"Because there was some doubt about Riel’s sanity, I delayed the execution until November 16th and had him examined by three doctors.  They all agreed that he was NOT crazy." – John A. MacDonald

I haven’t had the opportunity to read many graphic novels published in Canada or North America for that matter.  Majority of what I have read or seen pertain to Manga or Japanese anime.  So when I opened up this book, I was very impressed.  Let me just say that I would much rather get this book in its hardcover format rather than its trade paperback format as the trade paperback’s spine started cracking in very odd manners.

So aside from my mini critique of the production value of the book, let us move along to the life and times of Louis Riel.  In case you don’t know who Louis Riel was, he can be considered one of the classic elements of Canadian history where English and French Canada have clashed.  That being said, he was actually a part of the Métis nation who were descendants of marriages between aboriginals and French Canadian and/or British/Celtic settlers.  If you are interested in reading more about the Métis, check out this link to Wikipedia.  They provide a fairly accurate and descriptive brief on these people. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_people_%28Canada%29)

Using Chester Brown’s foundation for his book, this part of history begins in 1869 where the Red River settlement had grown to 12,000 people and within it were a Métis people who composed a large majority of the population.  A number of factors triggered what became known as the Red River Rebellion in 1869 and North-West Rebellion in 1885.  Brown really brings to light the different points of views involved, but nonetheless does not pull punches when it comes to portraying the darker sides of various figures in Canadian history.

One thing I can definitively state is that reading about Louis Riel in the books and listening to my professors talk about him, are so very different than seeing Louis Riel truly live his life in a graphic novel.  It is something about the medium that makes him come alive and the fact that you can see history taking place visually really turns Louis Riel into a legend.