Extinctions: Twilight of the Species

by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu

Two journalists travel to an island in the Arctic Circle where scientists are searching for fossils of extinct animals. Like all journalists, they have a lot of questions: how is it possible for an entire species to completely disappear? Word has it that we're in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, but what exactly does that mean? How did the first five happen? What is the scientific definition of an extinction? Alexandre Franc adeptly illustrates the narrative by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu, a specialist in natural sciences and doctor of biological oceanology. Panafieu, who has already authored a number of popular science books, gives a clear explanation of what mass extinctions are, cleverly comparing past extinctions with the one we are witnessing now. The two authors present us with a clear, intelligent, and lighthearted perspective on a fascinating phenomenon.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Bande Dessinée, Nonfiction

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2021

About the author

Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu, né le 11 juin 1955, est agrégé de sciences naturelles et docteur en océanologie biologique. Il a publié de nombreux ouvrages de vulgarisation scientifique (Gallimard Jeunesse, Milan, Gulf Stream, Casterman, Plume de Carotte, Xavier Barral). Il est également réalisateur et scénariste de films documentaires.

Reviews

[Juan Naranjo]

Pocas cosas me gustan más que aprender mientras me divierto. Para enseñar sin que parezca que estás enseñando hay que tener una enorme capacidad pedagógica que no tienen muchos productos culturales que se pasan de frívolos o de académicos. Pero «Extinciones: el crepúsculo de las especies» está en el punto justo. Es capaz de darle al lector una auténtica clase magistral mientras le mantiene entretenidísimo, intrigado y maravillado con cada dibujito y cada viñeta.

Un equipo de científicos viaja a una isla del Polo Norte para pasar allí unos meses investigando los efectos del cambio climático. Una periodista va con ellos para hacer un documental. Y esta es la excusa para todas las conversaciones en las que (desde los distintos puntos de vista de distintas disciplinas) se nos explica, ni más ni menos, que la historia de la vida en nuestro planeta, usando como hilo argumental las grandes extinciones que han sacudido la Tierra. Y todo se explica de una manera accesible y didáctica: mapas, diagramas, esquemas… con el simple objetivo por parte de los autores de que, con un vocabulario sencillo y usando todos los instrumentos que tienen a su alcance, los lectores entiendan los motivos, las consecuencias y las particularidades del surgimiento y la caída de multitud de especies animales y vegetales.

Este cómic es perfecto para curiosos de cualquier edad. Cualquier persona (de más de doce años) que tenga cierta obsesión por la biología, la geología, la zoología, la climatología, la vulcanología, la paleontología… disfrutará muchísimo de esta obra. Es muy recomendable, por cierto, para la biblioteca escolar o para regalar a ecologistas o cualquiera que se quede embobado con un buen documental.

[Vivek KuRa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an awesome scientific facts filled book. This graphic non fiction is for you if you are interested in topics like past five mass extinctions (AKA Great Dying) or the anticipated 6th extinction, invisible symbiotic relationships between all the species in the world (Including us humans), environmentalism and Global warming.
Book is a shocking wake up call for me for sure. It made me realize how fragile our eco system as is with out factoring in our mess ups like careless consumption mentality, consumerism based industrial lobbies and political decisions. Book made me worry about how the earth's future is going to be as early as in our kids' or grandkids' time . Time is really running out before we reach the point of no return.
History of the earth tells us, post every mass extinctions, new species will always some how find a way to come back with new adaptation. But this time it has hit home because we humans are going to be the victims of the 6th extinction if we don't act now. The important point of this book is , global warming is not the sole reason for the impending extinction, but it adds to the other factors such as deforestation, pollution , unsustainable energy models.

Book also recommends what can be done to some how stop and reverse the effects. Eat less meat, consume less energy, throw away less plastic, travel less which are all the exact opposite of what the globalized capitalistic corporations promote and propagate in the name of growth, individualism, dream/success etc. I am alarmed by the fact that following this selfish model will only cause irreversible damage. Damages cannot be contained by today's borders and we all humans will have to pay the price.

Feel free to recommend this book for any global warming deniers.

