History Comics: The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery

History Comics

by Chris Schweizer

With History Comics you can travel back in time to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, the deserts of the American southwest, the riot at the Stonewall Inn, and beyond! In this new nonfiction graphic novel series from First Second, the past comes alive!

In this volume, separate fact from fiction and uncover the secrets of the Roanoke Colony. Over a hundred years before the pilgrims, the very first English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island. But without warning, these colonists abandoned their new home and disappeared without a trace.

What happened to the colonists? To figure it out, we’ll need to investigate how these missing settlers got to Roanoke in the first place, and what the people already living there thought about these strange foreigners. It’s a case filled with brutal battles, perilous pirate ships, ruthless queens, scheming businessmen, and enough skeletons to fill a graveyard.

Genres: Graphic Novels, History, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Historical, Comics

128 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2020

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - history presented as a mystery - loved this informative and entertaining look at what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke. Great art and lots of fun.

[Madara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read with fun illustrations.
The story of Roanoke colony is fascinating - a colony of over a 100 people just goes missing and the only clue left behind is the word "Croatoan" etched in wood. It's something out of a horror novel yet the colony actually disappeared. This comic has some interesting and fun theories what happened to the colony but we will never know for sure.
History Comics: The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery reminds me a bit of the Horrible Histories books but less sarcastic and less bloody.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun history graphic novel that compares well to my favorite Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series, offering humor and facts in an engaging mix. Author/artist Chris Schweizer, who has already proven himself to me as a good historical fiction writer with his Crogan Adventures series, digs deep into the roots of why and how the colony was founded and entertains even the wildest speculation of where the colony's inhabitants disappeared to (UFO's anyone?). Very informative, engaging, and satisfying.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a great deal of information in it about what happened to the Roanoke Colony. It seemed to repeat the same information many times in the book. I think children would get easily bored with the story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest view.

I'm going to make my review in bullet points because I had a lot of thoughts on this book.

* First of all, the note at the end of the book about some aspects of this story being author's liberty (like Manteo and Wanchese meeting Queen Elizabeth) is VERY IMPORTANT to keep in mind

Things I like:
* I like that the author is not completely sugar coating the way colonists treated Native Americans, and that more often than not white settlers were the agressors
* Actually uses tribe names to talk about the Native Americans surrounding Roanoke instead of just referring to them as "Native Americans" or "Indians"
* There are numerous areas of humor which will help keep kid's interest level up
* It appears (to a white person not familiar with these tribes) that the author/illustrator at least attempted to avoid using stereotypes in the illustrations)


Things I'm iffy on:
* While I LIKE that the author at least attempted to portray how Native Americans feel- I also feel iffy about a white (I'm assuming- since I can't find anything giving any indication otherwise) author assuming what indigenous people were feeling. And I know that seems contradictory-- but it's one of the things I'm personally struggling with right now.


There was nothing that I flat out didn't like about this book. I enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed re-learning some of the history and learning new aspects that I didn't know (Or I just didn't remember ANYTHING about it).

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this new History Comics title caught my eye, and I immediately checked to see if it had been reviewed yet on the American Indians in Children's Literature blog. Since it hadn't, I thought I'd read it for myself to see if I thought the representation of Native Americans was problematic.

Every person in the book is a cartoon, so I didn't consider the drawing style to necessarily be a factor. Immediately I noticed that there's a "Consultant on Algonquin culture" listed on the copyright page. There are several pages at the beginning of the book dedicated to the Native American tribes of North Carolina, with specific information about the individual tribes and how they lived. Essentially, I believe the content to be well-researched and presented, but will be interested to see if it eventually is reviewed on the blog.

The details of this story are actually pretty complex, covering the politics of Europe, the motivations of a lot of different characters, and the challenges of the people who weren't just trying to be pirates. This book does a good job of trying to explain the specifics in kid-friendly but extensive detail. The author's note at the end has a great explanation of primary and secondary sources.

