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Booth
In a time when brother was pitted against brother, no family was more divided than the Booths. The United States has become violently polarized. Political fanaticism divides an embittered populace. A recently elected President—an energizing symbol of change for some, and a harbinger of the downfall of America for others—stands at the center of the turmoil. It is 1865, and John Wilkes Booth is about to assassinate the President of the United States. From the pen of American historian C.C. Colbert and the brush of French comics master Tanitoc comes a thought-provoking perspective on one of the greatest villains of U.S. a killer who was also an actor, a lover, a doubter, and, in his own mind, a patriot.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 10, 2021
This was quite good, if a bit dry. The only real problem I had with it though, was the art style made it occasionally difficult to tell characters apart. It’s also interesting to compare the mindset of those who believed that the defeat of the Confederacy at the end of the Civil War was only temporary and that they merely needed to reignite the conflagration, to the people today (June 2021) who fervently believe that tRump will be magically reinstated as president by August. Magical thinking is a strange self-delusion.
June 12, 2010
I'm a little surprised at all the negative and ho-hum reviews people have given this title. Admittedly I'm a bit of a Booth fan. Ok, fan may not be the right word. I'm fascinated by the man, and have been ever since I had a job at the box office at Ford's Theatre so I tend to pick up everything I run across on him. That this is a graphic novel only made it more appealing to me.
The book basically charts the main lines of Booth's life from early childhood up to the assasination, highlighting his relationships with women, his flailing acting career, the competition he had with his brother and how all of these pieces coalesced and nudged him into the post-war confederate conspiracies that eventually led to Lincoln's murder. Colbert brings the credibility of a real historian, and I can say from the other books on Booth I have read this is a fairly accurate portrayal (at least for what we know of Booth). I really like the stressing on how much of a pawn---albeit a passionate, willing pawn----Booth was in the event. Inclusion of dialogue and creation of dramatic scenes made this, at least for me, a much faster read than the graphic biographies written by Rick Geary, which I often find interesting but slow.
I also really enjoyed Tanitoc's artwork----although I've read some of his essays, this is the first visual work I've seen from him. Maybe it's just because he's French and I want to see it, but I see a lot of Daumier in his linework: the slightly exaggerated but still very real faces, the slightly skewed sense of space.... His dingy palette and wonderfully researched costumes and architecture really lend itself to the time period.
Is this the greatest bit of cartooning of all time? No. But it is an enjoyable read for history buffs, especially if their background knowledge of the Lincoln assasination is somewhat limited.
The book basically charts the main lines of Booth's life from early childhood up to the assasination, highlighting his relationships with women, his flailing acting career, the competition he had with his brother and how all of these pieces coalesced and nudged him into the post-war confederate conspiracies that eventually led to Lincoln's murder. Colbert brings the credibility of a real historian, and I can say from the other books on Booth I have read this is a fairly accurate portrayal (at least for what we know of Booth). I really like the stressing on how much of a pawn---albeit a passionate, willing pawn----Booth was in the event. Inclusion of dialogue and creation of dramatic scenes made this, at least for me, a much faster read than the graphic biographies written by Rick Geary, which I often find interesting but slow.
I also really enjoyed Tanitoc's artwork----although I've read some of his essays, this is the first visual work I've seen from him. Maybe it's just because he's French and I want to see it, but I see a lot of Daumier in his linework: the slightly exaggerated but still very real faces, the slightly skewed sense of space.... His dingy palette and wonderfully researched costumes and architecture really lend itself to the time period.
Is this the greatest bit of cartooning of all time? No. But it is an enjoyable read for history buffs, especially if their background knowledge of the Lincoln assasination is somewhat limited.
September 25, 2010
C'mon. I should be able to tell characters apart in a graphic novel. Here the art was so indistinct I often could not tell who was who. I was sort of shocked by such seemingly careless art. If that style was supposed to convey insight it escaped me. And was that sex scene really needed? I got the point without the graphics, and young teens would have too. Too bad, because the story itself was interesting; I enjoyed the Edwin Booth part especially.
