Ernesto "Che" Guevara's life and times are concisely communicated in exactly 100 pages of comics written and drawn by the man born for the job, Spain Rodriguez.  One of the founding members of the original Underground Comix generation that helped define the 1960s, Spain (the single name by which he is commonly known and referred to in the comics world, but not, alas, in the wider world, for then we could have had a book that was titled, simply, an more appropriately, "Che by Spain") is someone who is sure to have been conversant with Che's iconic and political status during those heady days when his life and work was still in the air and so have had ample time during the ensuing forty-some years since his death to ruminate upon Che's significance as well as digest the morass of historical data and coordinate the diverse opinions into a single, solid over-arching narrative; this he has done.  In yet another example of the communicative efficiency of comics, this work, which can be successfully absorbed after dinner, imparts the saga of an era that will leave its readers more worldly and skeptical.  It must be said that most of the negative aspects that have been imputed to Che's character have been ignored and that some (i.e. conservative) critics will doubtless view this portrayal as a "whitewash."  Regardless of any and all opinions on the pros and cons of Che the man, we're confident in our positive appraisal of "Che" by Spain as making for an absorbing read. R.I.P Spain...

Published by one of the leading lights of the Left, Verso Books, this anthology is jam-packed full of engaging, entertaining, enjoyable and, especially, educational comics about a wide swath of historical figures – ranging from Walt Whitman to Charlie Parker and including Gertrude Stein, Mabel Dodge, Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker and far too many others to mention here – that have been collected together under the umbrella of "Bohemians."  There are some great comics on hand here, by the likes of Sharon Rudahl, Dan Steffan, Sabrina Jones, Matt Howarth, Lance Tooks, David Lasky, Milton Knight, Ellen Lindner, Peter Kuper, Afua Richardson, and the late, great Spain Rodriguez, whose participation here indicates that this has been a long fermenting project.  All in all it makes for a great read, and it's a good deal!  Laugh and learn, for less.  Recommended.