Insectopolis; a Natural History
Title of the book:Insectopolis: A Natural HistoryAuthor: Peter Kuper
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Publishing Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781324035718
Summary:
Award-winning cartoonist Peter Kuper transports readers through the 400-million-year history of insects and the remarkable entomologists who have studied them.
This visually immersive work of graphic nonfiction dives into a world where ants, cicadas, bees, and butterflies visit a library exhibition that displays their stories and humanity’s connection to them throughout the ages. Kuper’s thrilling visual feast layers history and science, color and design, to tell the remarkable tales of dung beetles navigating by the stars, hawk-size prehistoric dragonflies hunting prey, and mosquitoes changing the course of human history.
He also illuminates pioneering naturalists, from well-known figures like E. O. Wilson and Rachel Carson to unheralded luminaries like Charles Henry Turner, the Black American scholar who documented arthropod intelligence, and Maria Sybilla Merian, the seventeenth-century German regarded as the mother of entomology.
Galvanized by the sixth extinction and the ongoing insect crisis, Kuper takes readers on an unforgettable journey.
(From goodreads)
Peter Kuper is an American alternative comics artist and illustrator, renowned for his politically charged, socially conscious, and often autobiographical work. He co-founded the influential anthology World War 3 Illustrated, and is best known for his long-running reinvention of Spy vs. Spy for Mad magazine from 1997 to 2022. Kuper has produced numerous graphic novels, including award-winning adaptations of Franz Kafka’s Give It Up! and The Metamorphosis, as well as autobiographical works like Stop Forgetting To Remember and Diario de Oaxaca, documenting life, travel, and social struggles. His illustration work has appeared on covers and in publications such as Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Kuper’s style often merges comics and illustration techniques, with both wordless narratives and text-driven storytelling, reflecting his belief that the two disciplines are inseparable. He has traveled extensively across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, often documenting these experiences in sketchbook journals. Kuper has taught courses on comics and illustration at the Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, and Harvard University’s first class on graphic novels. He has received numerous awards, including recognition from the Society of Newspaper Designers, the Society of Illustrators, and Eisner and NCS awards for his work. His comics combine sharp political commentary, personal observation, and inventive visual storytelling, establishing him as a prominent figure in contemporary alternative comics and illustration.
Personal Opinion:
Although I know its for adults, I read it to mine 9 year old son who loves science. There are a few situations that I didn't feel comfortable about, namely the Zyklon B or the abortifacient that was used by Indigenous women as well as the intimacy, (Am not blaming the author nor the book) but aside from that, I would imagine any curious middle grade to preteen child will enjoy learning about insects as well as the power they have had over humanity. Having said that, I also enjoyed the read because of the amazing amount of knowledge that's packed into the pages. The story begins with the history of insects, narrated by a woman to her younger brother. In a short time the phone beeps and we move on to a New York without humanity where the insects travel to the library to explore more about themselves. (My son had two important questions: "What happened to the humans", and "How can computers understand insect tongue?") What is also cool is the fact its a graphic novel which helps make both history and science fascinating for those who are not big fans of books without pictures.
This was given for review
5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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