Louis Riel

    (Drawn and Quarterly, 1999-2004, 2006, 2013)
™ and ©2000 Chester Brown

Louis Riel isn’t much of a household name for any American, let alone a comic-book fan. But Riel’s name is an important, if controversial, one in Canadian history, for he is strongly associated with the creation of Manitoba as a Canadian province in the late 1800s.

Chester Brown’s well-researched maxi-series is one interpretation of Riel’s biography, which has been chronicled over the years by others with varying degrees of pro and anti-Riel slants. Brown’s is decidedly pro-Riel, and this issue focuses on Riel’s people, known as the Metis, and their victorious 1885 battle against Canadian Mounties in a remote burg known as Duck Lake. In particular, Brown focuses on Riel’s high-road ethics: Despite leading his people into battle, he refuses to use a firearm personally or engage in dishonorable fighting tactics.

Brown’s European flavor of storytelling yields a dry, somewhat emotionally distant take on the story, making it read more like educational literature than a piece of entertainment. But Brown’s take on Riel also makes him an extremely interesting character; that mostly makes up for the lack of flair. And Brown’s intent wasn’t to make this a visually interesting book, anyway, but, rather, an intellectually stimulating one, as witnessed by footnotes and other information amassed at the issue’s end.

This is entertaining enough on a scholastic level but not for those looking for thrills.

— Jim Johnson
Jump to issue:
  • 1
    #1
    Jun 1999
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    3 copies from $8.95
  • 2
    #2
    Sep 1999
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    1 copy for $9.95
  • 3
    #3
    Dec 1999
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    1 copy for $8.98
  • 4
    #4
    May 2000
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    1 copy for $8.98
  • 5
    #5
    Sep 2000
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    2 copies from $8.98
  • 6
    #6
    May 2001
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    No copies available
  • 7
    #7
    May 2002
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    2 copies from $21.98
  • 8
    #8
    Oct 2002
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    No copies available
  • 9
    #9
    Feb 2003
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    No copies available
  • 10
    #10
    Apr 2003
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    No copies available
  • Bk 1
    Book #1
    Jun 2006
    Cover: $17.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    1 copy for $14.50
  • Bk 1-2
    Book #1 - 2nd printing
    Cover: $17.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    ca. 2010
    No copies available
  • Bk 1-6
    Book #1 - 6th printing
    May 2013
    Cover: $17.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    No copies available
  • Bk 1/A
    Book #1 Variation A
    Jul 2013
    Cover: $21.95
    No copies available
  • Bk 1/HC
    Book #1 Hardcover
    Hardcover Edition
    Sep 2003
    Cover: $24.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    No copies available
  • Bk 1/HC-2
    Book #1 Hardcover - 2nd printing
    Hardcover Edition
    Jan 2004
    Cover: $24.95
    W: Chester Brown  ·  A: Chester Brown
    No copies available