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November 18, 2009Oh gaudy victorian-ness. How I love you so! This book could also be called "Booth is a ladies man...but yeah, still a big jerk."
April 26, 2025
I read this for a [Library] Staff Book Discussion. The year is 1865; Abraham Lincoln has just been reelected as President; the U.S. is divided more than ever before. This is a fictionalized account of John Wilkes Booth, his role in Lincoln's death, and what happened immediately after.
Overall, this was not a horrible graphic novel. The book is divided into chapters, and at the start of each chapter, the reader is told what is going to happen. My biggest issue, and I really do not know how to address this is that it is difficult to immediately shift from one scene to the next and back again when major actions are taking place simultaneously. For example, as soon as Booth fires the gun towards Lincoln, we see blood spatter on Mary Todd Lincoln's face, and then Booth jumps to the stage. At one point, I thought the actors were still acting, but now I think the frames are of Robert Lincoln at the White House. It's all somewhat confusing.
I've been told that to effectively show different scenes in a graphic novel, an artist / illustrator should use a combination of panel layouts, visual cues, and page design techniques. Panel layouts, such as splash panels, borderless panels, and panel grids, can establish a new location or time period. There is not enough of a distinction in this novel to determine exactly what is going on and where.
Overall, this was not a horrible graphic novel. The book is divided into chapters, and at the start of each chapter, the reader is told what is going to happen. My biggest issue, and I really do not know how to address this is that it is difficult to immediately shift from one scene to the next and back again when major actions are taking place simultaneously. For example, as soon as Booth fires the gun towards Lincoln, we see blood spatter on Mary Todd Lincoln's face, and then Booth jumps to the stage. At one point, I thought the actors were still acting, but now I think the frames are of Robert Lincoln at the White House. It's all somewhat confusing.
I've been told that to effectively show different scenes in a graphic novel, an artist / illustrator should use a combination of panel layouts, visual cues, and page design techniques. Panel layouts, such as splash panels, borderless panels, and panel grids, can establish a new location or time period. There is not enough of a distinction in this novel to determine exactly what is going on and where.
March 15, 2024
FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
I gotta admit that it was pretty good but it didn’t engage me so that might be the reason behind the low rating.
One of the major problems with this comic was the art style which made it very difficult to tell characters apart because they looked so damn similar to each other. And this made it very difficult for me to fully follow the story and the plot because I couldn’t really tell the characters apart.
However I need to give the concept behind his comic points. Because it had a very unique take on the end of the Civil War.
The characters here also felt very dry if you will. Because they felt like silly comic book characters.
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
I gotta admit that it was pretty good but it didn’t engage me so that might be the reason behind the low rating.
One of the major problems with this comic was the art style which made it very difficult to tell characters apart because they looked so damn similar to each other. And this made it very difficult for me to fully follow the story and the plot because I couldn’t really tell the characters apart.
However I need to give the concept behind his comic points. Because it had a very unique take on the end of the Civil War.
The characters here also felt very dry if you will. Because they felt like silly comic book characters.
June 12, 2018
The graphic novel artist’s choices to make all the women and non-Booth white men look so similar made it difficult for me to follow the story at times.
March 28, 2024
Not really into graphic novels. Read this for a library reading challenge
January 8, 2025
I’ve always been interested in Lincoln history, and it was really cool to see Booth’s backstory. I also liked the vintage style that you see in most of the old-school comics!