This series is a great option for those who have read all of the Nathan Hale historical graphic novels already.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in either junior high or high school (I can’t remember exactly, probably high school but my memory of doing the research seems to be of the junior high library) I did a MASSIVE research paper on the Roanoke Colony. Sadly that paper and presentation are long lost (I do recall I got an A on it though), but I do remember some of the details. Including that the colonists were not actually lost, that they had been picked up and returned to England by an unexpected passing vessel. This is a detail that I use as a bench mark for the accuracy of other accounts I read or watch that deal with the Roanoke Colony. Now it has been many years since I did that report and memory is not a absolute tool of precision, and I was just a kid (probably between 14 and 16 most likely), so I’m sure my recollection of what I’d read in the sources I used may have been distorted by time. But that one detail about the colonists being picked up by another ship is very clear and was a pivotal point of my paper And presentation. That brings us to THIS book. The author does in fact corroborate that the first colonists were in fact picked up by an expedition led by Sir Francis Drake (who had rescued them was a detail I couldn’t recall), and that the resupply ships returned to Roanoke just after these colonists had left with Drake (clearly, the author did his homework as far as I’m concerned). So my benchmark was met, but now I have to mention how much more this book contributes. Not only are events of the Roanoke Colony (actually Colonies would be more accurate) related here, but the author goes into quite a bit of background on the various players and events which led to the decision to start the colony in the first place and why the island was selected, including the disinformation and outright lies that were used to secure funds and volunteers for the colony. The author also spends several papers going over the possible theories on what happened to the colonists (some of which pretty outlandish, but they do have some crazy supporters) and then caps everything off with one last (and probably most likely) theory that nicely weaves thing into a satisfying conclusion. One last aspect that I particularly enjoyed was the authors choice of narrators, Manteo (a Croatan native) and Wanchese (a Roanoke native) had both traveled to England before the colony was even started and returned to their peoples when the colony was founded. Their involvement in these events, and inclusion as narrators in this book, elevates the narrative and adds some perspective to this colonial attempt, highlighting the atrocities that the colonists perpetrated on the native peoples, and illustrating the fundamental arrogance, ignorance and absurdities of the colonists and those funding the endeavor to begin with. This book is well constructed, entertaining and (although it is not well documented, as there are no footnotes/endnotes or a citation list; the author does offer a couple of primary sources in the afterword, but it doesn’t feel at all complete) well researched. It was definitely an engaging and educational volume, that doesn’t lose one bit of enjoyment. I would definitely recommend this for anyone interested in the Roanoke Colony or to young readers interested in history and historical mysteries.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping, humorous history goodness from the folks who brought you Science Comics. You could inject these kinds of books straight into my veins. The Roanoke Colony closely follows the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales model. We've got comic narrators who were actually there, lightly comic illustrations that still manage to seem historically accurate, and a penchant for showing the actual history as opposed to the glossed over American version.

Case in point: I actually went to Roanoke Island this summer and visited the little historical museum there. Basically none of what was in this book was in the museum, aside from the general outline of events. The museum was far more focused on the mystery of what happened to the lost colonists - which, admittedly, The Roanoke Colony touches on as well. But this book takes the reader through all the events leading up to that mystery, including additional mysteries (!) and an exploration of 16th century political events. It's legitimately fascinating, eye-opening, and mind-expanding. History as it should be.

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a really good source to teach kids with

[Jaime K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, and it is utterly fantastic.

The introduction gives some great historical context while the concluding author notes provide research-based context.

Manteo and Wanchese, two native Secotans, tell the story and help us all explore the clues among the facts about the Roanoke colony...and how it may have disappeared. Manteo was of the Croatan subtribe and Wanchese was Roanoke.

I'm not a huge fan as to how the people are drawn but I love the scenes, colours, diagrams, and the multiple ways in which the story/information is presented.

I love the reminder that America WAS settled before the English (and Spanish) arrived.

It's very interesting to learn of how the natives farmed, made things, ate, and lived overall. They all encompassed spiritual and warrior aspects, which are also detailed.

We get some information on Queen Elizabeth I as well as the Spanish Empire.

Grenville was a scary tyrant; Lane was arrogant and demanded servitude from the natives. They were among the first English colonists before making bad connections with the natives and packing up all of Roanoke to head back and let everyone know that Roanoke is not a good place for them to settle.
But before that, someone else left 300 freed slaves left on the Roanoke Island. Mystery #1.

We learn about how an artist named White, who was among the first group, was named governor to head the second group of colonists to head to Chesapeake. Their pilot Fernandez had other ideas and led them all back to Roanoke. Why? Mystery #2.