Book is filled with lots of unknown fun facts like below.
-Earth has seen hundreds of millions of species , but 99.9% of them are extinct
-1.5 to 2 million species are identified so far. There could be up to 10 million species in the world by most of them are still unknown
-The average temp difference between Ice age and Interglacial period is meager 5 to 6 Deg C (WHAT!!)
-Covid 19 transmission to humans could have been from bush meats of Pangolin or Bats
_Iceland and Green land had walruses one time. Vikings wiped them out
-There are 9 distinct species of giraffes (Who knew)
-Deccan traps in India are volcanic lava flows where Ajanta caves are today
-Contrary to popular belief , you cannot actually see either the great wall of china or the great barrier reef from outer space.

[mencey]

divertido y he aprendido muxas cosas de animalitos m ha gustao muxo ❤️❤️❤️

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review, with thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

This is a fun comic based around environmentalism and follows Emma and Luis, two documentary makers as they follow a scientific expedition to the Arctic Circle where they learn about the five major extinctions, the potential threat of a sixth and learn about different extinct animals and species. This comic is laid out in a number of chapters that present the scientific nature of environmentalism in a fun and accessible way, making it welcoming for younger readers, potentially middle-grade age. The humour is cute and funny. This is a really good way to introduce younger readers, or unknowledgeable older readers, to the work of Charles Lyett and Charles Darwin, and the threat of invasive species to the Arctic.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, color-filled graphic novel about extinctions, the environment and what is to come if we continue on the same way we are - it was very well done, and everything was done in an easy to understand way and thankfully, it ends with a hopeful premise that we can and NEED to be better than our pasts.

My only issue with this was the absolute teeny print - even with blowing it up to see the panels better, the print itself was minuscule and it made it very difficult at times to read and therefore wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been for me. Here is hoping the finished product will be better formatted and people will have a more enjoyable reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu, Alexandre Franc [Illustrator] and Europe Comics for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extinctions: Twilight of the Species is excellent nonfiction, science graphic novel. Through a fictional story of scientists that go on an expedition to an island in the Arctic Ocean, we learn about mass extinctions on Earth.

This graphic novel is not a quick read because there are a lot of scientific facts, scientists, and history. But it is easy to understand and suitable also for younger readers. Some readers may find this graphic novel overwhelming, especially if they don’t care about the subject. But, for some, this can be a great way to learn about extinctions.

I liked the illustrations in a colorful, cartoonish style.

Thanks to Europe Comics for the ARC and the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an EARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Please note that I read the translated english version of this graphic novel, not the original french.
This graphic novel takes a lot of the key facts and figures of extinctions, and the sixth mass extinction and weaves them into a narrative that is more approachable for many readers. It has a bright and colourful art style and some lovely imagery of animals past and present and can imagine many young and old will find it engaging.
As someone working in the Wildlife Conservation industry it was nice to see information laid out in this way, and you could tell this book had been well researched and was accurate, it covered a lot of topics and many which don't get taught enough in my opinion.
That being said it was a strange mix of fact and fiction for me, and the way the author tried to give out main character personality and later on romance felt forced and unnecessary. She was quite frankly annoying and it did pull me out of the story sometimes how naive she was, perhaps this story would have faired better if we had a younger main character that is just learning these things for the first time (perhaps accompanying a parent on the expedition.)
Overall not a bad read and one I am glad is in print as it has the potential to do a lot of good, just not executed as I would have preferred.

[Jodi]

DNF @ 30%—I finally have to admit that I am not at all fond of comic books and, let's face it, that's exactly what this is. I realise it's labelled a "graphic novel" but... if it looks like a comic, and reads like a comic, chances are it's a comic. The message it brings is a very good one, though. It warns that, unlike previous mass extinctions that were caused by natural phenomena, the current mass extinction (the Earth's sixth!) was caused, for the most part, by us—by climate change, and by humankind's careless overuse of our planet's precious land, water, and energy resources.

The book was written for a very wide audience—kids, youth, and adults. I found the delivery to be only so-so, though I think a younger audience would quite enjoy the book. Even so, I suspect that reading a 128-page comic book might be a bit too much to ask of a child. But, who knows?🤷‍♀️

[Emanuele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letto nella traduzione italiana, un fumetto consigliatissimo per un'infarinatura o un ripasso sulle grandi estinzioni (compresa l'attuale) e sui cambiamenti climatici.

I concetti e i termini sono spiegati in modo chiaro e preciso, utilizzerò sicuramente dei passaggi di questo libro a fini didattici.

Splendida l'idea di raccontare questi temi attraverso la storia di una giornalista che segue un gruppo di scienziati in una spedizione artica, che offre anche l'opportunità di mostrare una serie di tecniche di analisi e di campionamento.

