Graphic Novel Review – Through a Life by Tom Haugomat (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: All Ages
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fiction
Length: 184 pages
Publisher: Nobrow
Release Date: February 5, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1910620496
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC from Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Told through a series of poignant vignettes, Through A Life is a sweeping story of dreams, expectations, nature, and loss. Rodney spends his life looking through. Windows give way to screens as he comes of age dreaming of what lies beyond Earth’s atmosphere. This powerfully silent graphic novel follows the saga of a boy who grows up to be an astronaut, just like he always wanted, until a fatal space shuttle crash upends his life, and he begins to find solace in the beauty here on earth.”

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. I enjoyed how this graphic novel was put together. This book is entirely pictures, no text. It goes from the beginning of Rodney’s life to the end. The left hand pages shows what Rodney is doing at the time and the right hand page shows what he sees through his own eyes. The left hand page also shows the date and location of the scene.

This was a very moving story and there is some irony in how things come full circle after Rodney has realized his lifelong dreams. I enjoyed this and liked how much emotion and story were put into this completely word-free rendition of Rodney’s life.

My only complaint is that there were a couple things I found a bit confusing. I had to go back and really analyze the pictures to try to figure out what was going on. Even doing that I am still a bit confused about exactly what happened in parts of Rodney’s life.

Overall this was a well done graphic novel about a man’s life; from the dreams of a young boy to the hopes of a old man. I would recommend to those who enjoy graphic novels about life and commentary about what is really important in life.