White ends up going back to England and three years later arrives back to find a palisade around a non-empty village. Thus we are at the heart of the Roanoke mystery, the one that has had everyone scratching their heads and seeking answers since the 1580s.

I finally learned what Croatoan is, so that is awesome.

I like that the multiple theories are presented at the end, with facts/true history woven into the theories. I also liked the info on Captain John Smith!

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently read another History Comics and really liked that one. However, I am not feeling the same about the Roanoke Colony. The main thing that is missing is that the storytelling in this one was not as interesting to follow. When I was reading the Great Chicago Fire, there was a main story between a brother and sister as they traveled through Chicago during the fire. As the reader you learned facts along the way, while also reading what was happening with the characters. The author did a great job and even thought it was informative I didn't feel like I was reading something for school or a textbook. Sadly, the history comics for The Roanoke Colony felt exactly like that, a boring textbook. There was a storyline but it was not interesting and it didn't feel important to the book. It was more of facts overload with two narrators. I would recommend the previous book I read in the series but not this one. I think that kids will also have difficulty reading it unless they are history lovers or reading it for their fourth grade VA History learning.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and engaging look at the facts and the theories about what happened to the colonists of Roanoke Island. Told from the perspectives of two disagreeing Algonquians, who also traveled and studied in England, the story is very well rounded, giving perspectives not often heard. I was delighted to read accounts that I had not heard before mixed in with sections and names that I have heard before. This was really well done and I would highly recommend it.

[Meredith Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of First Second's Maker Comics and Science Comics so I was excited when I heard they'd be starting a new series of History Comics. This is a nice start to it. There's a lot presented here and sometimes I wasn't quite sure of the intended age range (middle grade? YA? in between?) but overall, it's a great way to get more history into kids' hands and a really useful resource. I can see these being used for many a research project!

[Adrianne M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun way to read about history. Will search out other books in this series.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, educational, full of theories and light research that’s just enough to get kids into wanting to read more about the subject.

[Tedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very comprehensive and fairly easy to follow graphic novel telling the history of the Roanoke Colony. I found this to be a very compelling way to share significant moments in history and especially enjoyed the humor that was added into the text. I am thinking about using this graphic novel series as part of a historical research report unit with students and am slightly concerned that this will be a bit too much for my sixth graders, as it is a lot to follow - not because of any choice the author made but because history does not follow linear timelines no matter how much we would like it too. This graphic novel would be best used independently by older students. However, from a pure enjoyment standpoint, I really liked this approach and learned a lot about Roanoke that I had not known before.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, I wish these History Comics and Science Comics had been around when I was a kid. I would have devoured them all!

Like the Science Comics I've read, History Comics: The Roanoke Colony goes both deep and broad, and two readings would probably be necessary to untangle the European politics and people. Of course, there's a lot more of that in the historical record because if the lack of written Native American languages and the colonial lack of concern for local customs and cultures, but author/artist Schweizer goes into quite a bit of detail by using an unconventional set of voices to tell this story.

At any other point in the past, we'd have heard about Roanoke from a colonist's point of view--maybe, in the recent past, our narrator would have been Virginia Dare to be just a little progressive. It probably seems like an obvious choice since almost all of our evidence about this time period comes from the colonists.

But our narrators are Manteo and Wanchese--respectively, from the Croatan and Roanoke tribes, subsets of the Secotan tribe, which was one of three key players in the region. As they point out, the land in the (future) Carolinas wasn't empty and waiting for settlement: one of our two narrators lived right on the island! Having locals start our tour by showing us the settled order of things as they were does a much better job of showing just how dysfunctional things got after the strangers arrived, and helps us appreciate just how much the colonists lost when they made enemies--decisively--of people who could have helped them.

Manteo and Wanchese are especially excellent narrators because they show us two ways that locals might have reacted to the colonists: both are curious, but Manteo comes to love and adopt English culture, while Wanchese is suspicious, practical, and retaliatory. They also introduce us to sachems who took the middle ground, starting with friendliness and support, giving the colonists time to come to their senses, and only sought retaliation after great provocation.

Showing us the history from Manteo and Wanchese's perspectives also gives Schweizer a chance to show us some of the English absurdities that are usually glossed over, like how filthy the English are, and Queen Elizabeth's ridiculous makeup and clothes, which look so unnatural and odd compared to the understated tattoos and functional clothing worn by our narrators. Their "DARING EXPEDITION INTO THE HEART OF EXOTIC ENGLAND" is also a fantastic way to show that what's new, exciting, and exotic is all a matter of perspective.

