In the Beginning...: 03/11/17

In the Beginning... by Arnaud Plumeri is a comic book introduction to paleontology. The dinosaurs are given a chance to talk to each other and act out their lives for the reader.

In terms of learning about dinosaurs, it's fine. It's no better or worse than other comic books that do the same. Unfortunately though I'm not recommending the book because it falls back onto sexist tropes for its humor, especially in the present day story.

First and foremost the book doesn't need a present day framing story to set the stage. I think the average kid knows that those types of dinosaur went extinct millions of years ago. The framing story is just there to show women being obnoxious blockades to doing manly things like science.

So the only woman in the book is a fat, obnoxious, pushy wife who is there only to henpeck her paleontologist husband. Why the misogyny and the fat shaming? What purpose does it serve here?

Even when there's a built in poop joke (as part of paleontology is the study of fossilized feces, called coprolites. But it's framed again as a sexist joke with the wife demanding that the husband pick up the dog's poop while he's in the middle of working.

I'm being generous here giving this book 2 stars and they are for the dinosaur parts only.

Two stars

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