Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards: A Tale of Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh and the Gilded Age of Paleontology
I was nervous going into this book. It’s about the so-called “Gilded Age of Paleontology.” Before Indiana Jones (I know he’s an archaeologist but he was modeled after a paleontologist) there were Cope and Marsh. Every budding paleontologist learns about these two and their infamous feud, how their desire to outdo each other lead to comical extremes and created a wealth of fossil collections still being unboxed and catalogued to this day. The accounts of such an engaging period of my science’s history are always disappointingly dry. Such was my nervousness with this comic, because all too often retellings of historical events in comics tend to be little more than well-intentioned narration boxes and some adequately rendered illustrations of exactly what was just said in the aforementioned box. They relay a series of disjointed ideas and snippets, but rarely seem to forward a narrative, especially not in the way comics can and should excel at. In extreme contrast to that fear we have this comic.
In a story as old as time (literally), boy meets fossil, other boy meets similar fossil, lifelong rivalry ensues. In the ultimate example of publish or perish these two really did go at each other’s throats in the post-war Reconstruction American West. Along the way P. T. Barnum, Alexander Graham Bell and Buffalo Bill make more than just appearances, but actual contributions to the plot (which is well-researched historical fiction). It's a rollicking good time only accentuated by real life characters and their always amusing facial hair.
I’ve written a lot in these columns about scientists being real people, with real quirks, relatable passions and human foibles. If you’ve rolled your eyes and thought, “No way, scientists are BORING robots of facts and such.” I encourage you to check out this book to see exactly what I’m talking about.
By the end the story, I was ready to place it on my shelf right next to From Hell as a piece of engrossing and accurate historical fiction. Ottaviani has a nice library of available science-history based comics, everything from the space-race to stories of women in science (a woefully underrepresented topic). This book held the most raw emotional sway for me before reading, but that was as likely to be a detriment as it was a benefit. It having succeeded so admirably means I’ll be eagerly working my way through Ottaviani’s catalogue.
Story: 5 / Art: 4 / Overall: 4.5
(Out of 5)
“Spoiler Warning: The naked guy in the carriage is fact, not fiction.” – that’s what you should have opened with.
I remember you talking about these guys on Science. . .sort of. Awesome, I’ll check this out. Thanks, Ryan.
This has raced up my reading list. Can’t believe I haven’t picked it up yet. Even the name is rad.
I picked this up at NYCC from Mr.Cannon himself. Its a great book so far. I say so far as I am still reading it. In my “to Read” pile I always have a palate cleanser, something I read at a slow pace and don’t rush.
While reading this I wondered “Is this real?” and I’m so glad that Ryan did the research for me as I was unsure of where to turn other than Wiki.
The only negative I can say is that on several pages the art subtly changes. Whether this is Big Time Attic switching pencilers but it is noticeable as it isn’t when the chapters occur. This is such a minor issue and is quickly forgotten.
People need to pick this up.