Bellissimo anche lo stile delle illustrazioni e l'approccio comico a concetti che possono risultare complessi

[Oneirosophos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Borefest.

[Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Extinctions: Twilight of the Species by Jean-Baptiste De Panafieu and Alexandre Franc is a colorful exploration of the science of extinctions. The story revolves around journalists and scientists in the Arctic Circle exploring extinct species. The book addresses questions like "What is the sixth mass extinction?" and "How did the first five happen?" According to the description, the author "gives a clear explanation of what mass extinctions are, cleverly comparing past extinctions with the one we are witnessing now."

Overall, Extinctions: Twilight of the Species is a great blend of nonfiction and graphic novel. I've basically never read a science textbook in graphic novel format before, and it was very interesting. One highlight is the artwork. The artist strikes a nice balance between light-hearted cartoon-ish and science textbook-accurate. This is a much more palatable way to teach people about science that everyone should know about. This would make the perfect gift for the science-lover in your life. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of graphic novels, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

[Bidib Mapetitmédiathèque]

Une journaliste et son cameraman embarquent avec une équipe de scientifique pour se rendre sur une île du cercle arctique (fictive) afin de faire un reportage sur les conséquences du réchauffement climatique. Tout en suivant les scientifiques dans leurs diverses études. La journaliste et son cameraman vont les interroger sur les extinctions de masse. Il ne sera pas donc juste question de la chute de biodiversité actuelle et du rechaument climatique que nous connaissant, mais bien d’un voyage dans le temps, un voyage durant lesquels les scientifiques vont nous faire remonter dans des temps immémoriaux, à la découverte des 5 grandes extinctions de masses. Ce voyage dans le temps va nous permettre de mieux nous interroges sur le présent. Pouvons-nous dire que nous sommes à l’orée de la sixième extinction de masse ? Quelles sont les causes de la dégradation de la biodiversité actuelle ?

Une bande dessinée documentaire très intéressante qui m’a beaucoup appris. Les explications sont claires, simples et abordables pour tous, même un lectorat jeune. Une façon d’apprendre ludique et agréable. Une façon aussi de s’interroger sur l’impact de l’homme sur son environnement et de ses rendre compte de la façon dont la présence des hommes à bouleversé la biodiversité planétaire, non seulement de nos jours avec la pollution et l’industrialisation, mais depuis toujours avec la chasse, la domestication, la modification du paysage, le déplacement des espèces, etc.

Bref, d’un point de vue informatif j’ai trouvé cette BD vraiment très intéressante, on y aborde beaucoup de choses. Et cela m’a donné envie d’en savoir encore plus, notamment sur les extensions de masses précédentes.

Là où j’ai un peu moins accroché, c’est aux fioritures qu’on met tout au tour des informations : la petite histoire qui sert de cadre. Tout d’abord le personnage de la journaliste que j’ai trouvé absolument inconséquent. Elle semble absolument inconsciente, cela sert peut-être de prétexte pour les explications. Elle n’a pas l’air de comprendre grand-chose, du coup, on doit tout bien lui expliquer. Tant mieux pour le lecteur qui pourra profiter ainsi des explications, mais cela m’a rendu le personnage assez antipathique. Et aussi assez incohérent, d’un côté elle dit tenir absolument à faire ce reportage, d’un autre elle n’a même pas la présence d’esprit de se dire que non, on n’amène pas un chat dans une île protégé où il pourrait causer des dégâts irréparables.

