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THE BAREFOOT SERPENT
(
Top Shelf Productions,
Scott Morse)
Scott Morse's latest from Top Shelf is about a family struggling with the loss of a child. Set in Hawaii (is the family vacationing?), the focus is on a little girl, the surviving child, and the people she encounters who influence her (seemingly expeditious) healing process. Although I've never been to Hawaii, one of the things I appreciate about this book is that the setting seems authentic. The drawings make me want to go there, I love the dialect (Hawaiian slang is great) and there's even a bit of spooky Hawaiian folklore. And, I swear, I can smell the ocean air and hear the palms blowing in the breeze. The book's ending seems a bit abrupt and maybe too tidy (in short, the magic of the islands allows them to carry on), but it's an enjoyable story. I can easily see it being done well as a film (live action or animated), for what that's worth.
The novelty of this project is that the story is also intertwined with the films, techniques and life of filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. The main story is framed by biographical material and is laden with scenes and characters directly inspired by the director. Unfortunately – and I hate to admit it – I'm not well enough versed in Kurosawa's work to see all of the layers, so I'll just have to take Morse's word for it. It's important to note, however, that you don't even need to know who the man was to enjoy this story. Also, while the bulk of the book is in black & white, the biographical sections are in full-color (that's around 32 pages) and they're quite nice indeed.
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