Dinosaurs Vol 1: In The Beginning…

/By Plumeri & Bloz
Publisher: Papercutz
ISBN: 9781597074902

I picked up the original French language editions of volumes 2 and 3 while in Brussels a couple of years ago, and not being the most gifted of people with languages I just about muddled through (it certainly helps that comics are a visual medium). At the time I was genuinely pleased with my purchases, not least because within the pages are two of my favourite things, and I quickly became a fan of Bloz’s dynamic and amusing artwork.

To break it down, the Dinosaurs series is a selection of, mostly, single page strips based around some sort of dinosaur-related theme, be it a particular dinosaur, the way they lived, the way they died, or a contemporary species. Through the course of the page you get to learn a little about the science through the brief narrative, facts and humour, which, incidentally, spills over into the other pages, so you get poor little Compsognathus constantly finding himself in the jaws of some larger creature and calling out his shame.

Plumeri goes to the trouble, and rightly so, to include plenty of up-to-date thinking and discoveries, and Bloz makes the effort to be as anatomically accurate as can be expected with a cartoon rendition, so, for example, you get your Velociraptors feathered.

I think it’s a brilliant and entertaining way to introduce the subject to the curious or the enthusiastic, regardless of age. The only shame is that Papercutz have, as with Benny Breakiron and the Smurfs, opted to print it in a smaller format than it originally appeared, but it’s a minor point and perhaps something I wouldn’t have even worried about had I not already seen volumes 2 and 3 in the larger size. Regardless, it’s an excellent book for cartoon and dinosaur lovers alike.

And if you liked that: Volume 2 is on its way soon

Dinosaurs #1: In the Beginning… (Dinosaurs (Papercutz)) (Book)
Author: Arnaud Plumeri
Publisher: Papercutz
Published: 2014-02-01
Number of pages: 48
ISBN: 159707490X
Price: £6.64
35 new from £2.65
7 used from £4.33

Information accurate as of May 2, 2014, 5:16 am

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