Je n’ai pas non plus été très sensible à l’humour ou à l’intrusion de romantisme qui selon moi n’apporte rien du tout à cette histoire. Le côté documentaire me suffisait amplement, pas besoin d’en rajouter. Ceci dit ces aspects du scénario restent anecdotiques et ne prennent pas le pas sur le documentaire. Ce qui fait que j’ai trouvé cette bande dessinée très intéressante malgré ce bémol.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant young adult comic. I loved it so much. Its main focus is looking at all the Extinction events that has happened and the affects of climate change. Looking at what plants and animals we have lost explaining the evidence for this. It was a fascinating read and even as an adult I still learnt alot from it. I loved the pictures and the images of animals lost during these Extinction events. And it was unbelievable just how big these creatures were. I really enjoyed the humour aswell. It says its suitable for ages 15+ but I would of thought 12+ as the kissing section was rather mild. Yes there is a strange love story in there too. I thought the colours in the pictures were great and loved how when they were talking about animals it went into a little humorous sketches. It had that air of the horrible geography type books but in colour. It held lots of very interesting facts but as they were delivered with humour you don't feel like your learning so its brilliant for any reluctant readers to get that amazing bit of knowledge into there heads. I would say this is brilliant for schools and libraries and great for home learning too. Nearer the end of the comic it moves on to looking at the affects caused by global warming trying to encourage the next generation to help slow this down to protect our planet. Using brilliant graphics with very interesting facts. I especially loved the image of all the names of the species that are now Extinction in the most recent era. Its truly brilliant and I really can't recommend this book enough. I even feel adults would enjoy reading and learning from it like me.
I give this book the highest praise to the author and publishers for bringing this very interesting and important comic to help our future generations to help them understand the impacts we have on our natural surroundings.

[gingerfordays · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Well, the Earth is heating up and we are on the brink of another mass extinction...


What I liked:
- The art style.
- There were many gorgeous, bright illustrations that were visually pleasing in addition to the educational text that was being provided at the same time. (I really wish there had been more of these.)
- The message, even if it got a little lost in the sauce along the way.

What I didn't like:
- The main character was the most annoying person ever. Who sneaks there pet on a remote science expedition, where having a cat could be detrimental to the flora and fauna of the habitat. No. Full stop. I would have liked this more if one of the scientists had been the main character instead of the videographer.
- Many of individual cells/panels of art were almost exactly the same as the one before, while there was a long monologue going on. This made it boring and almost lecture-like and defeats the goal of this book, which I assume is to educate children about climate change, the Earth's natural history, and various extinct species.
- The text was often too small to be able to read.

Overall, I think this fails to do what it set out to do (with peace and love) but it is still a very important discussion to have and to learn about.

[EyrisReadsTheWorld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Educatif et facile à lire

Mots clés : roman graphique, fiction réalistique, éducatif, extinctions

Ce roman graphique nous parle des différentes extinctions des espèces qui ont pris place sur terre ainsi que leurs raisons. C’est très éducatif. En tout cas, j’ai personnellement beaucoup appris, je ne savais pas qu’on en était au début de la 6ème extinction de masses des espèces.

J’ai bien aimé le format de ce roman graphique. En effet, on suit Emma et Luis qui sont journalistes et qui vont donc filmer une équipe scientifique qui étudie la faune et la flore sur un île de l’océan Arctique. Par contre, je recommande de lire un chapitre à la fois sinon votre cerveau va saturer avec toutes les données. En effet, c’est parfois assez dense et c’est pourquoi j’ai pris mon temps. J’ai bien aimé suivre nos personnages mais je vous avoue que, parfois, Emma me fatiguait un peu. En effet, au début elle n’arrêtait pas de se plaindre et a failli provoquer une catastrophe lors de cette expédition. Le fait que ce soit un roman graphique rend la chose plus facile à lire.

Je recommande à ceux qui veulent s’informer sur les extinctions d’espèces de manière légère.

3/5

Merci Netgalley pour cette eCopie en échange de mon honnête opinion

[Silvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sent this book as an advance copy by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.

2.5 stars

I love nonfiction that comes in many different formats to cater to different types of people who want to learn. I was excited to get back to this format of nonfiction that reminds me of some of the science books I had as a kid.

Judging this book purely on the scientific content, I think it got the job more or less done. It was a little repetitive at times but overall okay. What I think didn't work was the format that made it so there was so much small text in each page. I think it got a little better towards the end where there were a few pages with less but bigger illustrations, but for the most part it was like 12 small panels in each page with text too small to read on my ipad without zooming in (and it got quite blurry when zooming in, so it wasn't a comfortable experience - though I can only speak for the digital ARC of it). The added bits of story were just annoying and especially the random romance felt just...distracting at first and actually infuriating at the end.

So overall I think the concept of this was good, the execution not so much, or at least it wasn't to my tastes for many different reasons.

[Isabelle Zazaboum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très bonne BD qui s’appuie sur la science pour expliquer les évolutions de la Terre et de ses habitants mais aussi des risques encourus à provoquer l’extinction des espèces donc à bouleverser l’équilibre de la biodiversité.

