Jeff Smith's TUKI and MumpWorld #1
Plus a little random brain droppings
Well, let’s just get this started with my new comic strip why don’t we.
And so it begins, “Why isn’t that portal closing?”, Hmmm, good question.
As I said in my previous post, the MumpWorld comic strip will be a little less “adventure” and a little more “humor” once the story gets going. I will include a new strip with each substack posting in the future. Occasionally, I may substitute a different comic (Nerd Hero Boy) just for fun.
On to the review.
A little history: Jeff Smith and “Bone”
Jeff Smith is a well respected pioneer in the independent comic creation and publishing industry. His “Bone” series of graphic novels were ground-breaking, both in the sense that they were critically acclaimed and that he did not publish them through traditional channels.
The Bone series (originally published from 1991 to 2004) has the distinction of having been threatened with banning from a school district in 2010 due to it’s depiction of smoking, drinking and gambling. At the time, such depictions were still pretty commonplace in films and television. Even as recently as 2018, a student research project posted on the CDC website reports that the most popular television shows identified by adolescent males contained 1 incident of tobacco use and 21 incidents of alcohol use per hour.
I agree with the idea of reducing even passive observation of harmful behaviors for young children. I also recognize that parental guidance carries a lot of weigh with elementary aged kids and that the portrayals of smoking, alcohol and gambling in the Bone series are clearly presented as negative traits, not to be imitated. I would hope that parents are capable of easily explaining to their young children that such behaviors are harmful. Any child young enough to be negatively influenced by such material should not be reading it by themselves, they should have a parent with them to interpret the information for them.
But enough time up on my soapbox, on to the actual review.
TUKI Graphic Novel Review
Jeff published his comics independently, before crowdfunding was even an option. He has continued this tradition with his most recent project “TUKI: Fight for fire”, this time with a crowdfunding platform to support his work. Jeff raised over $260,000.00 dollars through his kickstarter campaign to bring this project to life.
This graphic novel is a heartwarming story that takes place during the time of hunter gatherers roughly two million years ago. Jeff weaves together both historical information and fantasy elements to create a tale that is fun, engaging and informative.
Jeff writes in his “Note from the author” that he had a fascination with evolution “going back to [his] school days” and that a visit to the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania was inspirational to this story. The site had been occupied by many early humans over time and it inspired Jeff to write this story about the possibility of many different human species interacting with each other roughly two million years ago.
The appendix includes notes that help the reader to differentiate between the story elements that fall firmly in the “fantasy” realm and those that depict realistic possibilities.
In this story, Jeff’s protagonist “Tuki” is an early human who has learned the secret of creating fire. Other humanoid species of the time do not appreciate this knowledge and actively discourage it’s use. Tuki meets other humans while trying to find a herd of buffalo to hunt in order to support his people. Along the way he fights “demons” and rescues some kids from another tribe.
TUKI, at it’s heart, is an adventure story about a heroic figure that may struggle at times but always makes the right decision and risks life an limb to protect the vulnerable whenever necessary. It is a story that I expect will become a classic and should be in every school library across North America, unless you have some cultural or religious taboo against making fire, then you are on your own, sorry.
The first volume is 124 pages of black and white artwork, with 35 pages of additional material in the appendix and end credits. Jeff’s drawing and inking skills are on full display in this book. Jeff has a reputation for being a very skilled artist who can communicate clearly and effectively, captivating his audience with his design and linework. This book is a remarkable testament to that skill. Jeff’s characters and environments are clear, distinctive and attractive to look at. If the success of Manga titles in North America is any indication, black and white, and greyscale comics, are very popular with young people these days. Meanwhile, the overly detailed, extravagantly coloured, high gloss printed, North American comics are struggling to support themselves.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and although I have not yet read the second volume, titled “TUKI: Fight for Family”, I expect it will be just as well written and exquisitely drawn as this one.
Wrapup
So, there you have it. I am going to refrain from any specific industry commentary this post, there are many things happening right now, but I am not one of those people who always feels the need to be on the “bleeding edge” of everything. Not an “early adopter” if you know what I mean.
I will say that I enjoyed both the recent Paper Girls live action adaptation, and the first season of the Sandman netflix series. I have had friends telling me, again, that I really have to watch “The Expanse”, but I haven’t done so yet. Maybe next time I can fill you in on that.
I have multiple projects on the go, comics, paper crafts, 3D printing and custom steampunk decorations etc. Hopefully you are finding plenty to engage your imaginations this week, and I will see you next time.
If you like my comic strips, newsletter or graphic novel reviews, why not share them with a friend, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
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