This isn't to say that the script is entirely flipped and the Native Americans are made out to be perfect while the English are villains. Manteo and Wanchese point out the good, the bad, and the naive on both sides...but even the colonist-skewed historical record can't hide that the majority of the the middle category came from the English.

While the portrayal of Native Americans is probably more thoughtful than any book I've ever read and approaching from their perspective instead of the colonists' might just be unique (maybe aside from a picture book or two), the book still might not get a pass from American Indians in Children's Literature. Perhaps out of necessity and simplicity for what is, after all, an introduction for kids, Manteo and Wanchese call their homeland America and the people oppressed by colonists in both continents in the hemisphere as Americans or Native Americans. The very name is, of course, European. At other points, they refer to the New World and the Carolinas, both also European inventions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was torn between giving it four and five starts...which means it's time for me to introduce this review's big BUT.

All the Science Comics I've read (Cats, Dogs, Crows) have space in the back for a glossary, notes, and sources. The Olympians series, while a separate series entirely, is still published by First Second for a similar audience, and they have detailed notes with definitions, an author's historical note that includes disclaimers about artistic license and interpretation, and both a formal bibliography and a list of suggested sources for readers of the intended audience's age. History Comics: The Roanoke Colony has only an author's note, and it doesn't talk much about sources. This seems like a glaring omission, especially because the difference between evidence and theory is so important to this particular book: there are well-founded theories, and there are some that are totally bonkers. It seems like it would be important to point out the differences even in primary sources: Governor White and John Smith, for example, might both be primary sources in some cases, but Smith's notes about the Roanoke Colony are just reporting what others said--he didn't witness anything himself, unlike White, who can report his own observations as well as rumors. Oh, and where did those bonkers theories about UFOs and other dimensions come from? I would have thought they were Schweizer's own inventions or ripoffs of Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602* if he hadn't included a 16th century woodcut of a UFO battle over Germany, and even then the connection between Germany, Roanoke, and Korea (!!!) isn't clear. Too bad Schweizer doesn't tell us where those crazy ideas come from so we can learn more!

(*Where the heck does Gaiman find this stuff?)

So yeah, an excellent book and a fun introduction to a piece of history, but one with major flaws preventing it from being a representative, responsible work of nonfiction. It looks like the publishing lineup for future History Comics is pretty US-centric so far, but I hope it can branch out to other countries in the future...and, you know, actually demonstrate what a proper history book should look like, with sources, notes, and acknowledgements of where the evidence is thin. Discussion questions might not go amiss, either.


Disclaimer: I work for the parent company of the imprint that published this book but this review reflects my interests, thoughts, and opinions, which are entirely my own and do not reflect those of the company or imprint.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of Manteo and Wanchese, two Native Americans from Algonquin tribes who met the Roanoke colonists and visited England, this graphic novel relates the history we know about the settling of Roanoke Island in present North Carolina, USA in the 16th century before and after the English arrived (so detailed info on the way of life of the Algonquin tribes there and then the settlers’ set up), the challenges the English settlers faced and their relationship with the surrounding Native Americans, and then the disappearance of the 2nd round of settlers when their governor returned from England after a 3 year absence. Following that, various theories people have developed about what happened to the missing colonists are presented, and a look at what evidence really exists and which theory the evidence most supports.

