[audiobook] The Routledge Handbook on Cities of the Global South by From Routledge at Arts-Photography

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Silent beautiful and touchingBy JBeirensSilent beautiful and touching. Loved this book; the designs of the characters the color palette are tops. Highly recommended1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Surreal; socially conscious fantasy that will hook you on wordless comicsBy PopMythology-comSmoke is a wordless; surreal fantasy that may remind some readers of Gregory Bentons previous book B+F. Its a very simple narrative; about two young boys; seemingly brothers; who have to work on a tobacco farm but suffer from something called green tobacco sickness; which then becomes their entry point into a surreal world. Enter a giant dog. Thats about as much as I can say without spoiling it.This is a wordless comic but it is not for children nor is it a book to be rushed through. You should devote as much time to it as you would any comic; even longer perhaps; staring at each panel/page as you would a painting: slowly; meditatively; letting the image burn into your mind. If you do this; you just might find yourself falling under its hypnotic spell. Just as if youve inhaled a bit too much smoke.See a more extensive review at http://www.popmythology.com/gregory-benton-smoke-review/0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A moving wordless tale for the careful observerBy Raven HeartIts pretty easy to find a comic or graphic novel with great artwork; but a comic or graphic novel with both a great STORY and art is a rare find; and a great achievement on the part of the author/artist. To do this wordlesslymdash;so that people all around the world; in every culture and at every age can read itmdash;is an even greater accomplishment.I picked up my copy at SPX 2015; and for me; Gregory Bentons Smoke was the comic conventions humble but brilliant jewel. Benton paints his story with a quiet magical realism that tells a story of the fate of two boys who work on a tobacco farm. The skeletal spirit-dog from Bentons earlier book; BL; appears in this story too; but Smoke does not read as a sequel. That said; each book does enrich the readers understanding of the spirit-dogs character and the role it might play in Bentons cosmos of the imagination. The story is original and refreshing; and yet so simple that it reads like the legend of a placemdash;or a family storymdash;but what moves me most about it is how Benton has woven the outer and inner life of the two boys into one beautiful narrative fabric. Its remarkable how well Benton has done this; leaving wide spaces between the panels for each reader to put the tale together in their own waymdash;and yet all who have noticed the cluesmdash;picked up the breadcrumbs he has dropped along the waymdash;will find Smokes conclusion so marvelous and yet unexpected. Smoke shows Bentons mastery of the elements of setup and payoff.As mentioned in an earlier review; the reader must study the images on each page of Smoke slowly and carefully. Dont be afraid to flip back to earlier pages to grasp the fullness of how the story unfolds. I love that this book was written for the thinking reader who looks closely and asks questionsmdash;its not a quick-fix escape comic. If you get to the ending and feel lost; go back and read it again; and study the illustrations carefully.Bentons artwork is immediate; sincere; and playfully imaginative; and yet still seriousmdash;not whimsical. His brushwork in Smoke is never overworked or over-refined. Its accessible in its fluidity and its emotionally warmth; with deep caring; never labored. The ending of Smoke nearly brought me to tears. Thank you; Gregory Benton; for this beautiful and touching story.