July 14, 2012
‘Booth’ is a historically fictitious account of John Wilkes Booth, the actor, from a prominent theatre family, known for pulling the trigger and ending the life of one of America’s most beloved presidents, Abraham Lincoln. The graphic novel is a piece of dramatized fiction due to the little known direct accounts of Booth’s life and attempts to shed light on a man forever immortalized and intertwined with one of the United States’ great historical leaders. Through extensive research, Colbert stitches together the rare accounts of a young man torn by conflicts of war, familial strife, and love affairs to showcase a short life that may have been one of more prominence had the tides of war turned the other way and the American Civil War been won by the South, changing the face of society we witness in today’s terms. Colbert herself, in giving her reasoning behind writing the graphic novel, states in an interview at newsarama.com that she, “wanted to capture the torment and the tumult of the times through moving alongside this one man’s tortured route to infamy.” ‘Booth’ does accomplish this goal of referencing the age and the shedding of light on a man that many are unfamiliar with in annuls of American history. What the graphic does not succeed in, however, is the meshing of story and illustration in giving the reader a sympathetic and engaging protagonist.
The main problematic issue I found with this graphic novel was explained to me in the above aforementioned interview at newsarama.com. In it, the illustrator, Tanitoc, explains that he met with the author only once during the collaboration. I fail to grasp why this would be, but, it is apparent within the pages. J.W. Booth, nor any of the other main characters in the graphic, has virtually no portrayed emotions or physical individuality outside of a mustache hear and a particular colored wardrobe there. At times it is rather difficult telling who is who and who is saying what. Another annoyance is the abundant dialogue bubbles with simply a “?” or an “!” inserted in them. The coloring is rather monotone and drab with generally only the character driven clothing inserted with any bright marks. Was this intended to signal an old-timey nature to the product? In conclusion, ‘Booth’ appeared to be rushed along, not typical of the great work I see coming out of First Second Publishing.
Hugo Schoen
The main problematic issue I found with this graphic novel was explained to me in the above aforementioned interview at newsarama.com. In it, the illustrator, Tanitoc, explains that he met with the author only once during the collaboration. I fail to grasp why this would be, but, it is apparent within the pages. J.W. Booth, nor any of the other main characters in the graphic, has virtually no portrayed emotions or physical individuality outside of a mustache hear and a particular colored wardrobe there. At times it is rather difficult telling who is who and who is saying what. Another annoyance is the abundant dialogue bubbles with simply a “?” or an “!” inserted in them. The coloring is rather monotone and drab with generally only the character driven clothing inserted with any bright marks. Was this intended to signal an old-timey nature to the product? In conclusion, ‘Booth’ appeared to be rushed along, not typical of the great work I see coming out of First Second Publishing.
Hugo Schoen
August 4, 2015
A graphic biopic of Lincoln's assassin, taking us through his acting career, estrangement from family, spy work for the Confederacy and ignominious ending. Writer C.C. Colbert offers a decent sketch of Booth's co-conspirators--and his romantic entanglements with a Senator's daughter and a local barmaid. But the narrative is fragmentary and disjointed; it's not always easy to tell who he's allying himself with at any point. This may reflect the shadowy talk and hidden conspiracies of the time, but the facts and faces remain hard to follow.
Booth's motivations are never fully explored either. We learn that he's virulently racist, with a nasty temper to boot, but what exactly draws him to the Confederacy--and to his monumental act--isn't fully captured. This is a Cliff's Notes version of history, good at leaving readers with a scattering of the facts behind the assassination but incomplete at capturing the motivations and larger historic context.
The art by French artist Tanitoc is vividly rendered, with a style that's reminiscent of a woodcut, albeit one filled with plenty of hand-drawn, inky detail. His faces are expressive and lively, and he's generally successful at making a fairly large cast distinguishable. The colors by Hilary Sycamore are good too, with an expressive palette of pinks, tans and greens lending flavor to the page.
But the story never quite weaves its collection of details into a full narrative. I appreciate the intent to capture Booth's story in graphic form, but the final product left me wanting to dive into the source material to see what was left off the page here.
Booth's motivations are never fully explored either. We learn that he's virulently racist, with a nasty temper to boot, but what exactly draws him to the Confederacy--and to his monumental act--isn't fully captured. This is a Cliff's Notes version of history, good at leaving readers with a scattering of the facts behind the assassination but incomplete at capturing the motivations and larger historic context.