Emma est journaliste et part avec son cameraman sur une île de l’arctique avec une équipe de scientifiques. Emma n’est pas tout à fait la journaliste que l’on se serait attendu à voir dans ce genre d’expédition mais sa naïveté et ses maladresses sont des petites bouffées d’oxygène dans une histoire qui est malgré tout assez anxiogène parce que réelle !

Puisqu’elle enquête, elle questionne et elle est suffisamment novice en la matière pour que les explications qui lui sont données soient compréhensibles pour tout le monde et pas seulement la jeunesse à qui s’adresse prioritairement cette BD mais pas que !

Les dessins qui appuient les dialogues sont très clairs et malgré tout remplis d’humour ! J’aime beaucoup la mise en page et en chapitres. Le seul point négatif, qui du moins m’a gêné, c’est l’écriture pas assez nette à mon goût mais je précise avoir lu sur écran !

#Extinctionslecrépusculedesespèces #NetGalleyFrance

[Susana P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Voici un album dont le sujet est urgent et important mais qui ne m'a pas vraiment convaincu.
Deux journalistes partent en Arctique à la rencontre d'une équipe de scientifiques pour comprendre les risques du réchauffement climatique et les traces des précédentes extinctions des espèces de notre planète.

Ce documentaire en BD signé Jean-Baptiste de Panfieu et Alexandre Franc cherche un équilibre entre descriptions et humour. J'ai trouvé l'ensemble un peu trop dense et je n'ai pas forcément accroché au ton général. Malgré tout on apprend des choses et le sujet est indéniablement essentiel.

[Nora Suntken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly really loved this. It felt like a (longer) version of a School House Rock song and I definitely learned some new stuff. The art was fun to look at and scientifically, it was very pragmatic, without being overly pessimistic about climate change. It could get a little info-heavy at times, but never to a point where I felt overwhelmed. Certainly not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. One of those books that feel the need to dress vital scientific information as a narrative, meaning we get unlikeable people yacking on about extinction and fossils and climate change and so on, from the remove of an Arctic island where a TV crew are watching scientists work for the summer. As usual, the "story" is barely such, and the dialogue pure exposition. I know people find different books accessible, and learn different ways – visually or through data or words, etc – but at least make a book likeable if you want people to learn anything. One and a half stars.

[Cecile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Extinctions. It's a great way to learn about species extinctions throughout the ages, be presented with scientific facts about those, and realize what the effects are of human activity (not just that) on the environment. The form of it makes it palatable, the art is great. Can only encourage people to read it.

I received a copy of the book by NetGalley but the opinions in this review are my own.

[Émilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un roman graphique documentaire qui illustre l'étonnant et immense voyage de la Vie sur Terre et de plusieurs des extinctions. Le nombre d'espèces éteintes, en danger, vulnérable est ahurissnt, déstabilisant... (voir la liste de l'UICN...).

C'est déprimant, mais en même temps nécessaire pour prendre conscience que cette fois-ci, notre impact est trop grand et qu'il faut tenter de renverser la vapeur... Une lecture à prendre à petites doses, mais que j'ai beaucoup apprécié et que je recommande.

[theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A free copy of this eBook was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel was a lot of fun! I love all the colourful illustrations with the mix of the story itself and the more informative parts about the animals. The only issue I have is that the print is sometimes too small to read it comfortably.

[Nelson Soriano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se necesitan muchas mas novelas graficas de divulgación cientifica. Simple, pero muy bien explicado el fenomeno de la extinción y de nuestra responsabilidad en la actual perdida de diversidad biologica en el planeta. Ojala muchos lo lean y lo aprecien

[Julls · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork and story were good, but the main character ruined it for me. She is too annoying and ruined this for me.

[Oli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sympa, facile à lire et à comprendre, bien illustré. Manque juste un tout petit peu de profondeur pour avoir 5 étoiles.

[Séverine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je m'attendais à quelque chose d'intéressant et de facile à lire mais je dois bien avouer que j'ai été déçue. Les personnages ne sont pas attachants pour un sou, Emma est même carrément énervante. Pour le reste, les infos sont intéressantes mais la façon dont elles sont données est assez indigeste. Au final, c'est assez déprimant et on a l'impression que quoi qu'on fasse, on fonce dans le mur... Bref, ça n'est pas une lecture que je recommanderai malgré le côté environnemental intéressant. Il y a plus facile à lire à ce sujet.

[Silvia Campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

La verdad es que lo recomiendo a todo el mundo :)