Muybridge

The fractious life of pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge is chronicled in this brisk but thorough graphic biography by Delisle (Factory Summers). Born in 1830, Muybridge sailed from London to the United States in 1850, where he found work as a bookseller and was thrilled by proto-photographic innovations like daguerreotypes. After recovering from an 1860 stagecoach accident that put him in a coma, he had prematurely gray hair, a newly cantankerous disposition, and a hungry curiosity. Muybridge emerges in Delisle’s adroit rendering as an innovator with the mind of a mechanic, the soul of an artist, and a prophetic air. His painstakingly captured photos of Yosemite made him famous, and attracted the attention of railroad tycoon Leland Stanford, who had a hobbyist interest in determining if a galloping horses’ hooves were ever all in the air at the same time. Several years, a million dollars, and one breakthrough idea (a dozen cameras snapping lightning-fast pictures) later, Muybridge proved the answer was yes. He kept innovating, arguably creating the pre-cinematic landscape well ahead of the Lumiere brothers and Thomas Edison, who received the fame and credit. Delisle draws with his usual comedic verve, and keeps the pace at a lively clip while weaving in significant research. Fans of Louis Riel and other comics cultural histories will find this well worth their time. Agent: Sylvain Coissard, Sylvain Coissard Agency. (Apr.)