The art by French artist Tanitoc is vividly rendered, with a style that's reminiscent of a woodcut, albeit one filled with plenty of hand-drawn, inky detail. His faces are expressive and lively, and he's generally successful at making a fairly large cast distinguishable. The colors by Hilary Sycamore are good too, with an expressive palette of pinks, tans and greens lending flavor to the page.
But the story never quite weaves its collection of details into a full narrative. I appreciate the intent to capture Booth's story in graphic form, but the final product left me wanting to dive into the source material to see what was left off the page here.
January 25, 2012
I'm on the fence on this one. It's historical fiction which I LOVE, it's a subject I found fascinating, with the Civil War in the background, so passionate a subject it even divided families, and the life of John Wilkes Booth, at odds with his own family because of his heartfelt beliefs. I actually loved the writing, starting with chapter dividers which relayed in beautiful script what was about to transpire. Booth was part of a famous acting family, but lingered in the shadow of his drunkard brother. He considered himself a fine Southern gentleman and did what he could for the Rebels. His life just kept getting more and more complicated as he sank deeper into subterfuge. It gave me a whole new perspective on how the unthinkable could have happened. The art, however, by a French artist and creator of the International Bande Dessinee Society was very confusing to me. Who said what? Who am I looking at? What is happening in this frame? It took me over a week to read it as it was so difficult to match the spoken word to the drawings. I love French art and cartooning but this required a more concise style in my opinion and the art prevented me from reading with comprehension, "enjoying" such a tragic story, and rating it higher.
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August 22, 2015I didn't like this book very much. Its positives didn't sum up to something enjoyable. I particularly did not like the character drawings, which had a flatness and uncharming childish simplicity. The lines did not have a convincing dimensionality for me. The color palette themes chosen for each page had a great emotional, aesthetic quality, but that didn't counteract the flatness of the character depictions.
The writing also didn't grab me. Booth is never a sympathetic protagonist, he's just a petulant, psychotic racist and traitor for no detectable reason. He's shitty to women, violent with black folks, snippy and petty with his older, better brother...why do I care what happens to him?
The historical detail is the saving grace of the writing, it propels the tale along with a force and tense excitement, so it keeps you reading. It is interesting to learn the specific espionage and biographical details of the conspirators, or at least this semi-fictional version of them. So it was nice to be immersed in a textured historical universe.
Maybe the author just wasn't a solid story craftsman. The ending was abrupt and almost pointless, which makes you wonder if the book had been chopped up by editors, or if the historian writer didn't know how to craft narrative.
The writing also didn't grab me. Booth is never a sympathetic protagonist, he's just a petulant, psychotic racist and traitor for no detectable reason. He's shitty to women, violent with black folks, snippy and petty with his older, better brother...why do I care what happens to him?
The historical detail is the saving grace of the writing, it propels the tale along with a force and tense excitement, so it keeps you reading. It is interesting to learn the specific espionage and biographical details of the conspirators, or at least this semi-fictional version of them. So it was nice to be immersed in a textured historical universe.
Maybe the author just wasn't a solid story craftsman. The ending was abrupt and almost pointless, which makes you wonder if the book had been chopped up by editors, or if the historian writer didn't know how to craft narrative.
December 9, 2013
In a time when brother was pitted against brother, no family was more divided than the Booths.
The United States has become violently polarized. Political fanaticism divides an embittered populace. A recently elected President—an energizing symbol of change for some, and a harbinger of the downfall of America for others—stands at the center of the turmoil. It is 1865, and John Wilkes Booth is about to assassinate the President of the United States.
From the pen of American historian C.C. Colbert and the brush of French comics master Tanitoc comes a thought-provoking perspective on one of the greatest villains of U.S. History: a killer who was also an actor, a lover, a doubter, and, in his own mind, a patriot.
