Along with being a book nerd, I am a film nerd. For as long as I can remember, I have loved
movies. In particular, I adore silent
movies, those artifacts from long ago that represent the beginning of a massive
industry and artistic medium. And one of
my favorite people from that silent era is Buster Keaton, the physical comedy
genius who defied gravity and the laws of physics with his daring and
unbelievable stunts and wacky, inspired contraptions. So it was with great joy I learned that
master graphic storyteller Matt Phelan was coming out with an historical
graphic novel about Buster Keaton. The
film nerd in me was greatly satisfied, and the librarian in me can’t wait to share
this book!
Bluffton: My Summer with Buster tells the story of a
young man, Henry Harrison, and the friendships he strikes up when a vaudeville
troupe takes up residence nearby for the summer. Henry is introduced to Buster Keaton, then
the youngest member of The Three Keatons.
Buster’s job is to be the straight man, always being thrown about, but
never cracking a smile. They called him
the human mop. Henry and Buster’s summer
is full of pranks and baseball, but when the weather turns towards fall, it’s
time for the performers to move on and for Henry to go back to school, and back
to helping out at his family’s hardware store.
The next summer brings much of the same, with Henry begging Buster to
teach him the tricks of his trade. The
pair shares the ups and downs that come from being a not-quite-an-adult, and
each of them grows up to find their place in the world.
Matt Phelan must love history. He has beautifully illustrated the dust bowl
in The Storm in the Barn and the turn of the century adventurers in Around
the World. I might be prejudiced because
of the subject matter, but I think this might be Phelan’s best. He perfectly captures the time period, and
the emotional time period of young men growing up, sometimes not knowing
exactly where they’re going. Phelan’s
watercolors evoke an idyllic slice of summertime that can’t help but make you
nostalgic.
If this book encourages even one child at my library to look
into the films of Buster Keaton and the silent era, I’ll be a very happy
camper.
Bluffton: My Summer with Buster by Matt Phelan
2013, Candlewick Press
Final copy provided by publisher for review
2013, Candlewick Press
Final copy provided by publisher for review
