The Cartoon History of the Universe by Larry Gonick (No. 73)

The Cartoon History of the Universe (1990 to present)

by Larry Gonick

REVIEW BY RAY MESCALLADO:

(from The 100 Best Comics of the Century! in The Comics Journal #210, 1999)

Larry Gonick is a gifted cartoonist performing a great duty for education: he's teaching us how to laugh at history. This doesn't mean he ridicules history or dismiss its significance - far from it. Gonick takes the events and figures and attitudes of ancient times and makes them accessible through beautifully humorous drawings, a strong sense of narrative, and a mastery of history that can give university professors a run for their money. While Gonick doesn't quite stay true to his title - he starts with the Big Bang, but quickly settles on Earth as his focus - he doesn't limit himself to the West, either. The expected histories of the Greeks and Romans are followed by chapters devoted to various Asian cultures; clearly, Gonick's ambitious project aims to be as comprehensive as it can possibly allow.

Gonick's three strongest assets are a classic Bigfoot visual style, a strong eye for the connecting tissue between events, and research, research, research. The hackneyed metaphor of books as "time machines" is given a fresh dust-off in his hands, mostly because he puts his money where his mouth is and delivers an engaging story from all that he has read and all that he's pieced together. With such a rich, fascinating subject as the history of everything, Gonick has the best material possible for comedy as well education. The Spartan way of life is summed up by a humorous mantra ("I can take it, I can take it...") that leads to an unexpected punchline; the story of the Buddha is recounted with both discretion and an empathic eye for the humanity of the religious figure as a young man. Gonick is equal parts comedian and scholar: physical humour and caricature (ie Socrates is a grimy, old curmudgeon), shatters popular myths, while illustrated foot notes provide further context for complex situations. Comic exaggeration is used to great effect, but also responsibly captures the gist of his lessons. 

Gonick is also willing to poke fun at the process of making history. His introduction to each chapter is charming, there are several enlightening sequences about historical interpretation (including one that satirises the way extrapolation from an artefact can become out-and-out silliness), and he even draws interesting connections between the follies of ancient cultures and our own. That attention to relevancy - in whatever form, in whatever time, in whatever place - helps make Gonick a distinctive comix voice and a praiseworthy historian. With two volumes done and more undoubtedly on the way, Gonick's special brand of edutainment should continue to enlighten and delight for years to come.

WILL EISNER:

Larry Gonick has created a genre all his own. The use of comic art to tell serious history is a brilliant application of the medium. The underlying scholarship in this work reinforces and demonstrates the capability of cartoons as a valid teaching form... Best of all he is wedding learning with fun. Bravo!

FURTHER READING:

Larry Gonick's Official Site