This was a highly informative look at life for both Native Americans and English colonists in Roanoke. If you’re looking for a great crash course on the history and culture of Algonquin tribes, this does a great job presenting that at the beginning of the book. I thought the author did a very fair presentation of all the sides involved: Manteo, Wanchese, their tribes and other tribes, the English, the Spanish, the privateers and pirates, the Queen of England, the King of Spain, etc. No one comes out looking perfect. Everyone was flawed, and nobody handled everything perfectly. Of course, some, like the first blood-thirsty, power-crazed, greedy governor of Roanoke had very little positive qualities and he is presented thus. Those who were doing what they thought best and were possibly misguided or overly optimistic are presented as flawed but well-meaning with the reader left to draw their own conclusions. And cultural misunderstandings are also enlightened. I feel like every US history book has to make at least a passing mention of the Roanoke colony, but very few present what collective historical knowledge now presents as the most likely answer to the mystery so I learned a lot about what we do know from historical sources. I think some just want to preserve the mystery so they don’t really talk about actual evidence. Of course, the book is fair in presenting ALL kinds of theories including Algonquin folklore and alien involvement. The theories are then evaluated based on the evidence available. It provides a good model of how to approach historical mysteries where maybe we don’t have 100% conclusive information but we have some pretty good evidence that can point us to a theory that seems the most plausible. While the other debut History Comics book on Chicago’s Great Fire seems aimed at the middle grade crowd, this one seems more aimed at the young adult crowd due to the amount of information and the violence level. They have very different feels. Both are great at presenting history in engaging ways, but different. So even if you’ve read one of these don’t assume every book will have the same style/feel. Highly recommended to anyone interested in unsolved mysteries, US history, Native American cultures, and graphic novel fans.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: No language issues. No sex scenes. It talks about how Queen Elizabeth I like to flirt a lot and Sir Walter Raleigh was considered a sexy man and like to flirt with her, but nothing beyond talking about flirting. Violent clashes between privateers and ships, Spanish/English, English colonists and Native Americans, Native Americans with each other, and humans vs nature are described. Some gruesome details about some of these events are included, violence depicted on page is cartoon-ized so not as gory as if it were realistically painted but some still disturbing things presented and deaths on page.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ngaio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a complicated experience with this book. On one hand, I was excited to see graphic novel depictions of history made for kids. It’s hard to introduce some of these topics to students because so little of the material is made with them in mind.

Overall, this book succeeds at its goal. It’s informative and engaging. I loved that it had Indigenous narrators and generally told the story from their perspective. But on the flip side it also provided reasons why some of the Europeans may have acted the way they did.

The best thing about this book is that it has excellent comedic timing. The humour keeps the story rolling. The tone reminds me a lot of Terry Deary’s Horrible History series.

The part that was less good was in some of the handling of Indigenous matters. Some of the historical figures use words like ‘savages’ or ‘Indians’ in their speech bubbles. Mostly this is appropriately placed as a historical relic, but occasionally the effect spills over and the fact bubbles/narration also uses the term ‘Indian.’ I appreciate that the author of this is American, and that term is used more loosely there. Where I’m from this would be considered a slur and inappropriate. It’s jarring to see it included in a recent text, aimed at children.

Additionally, while it was amusing to see all the theories laid out equally, I was concerned at the inclusion of w**digos. I’m not Algonquin, but my understanding is that spiritual belief is closed practice. I have heard that some of those nations prefer that term not be used in pop culture settings.
It was explained well and in a reasonable context. But I worry that it’s promoting the public use of term that the people in question have requested remain private.

Overall, it’s a pretty balanced book and the humour is dead on. Four stars.

[Kate Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to #NetGalley and First Second Books for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of History Comics: The Roanoke Colony by Chris Schweizer. This graphic novel will be released June 30, 2020. All opinions are my own.

This graphic novel focuses on the question what happened to the Roanoke colonists. To answer this question, the novel investigates how the settlers ended up in Roanoke and what the people already living in Roanoke felt about the newcomers. It is full of history, queens, battles, sea voyages, disputes, violence, and pirates. Schweizer uses information from primary and secondary sources, archaeological findings, and a little bit of speculation to present the story of the missing colonists and theorize about what may have happened to them.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The lost colony of Roanoke is a topic I use in my classroom to teach evidence based writing and my students love learning about the colony and all the theories of what may have occurred. One of my favorite things about this novel is that it doesn't start with the colonists disappearing or even landing in Roanoke. Rather, it goes back even further to provide a historical and political understanding of what led the settlers to Roanoke in the first place and why it was so difficult for White to get back to the colonists after he left for fresh supplies. There is so much information in this graphic novel that at times it is almost overwhelming, but I think it would be an excellent tool to use in the classroom to discuss the topic and develop a deeper understanding of it (I even pre-ordered a copy for my classroom library). I honestly can't wait to share this book with my students to see their reactions and to build it into my current writing unit.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before the Pilgrims, there was another group of English settlers that came to North America first, the infamous Roanoke Colony. For over 400 years, their disappearance remains one of the greatest mysteries in American history. Schweizer takes a hand in explaining the story behind Roanoke, in his graphic novel series, History Comics. He explains the origins of the colony and the politics that came to lead both its creation, and likely, its destruction. Additionally, he also mentions the theories behind the colony's disappearance, both the sound and outlandish! There's also little tidbits about some lesser talked subjects that are brought up in relations to Roanoke as well.

