In 1895, intrepid adventurer Joshua Slocum attempted to sail solo around the world, determined to become the first person to complete the seemingly impossible feat. His memoir of the quest was originally published in 1900 to great acclaim, and has now been adapted into a brand new graphic novel by cartoonist Jon Buller.
Buy Sailing Alone Around the WorldSlocum’s story and Buller’s adaptation take us through the early planning stages and year-long sailboat restoration as Slocum single-handedly got his donated craft seaworthy. It’s only a few pages, but it’s interesting seeing the boat construction details, including rigging his own boiler to steam and bend replacement timbers for the hull, as well as later extending the aft to allow for an extra sail. He was a veteran sea captain by trade, but unemployed during the rise of steam-powered ships, seemingly making his wind-powered quest a public reminder of the continued relevance of sailing ships.
The most surprising part of the adventure occurs after the first leg, when Slocum arrives in Gibraltar from Boston and is persuaded to avoid the pirate-infested Mediterranean. This change results in a massive backtrack that finds Slocum once again crossing the Atlantic to continue his adventure west around the tip of South America instead of east through the Suez Canal. Upon reaching Cape Horn, he navigates through perilous native tribes and inclement sailing conditions before entering the vast, peaceful expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
There are plenty of interesting twists and turns in his meandering journey, making the pleasure for both Slocum and the reader in that trip, not its hopeful destination. Slocum’s interactions in exotic ports of call remind readers just how untamed the world still was a century ago, and Buller brings it to vivid life in whimsical, charming illustrations.
Buller is a veteran illustrator for children’s books, primarily early reader and middle-grade titles, with his first principal foray into comics occurring just two years ago in his prior Fantagraphics project, Nudism Comes to Connecticut. As in that book, he retains his children’s book style with simple, cartoony figures, with exaggerated features and rounded edges more typical to cartoons than non-fiction comics. And yet, the style works quite well for the material, especially because he takes pains to really flesh out the world with expansive, detailed backgrounds and seacraft. The art is rendered in black ink with purple shading, with a great deal of crosshatching further providing weight to the figures and environments. It’s an inviting, timeless art style that greatly enhances the already amazing story.
