Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGraphics and story will educate you if not enlighten....
Reviewed in India on 9 February 2019
In some or the other sort, in summary or details, we know Gautam Buddha's story. ..his renunciation of the royal luxuries in search of meaning of life. This graphic novel brings that story live visually.
This around 150 page book narrates Buddha's life from birth, to Nirvana through enlightenment. Story is told in a very simple yet powerful words. It progresses smoothly across pictures.
What makes this book different is marvelous illustrations. Use of same colors and hues and strokes makes the graphic novel very monotonous. sometimes But this illustrator has used different shades of colors for different scenes making it very effective in its rendition. The characters are visually distinct so that you don't need to go back to previous pages to check who this character is. The dialogues as well compliment well to the graphics so you can easily co-relate the characters. These things are very important in graphic novels.
Buddha's journey, in his quest for Truth, through extreme ritualism and austerity and then his final realization of middle path is vibrantly depicted, visually and verbally in some 20 pages, which many pages of a word book can not so profoundly convey. Kudos to the illustrator and the scriptwriter.
Recommended for 11+ years old.
This review is for Campfire's Graphic Novel Buddha: An Enlightened Life (ISBN 978-9381182291)