For a middle grade graphic novel, Schweizer does well in creating a balance with informative text and crafting a storyline. There's plenty of factual information throughout the story that doesn't feel too dry while flowing with the timeline. The illustrations are very colorful and cartoony, which I feel would be very appealing for the younger readers. I felt like I learned a lot more about the Roanoke colony here than in other (limited) sources, especially those less discussed facts about the freed slaves and rifts within both the Indigenous tribes and the colony members, despite the fact that it's supposed to be more of an introductory to the history. Overall, I found this comic to be quite enjoyable and learning deeper about the subject matter. I applaud Schweizer for his research and effort into making this comic, which I may even check out his other books in this series too!

[Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most detailed and balanced books about Roanoke for kids that I've come across so far. It explains the historical background of the situation, explains the what the Algonquian lives were like during that time period and how they were affected by the arrival of the colonists, etc. It goes into detail and doesn't assume any previous knowledge.

The issues I had with it: There was some crass humor. In one panel, the Algonquian Manteo is viewing himself in a scene from his past and lifts the back of his loin cloth to check out his own butt. He says, "I've never seen what my own butt looks like!" No butts are shown, but whyyy is that even in there? In another panel, Sir Walter Raleigh is called “the sexiest man” alive. Queen Elizabeth is also painted as a big flirt (well ok she was, but still, it's kind of an unnecessary depiction for this age group and very one sided/cartoonish in a bad way). On p. 91 Raleigh says, "The good news is that the Queen still thinks I'm hot." And lastly, in the theories about what happened, the author includes "abducted by aliens" and other nonsense - which is just to be silly, but some weirdos do postulate the nonsense theories...so... I'd be on hand to make sure my kids knew what baloney they are, just in case. ;-)

Otherwise (with the above caveats), this is a very informative comic that really delved into the whole Roanoke story and didn't skimp on the details or assume knowledge like most juvenile books on the subject.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I learned a lot reading this graphic novel explaing various theories on America's first mysytery: The Case of Lost Colony of Roanoke. I loved the way the author gave ample background information to lead up to the settlers in Roanoke and ending with the various theories of where and how they may have ended up. I liked that, as it was written for younger audiences, that difficult words are unpacked using bold font which does not onstruct one's flow in reading. The font type for the speech bubbles were also nice and clear and not cluttered as some graphic novels may have.

The one thing I didn't feel was necessary was the injection of conetmporary humor into the mix particularly in the conversation between Queen Elizabeth and Sir Francis Drake. The illustrator made them look like clowns in Elizabeth and Sir Francis Drake as a vain man. In using terms like "sexiest dude" or "hot boy," I almost wished I didn't let my children read it.

These are not necessary as the topic itself was already intriguing. I hope authors will take heed of some of these comments as many times, they are more of a distraction and totally unnecessary.

Otherwise, I love the information presented in the graphic novel.

[Carin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this new history graphic novel series, brought to you by the same folks who make Science Comics, and since this is near where I used to live (kinda. Adjoining state) and one of my accounts had a question about it, I jumped in.

The two native peoples on the front cover are actually the narrators, and while one guy likes the colonists and lives with them, the other guy, who was at first welcoming, ends up thinking the English people should leave, and fighting them. Yes, they look rather like caricatures, but so does everyone in the book (except for the dreamy Sir Walter Raleigh.) That's just the illustration style.

You learn lots of fun facts and then there's the disappearance. With that, they present several theories, from the likely to the cockamamie (aliens!) which is rather fun. As the other History Comics won't have a mystery at their core, I'm not sure how structurally different they are. But this was a lot of fun, really informative, and I especially liked how the story was told from the perspectives of the Native Americans. (No, the author is not Native American, which is unfortunate, but not, to my mind, reason to dismiss the book.)

[Molli B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I enjoyed The Great Chicago Fire from this series, I really liked this one. I learned a lot more from this one (the narrators make a lot of asides to educate us about things that were happening around that time—we get good lessons about Queen Liz, Walter Raleigh, privateers, all that stuff (it made me miss those huge pirate books I read a few months ago!!!)). As with the first, I think this book does a great job with the framing—it's from the viewpoint of two Native Americans who lived during the time in which the book is set.

