Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars

3.5 stars/5 stars

Sharp and beautiful artwork. Thin and clear storyline. Great composition. Visually violent. The book portraits the Apache Wars from the point of view of Native Americans. It examines well crucial events, people's complex motives, and the dynamism of people's hopes and grief. I lack knowledge in the subject, which made it harder for me to follow through and immediately understand complex events. Still, I didn't feel lost. Great storytelling. Great artwork. Great format.

It whetted my appetite for learning more of the Apache Wars, about which I know literally only the names Cochise and Geronimo, much to my shame. As far as the work itself goes, the narrative was not smooth and assumed too much knowledge on the part of the reader (because, let's face it: Most of us know very little to nothing); coupled with the art made things very difficult to follow. The art is pretty, but the characters blend together; very little delineates one from another, and that does the story a disservice.

That said, I appreciate what Hawke is attempting, and it is a vitally important piece of history about which most Americans know hardly a bloody thing. Now, I'll have to start taking a look at his reading list in the back, which actually makes me pretty excited.