Audubon: On the Wings of the World

In this gorgeous graphic novel account of Audubon’s life, another character accuses the naturalist’s art of being “too sentimental, of coming “from an artist’s, not a naturalist’s point of view.” In historical retrospect, that’s damning with great praise. It’s also the philosophy of this romantic and nontechnical portrayal of Audubon’s life and work. Expressive design and subtle color impart the wonder of natural discoveries on the page, accompanying a sometimes nonlinear account of his life. Royer’s art holds a mirror to nature that’s both idealized and surreal. Royer’s depiction of flights of birds so numerous they blot out the sky, or bison herds stretching across the horizon, are so distant from modern comprehension that they feel almost like feverish hallucinations. But it’s easy to empathize with the rapture at nature as portrayed in the lush, strange beauty of these pages. (Apr.)