The United States has become violently polarized. Political fanaticism divides an embittered populace. A recently elected President—an energizing symbol of change for some, and a harbinger of the downfall of America for others—stands at the center of the turmoil. It is 1865, and John Wilkes Booth is about to assassinate the President of the United States.
From the pen of American historian C.C. Colbert and the brush of French comics master Tanitoc comes a thought-provoking perspective on one of the greatest villains of U.S. History: a killer who was also an actor, a lover, a doubter, and, in his own mind, a patriot.
September 25, 2010
I don't really like when a nonfiction book takes a lot of filling-in-the-blank liberties with the unknowable moments, dialogue, emotions, etc of a historical event. However, Booth does not claim to be nonfiction and Colbert's take on Booth is quite how I imagined him. The sequence of Lincoln's assassination was fragmentary and dreamlike; I found it very effective and got a little teary-eyed. Sometimes I get a bit lost in graphic novels when i feel that the characters are not all clearly distinguishable, but if you come into this with some prior knowledge to the Booth/Lincoln assassination story, you should be fine.
June 16, 2010
Excellent graphic novel about the last couple of years of John Wilkes Booth and his divided family, (Edwin Booth was for the Union and Wilkes for the Confederacy) and the tortured, wretched soul that was too afraid to join the army to fight but preferred back-room scheming to kidnap or kill Lincoln. Can be read in an hour or so, and it is surprisingly how small the Washington social world of the Civil War was, (Booth fell in love with the daughter of New Hampshire Senator Hale and actually met Robert Lincoln at a party). Well recommended.
October 12, 2011
In her 20+ years as a historian and academician, C.C. Colbert must've had it drilled into her countless times: historians do not assign motive and emotion to historical figures. Alas, motive and emotion are fiction's fuel. So even though I now know a lot more about John Wilkes Booth's side of events leading up to his assassination of Abraham Lincoln, I still don't know much about why he did what he did and how he felt about it. Still a nicer way to get a quick dose of history than most tomes out there.
March 25, 2012
This book does a decent job of presenting who Booth was and possible reasons for his acting as he did. Pairing it with Rick Geary's Treasury of Victorian Murder: The Murder of Abraham Lincoln seems advisable to get a better rounded view of the times and event. (One could wish that an artist more in the style of Geary had illustrated this volume as Tanitoc's illustration style does not well serve the subject matter.)
June 3, 2010
This is a case of I really wanted to like this book but just couldn't get into it. The premise was really interesting but I just couldn't keep characters straight (because of the drawings, not the actions) and I guess too much was left out for me. Art style was all done in sepia tones which seemed extremely fitting.
March 21, 2013
This graphic novel biography of Booth gave a fascinating view of John Wilkes Booth's life that could not be described in regular text books. The art was striking and deep, the dark style of the artist accentuated Booth's dark life. An interesting read, but not too useful for use in studying, as there aren't very many dates and places named.
June 10, 2010
Unfortunately, I found the pacing sluggish, the artwork to be meh, and was not sure about its teen appeal. I've had a couple of GGN meetings with my teens where they get to pick which titles to read and review and so far only one has chosen this title.
June 26, 2010
Ho-hum graphic novel biography of John Wilkes Booth. The artwork was a little sloppy, and a little too dependent on its character color coding to distinguish characters, and I'm not convinced that it has real teen appeal.
August 6, 2012
A beautiful and well-researched little book. Some of the illustrations are a little strianed at times (the artist, Tanitoc, seems to have a problem with drawing hands), but he keeps a great tone throughout the book. I would love to see more of these on all manner of historic subjects.
June 17, 2010
not fond of the art, reminds me of heavily inked comic strip art from the early twentieth century.
September 1, 2010
Great to see all this historical stuff committed to graphic novel form.
November 13, 2010
Would've rated this title higher if artwork was of better quality. Come on, it's a graphic novel.
March 23, 2011
Odd and disappointing.
March 6, 2012
Way too many characters not clearly identified, therefore making the story hard to follow.
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