SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

July 22, 2015 by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Review: ‘Steve Jobs: Insanely Great’

July 22, 2015 by J. Caleb Mozzocco   Leave a Comment

cover of insanely greatSteve Jobs: Insanely Great
By Jessie Hartland
Schwartz & Wade; $23

The sub-title to cartoonist Jessie Hartland’s comics-format biography of Steve Jobs refers not to his mental health but to his commonly employed catch phrase. “Insanely great!” is how he expressed his approval of something, particularly his various creations that had finally met his own extremely demanding standards.

There has been a lot written about the late Jobs, whose life story is essentially that of the birth of the personal computer and the gradual but quickening omnipresence of technology in our daily lives. That is, of course, because of the central role that Jobs played in that development, and he is a genuinely fascinating character whose influence on the modern world is kind of hard to overstate.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

But for all the words written about Jobs, for all the different ways one can be told his life’s story at this point, it’s hard to think of a more intuitive and user-friendly way than Hartland’s book. And that is certainly something Jobs himself would appreciate (although the control-freak perfectionist would almost certainly find things to object to in the presentation).

Hartland’s black-and-white artwork is in a style that is deceptively child-like and primitive-looking; at a glance, you might mistake individual images for the work of a kid, but the closer you look, the more clear it is how much energy and emotion is invested in the expressions of the characters. Similarly, Hartland hand-writes all of the narration and dialogue–what would the one-time calligraphy enthusiast Jobs think of her lettering, I wonder?–and the result is a rather homemade-feeling biography with a precocious, zine-like, almost rock and roll vibe to it.

Incredibly thorough, it follows Jobs from birth to death, cataloging the likely influences that made him who he is and helped formulate his design aesthetic and business philosophy, recording each of his major accomplishments and few failures, briefly delving into his family life and illness (but with a respectful deference) and not shying away from what a difficult person he could be to work with or, worse, work for.

In other words, it’s as well-rounded as it is thorough, but Hartland boils the story down to the barest of essentials, so that the book is a fleet, fun, one-sitting read.

Mostly eschewing rigid grids, the book consists largely of splash pages and two-panel pages, with lots of chart, map and diagram-like pages, little details packed in, with marginal notes identifying particular minor characters.

I don’t know I’d go so far as to call it insanely great, but it’s pretty great, and a perfect place for anyone interested in Jobs, regardless of their age or sophistication, to start learning about the pivotal figure.

Filed under: Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Jessie HartlandSchwartz and Wade BooksSteve JobsSteve Jobs: Insanely Great

About J. Caleb Mozzocco

J. Caleb Mozzocco is a way-too-busy freelance writer who has written about comics for online and print venues for a rather long time now. He currently contributes to Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 blog and ComicsAlliance, and maintains his own daily-ish blog at EveryDayIsLikeWednesday.blogspot.com. He lives in northeast Ohio, where he works as a circulation clerk at a public library by day.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

January 2023

Young Agatha Christie | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

January 2023

Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

January 2023

My Sister, the Cat, vol. 1 | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

January 2023

Star Wars: Tales from the Rancor Pit | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#181)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Readers’ Poll Results

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Value of Innocence for BIPOC Students, a guest post by David Mura

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

LGBTQIA+ Graphic Novels for Young Readers | Stellar Panels

2 Graphic Novels About Making Friends in Middle School

Shoujo Manga Is Back: 8 New Comics Made for Girls

'Salt Magic,' 'The Legend of Auntie Po,' and 'Run: Book One' Among 2022 Eisner Award Winners

Funny Books for Unfunny Times

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023