire contée dans cette BD est différente que la version de Disney : ici, il s’agit de mettre l’accent davantage sur l’identité - la quête d’identité, que sur l’aspect colonial des Anglais débarquant en Virginie et pillant les richesses du peuple dont est issue Pocahontas.

J’ai trouvé intéressant que le livre reprenne des termes de la langue algonquine ainsi qu’anglaise pour montrer le décalage entre Pocahontas et John Smith, son interlocuteur anglais. Cela permet aussi de voir à quel point elle apprend et s’adapte vite.

J’y ai aussi appris la définition du terme “Pocahontas”. C’est dommage que cela ne soit pas évoqué dans le Disney, ou bien qu’il soit au moins expliqué quelle idée se cache derrière ce mot.

L’histoire de Pocahontas est une belle histoire de revanche sur la vie, de féminisme, d’acquisition de liberté en tant que femme non blanche, non occidentale…

Je recommande.

[Emilia P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ummmmm.....I think I learned a lot about Pocahontas, or at least the legend thereof, from this book? I hope some of it was accurate? I see why people find it such a compelling story now, being torn between worlds etc etc? L-K is an expert emotional illustrator, and the end of this is just breathtaking. And full disclosure, it made me decide to go back and watch the Disney version again, which is not as bad as I remembered it (I remember it as singularly horrible, so, not hard), but not as good as this.
America, you're a messed up place, man.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Locatelli-Kournwsky offers a somewhat more robust biography of Pocahontas than the Disney version, expertly showing her as a woman caught between two worlds. It's still a fast, slick read though, offering limited depth or explanation for events. The dialogue is quite stilted, perhaps a product of translation. The cover artwork is brilliantly colored, the interior artwork not so much. I did glean one new fact from this well-trod narrative: "Pocahontas" is actually a derogatory term in Powhatan. We've been calling her a shameless whore for centuries! Oof.

[azizy gladyola · Rating 4 out of 5]

You've been so many different people during such a short time in your life.

that scene during the ball where she ran and remembered her time as matoaka??!! also when she arrived at virginia with ptsd/nightmare that might very well be reality…???!!!! speechless

powerful use of visuals with only three colors

[Elna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told with a gorgeous color palette (black and white with splashes of yellow), Locatelli-Kournwsky's Pocahontas isn't the most historically accurate, but it does give surprising agency to Pocahontas herself. She makes the choices that define her life, for better or worse.

[De Loves to Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the art style was lovely with the yellows and blacks, the story was lacking. Events happened but nothing was substantial enough to explain to me Pocahontas's motivations. This book would've been stronger if it focused one or two periods of her life instead of trying to summarize her whole life in a short book.

[Simonfletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I purchased this book. What a tremendous story, delicately told. Loic's artwork is ethereal yet grounded. Simple and sincere. I learned a lot about Pocahontas' life and personality. I had no idea her name was actually an insult, due to her fraternity with the English.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So beautiful. Feels colorful, even with a single-color palette. Tragic and strong.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way more depth and realistic storylines than Disney's version. Excellent illustrations and character development.

[Grace B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great graphic novel! I certainly didn't expect that from the ending! Please, don't start reading it with the idea to compare it with the Disney version as they have almost nothing in common.

[izar.read · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Jin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but too much of a surface level story. We never get the interior of Poca.

[Summer DBM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful art. Horrifically inaccurate story.

[m · Rating 3 out of 5]

the art is beautiful, i'm not sure about the historical accuracy though

[Ye Hern · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another concoction of handpicked facts and fiction, why?
and even if we are to set that aside, why is story contradicting the introduction at the back of the book?
Very confusing

[AnnaMaria · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book isn't all bad, the art is absolutely stunning. But I wish the author went into what he did for research, because even though it's not at stripped down as disney's version you can tell that a European man wrote this

[Carolina Dashner · Rating 3 out of 5]

No está mal pero no tiene sentido, no aporta nada, es una simple historia.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a tough time rating this book as I don't know much about the historical Pocahontas. Thus, I am treating this book as another fictionalised account (and my brief wiki searches seem to agree). Unlike the Disney movie, Locatelli-Kournwsky's book touches on more of the negative aspects of the Pocahontas, such as the death of so many of her people. On the other hand, I was not so pleased about how Pocahontas was supposedly exiled in his version for being a traitor and how her name was translated. It's a mixed bag in terms of plot, though the author is obviously trying to look at racism and colonization.

The art is the best part of the book. Mostly greyscale with touches of golden rod. It's a unique style with beautiful line work that fades into scribbles.