I feel like this one is aimed at slightly older kids than the Chicago book. 11-13 maybe? There are a lot of references to how hot Sir Walter Raleigh is :) It's also much funnier (despite how terrible a lot of the story is! Folks, spoiler alert, White people are pretty awful!!). I think the author does a good job handling how terrible things were in a way that was age appropriate and not horribly depressing. I know there's a fine line... I think the author did okay with it.

If you have a young history buff in your family and they're looking for something new, I bet this will lead to hours and hours of their own research!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with a lot of side-eye because Roanoke stories are usually not very responsible. Was put at ease when I saw there was an advisor on Algonquin culture, Evan T. Pritchard, listed on the copyright page. Wanchese (Roanoke) and Manteo (Croatan) are the narrators of the story, and Schweizer goes to great lengths to show how the colonists were the guests, the anomalies, and the aggressors. I especially loved any panel that had anything to do with Queen Victoria, whose disgusting hygiene is really played up. Her brown teeth made me chuckle every time they appeared. Manifest Destiny is nowhere to be found in this book. Also, there is a lot of examination and transparent guesswork about what might have happened included in the notes at the end. I really appreciated this instalment of History Comics and I hope Schweizer does more of them. I enjoyed the illustrations, and the word-to-panel ratio. The editors did a great job with this one. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales or any other kid who likes reading history comics, comics set in the past, or mysteries. Some gruesomeness, as you might imagine.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read about the Challenger disaster and Chicago fire in this series and both those stories were aimed at small children. Nothing to note for adults besides a very basic overview. Fictive persons would narrate each book. The Challenger disaster narrated by small kids 400 years after the disaster. Quite pointless for adults. A lot of explanations for small kids. Like telling us why someone dying in a disaster is not just horrible, but actually means we can learn from it. Narrated to a small child in the book who is close to crying.

This book does not belong in the series. The quality here is absolute top-notch and then another step up. Spectacular storytelling. Clean, direct, energetic, colorful, illustrative. Great focus on history with plenty of details. A few pages here contain more history than both the other books combined. How is this rated the same as the other books in this series? It's a crime. This should have been released by itself. Then it should have carried a book series for adults, not small kids. I'm so glad I decided to randomly read this one after being bored by the other books. This stands out as one of my favorite history comic books.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly balanced and informative exploration of one of the oldest mysteries of American history. Schweizer starts his story well before the actual foundation of the Roanoke colony, something that makes sense when it's time to start laying out theories. A few of the crazier theories are represented (aliens! wendigo!) but there's enough ambiguity that there are several plausible possibilities. I felt like Schweizer was fair towards the perspective of the Native population, but I'd like to see the perspective of somebody from a tribe in that area to see their reaction, too.

As a note, this is a series in the same way that Science Comics is a series. They'll all be about some subject in the general field of history, but there will be different authors and, likely, different approaches. As such, some will be better than others.

[Mary Beth Str8K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read and I learned a lot. I’ve seen the play in The OBX about the Lost Colony of Roanoke, but it couldn’t possibly and didn’t go into the historical detail that this book did. Well-researched, author Chris Schweizer pulls from primary and secondary sources the author told the story of the attempts to settle Roanoke as a colony base for the ships that would attack the Spanish privateers. Readers will learn about the surrounding native tribes as well as what was happening back home in England, including how the war against Spain kept White from attempting to return to Roanoke for over 3 years. The author provides several theories that have been presented by scholars and conspirators as to what happened to the Roanoke Colony. Highly recommend this book for school libraries. I will definitely seek out other books in this series.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. For a historic event that is "America's First Mystery," there is a suprising number of facts we know about it. For me, it makes a lot of sense that they went to live with the natives. Especially based on the information that John Smith got years later. Besides the actual mystery, I think the way the story is presented was so good. The narrators being natives, Manteo and Wanchese, was interesting because it shows how perspectives on the foreigners varied. It is sad as I read more and more about conquistadors and settlers' relations with the natives, that most of the time the europeans only succeed because of sympathetic natives. If the natives were just a little more heartless, things would be a lot different. (Or if the europeans were a little more sympathetic...) Again, really recommend this book and I can't wait to read other books in this series.