Klein, Grady

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Klein, Grady

PERSONAL:

Born in Berkeley, CA; father a scientist, mother an artist; married. Education: Attended University of Chicago.

ADDRESSES:

CAREER:

Cartoonist and author. Former staff member for Ink Tank (studio); Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, former artist and designer for Princeton University Press, and instructor in animation. Animator of film short The Dust Bunny.

WRITINGS:

(And illustrator) The Snodgrass Conspiracy (first graphic novel in the "Lost Colony" series), First Second (New York, NY), 2006.

(And illustrator) The Red Menace (second graphic novel in the "Lost Colony" series), First Second (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Cartoonist and animator Grady Klein is the creator of the "Lost Colony" graphic novel series, which he both writes and illustrates. Set in mid-nineteenth century America, the stories are set on an isolated island before the Civil War. The island is home to a kind of utopian community that has managed to keep its existence hidden from the mainland. Klein uses this setting in order to create a microcosm in which to comment on slavery, racism, and other issues. In the first installment, The Snodgrass Conspiracy, a slave auctioneer finds his way onto the island, setting off events that shake up the community. Interestingly, Klein mixes historical detail with jarring anachronisms in speech patterns and technology. For example, one character uses the word "dude" a lot, and Klein has another character invent a robot as a possible way to replace the slaves.

The Snodgrass Conspiracy has found both fans and critics among reviewers. A Publishers Weekly contributor described it as a "somewhat perplexing book" that lacks cohesion because of jarring narrative and illustration techniques. The work thus "stakes out ambitious and worthwhile territory," according to this reviewer, "but it needs to find a focus." Klein used creative illustrating techniques to exaggerate or otherwise alter his depictions, lending an air of fantasy to his story. For a number of reviewers, this drawing style is a plus that makes up for shortcomings in characterization and plotting. For example, although Benjamin Russell, writing in the School Library Journal, felt that Klein's characters are somewhat two-dimensional, he added that the "artwork is clever, with marvelous colors and elegantly rendered backgrounds." PopMatters writer Dante A. Ciampaglia similarly believed that the plot is somewhat weak, while the artist's illustrations are "noteworthy." Ciampaglia elaborated: "Klein is obviously quite talented as a creator, both in terms of character and illustration, and his rich and full yet nostalgically simplistic visual sensibilities allows for both his writing and art to come to life wonderfully. It's this ability of Klein's, to keep everything appealing despite the often-times meandering story, that makes … The Snodgrass Conspiracy so endearing."