I tremble to think how many links we've generated here at BrothersJudd and BrothersJuddBlog over the past 17 some odd years. Inevitably, in that time we've occasionally pointed folks towards a dubious source or two. Included in that number are professionally presented but ideologically scurrilous sites like the Institute for Historical Review. But I've always tried to learn my lessons and avoid such mistakes as we've gone along. So this book presented something of a challenge.

When the publishers--Sekwana Comics, whom I'd not previously heard of--offered us a review copy of a new graphic novel on an alternate history of the Civil War, we accepted without overmuch thought. But, ironically, when it arrived, the pomp and circumstance with which it was surrounded sort of spooked me. First of all, it comes in a spectacularly beautiful hardbound edition, but too this the publisher added a lovely card insert and fake currency and it suddenly seemed to be taking the possibility of a Confederate victory in the Civil War a bit too seriously for comfort. Then, as you begin reading, and General Lee follows James Longstreet's advice at Gettysburg, to launch a flanking maneuver instead of a direct charge, the success of which pretty much collapses the Union from within, it's not initially clear that the author thinks this would have been a bad thing.

This initial ambiguity, along with the daunting complexity of establishing the characters and story-lines which will eventually fill a planned seven volumes, led me to set it aside for a bit. But some online research, particularly author Dorvall's own website, convinced me that it wasn't some crypto-Klan publication. And it occurred to me that the lovely painterly artwork was far too dark hued to be representing a triumphalist view of Northern failure. So I picked it up again and finished it. By the end, McLellan and Nathan Bedford Forrest have appropriately been established as bad guys and twists like the prospect of even free Northern blacks being enslaved have made it clear that there won't be any whitewash of the South.


(Reviewed:16-Aug-14)

Grade: (B) Orrin C. Judd

Tweet

Dorvall Links:

    -AUTHOR PAGE: Dorvall.com)
    -BOOK SITE: Southern Cross : Annuit Coeptis (Sekwana Comics)
    -GOOGLE BOOK: CSA Confederate States of America: Southern Cross Annuit Coeptis, Volume 1
    -BOOK TRAILER: Sekwana Comics : Confederate States of America
    -REVIEW: of Confederate States of America : Southern Cross : Annuit Coeptis (Rhetta Akamatsu, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Brett Schenker, Graphic Policy)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Matt Mitrovich, Alternate History Weekly)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Jeff Provine, BlogCritics)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (John Hogan, Graphic Novel Reporter)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (CivilWar.com)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Martha Cornog, Library Journal)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Jimmy the MC, Geeks of Doom)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Evan McLaughlin, Civil War News)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Cody K. Carlson, Deseret News)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Jodi Scaife, Fanboy Comics)
    -REVIEW: of Annuit Coeptis (Book Verdict)

Book-related and General Links: