SANTIAGO! by Jay Hosler

Santiago! Santiago Ramón y Cajal - Artist, Scientist, Troublemaker
by Jay Hosler
Hardcover, 2022 - 978-0823450367
Softcover, 2023 - 978-0823454891
Margaret Ferguson Books

Been a long time fan of Jay Hosler, who has been doing science based comics for a long time, including CLAN APIS (republished as WAY OF THE HIVE), THE SANDWALK ADVENTURES, LAST OF THE SANDWALKERS, OPTICAL ALLUSIONS and (with Zander and Kevin Cannon) EVOLUTION - THE STORY OF LIFE ON EARTH.  He tells a variety of stories, approaching each from a unique angle, but usually with an unusual narrator (various insects and aliens and walking brains, depending on the subject).

So it's quite a departure in this recent book where he tells the biography of Santiago Ramón y Cajal.  And no, I'd never heard of him either, but he was a Spanish scientist who did pioneering work on neuroanatomy and won an early Nobel Prize in medicine over a century ago.  Of course it wouldn't be Hosler if it was a straight, dry biography of a 19th century scientist. The basic idea here is that young Santiago is best described as Calvin, from Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, a few years older just as incorrigible as ever.  From the copious notes on his sources and methods Hosler includes (which are almost as entertaining as the comics), this is a pretty valid interpretation.  Santiago is a wild child, clearly gifted in many ways and in love with art, eventually finding his way into medicine and finding a way to merge his talents and passions in a way which enhanced the understanding of the brain.

You can see why he's a character who would appeal to Hosler in particular, as a biology professor who has done comics telling stories that explain biology and science history for decades.  In this story you can see the influence of Watterson strongest, but also a lot of other classic humour comics and animation with Hosler's own well-honed style.  Really does a good job of making this story, set in mid-19th Century Europe, feel thoroughly modern while not having any overt anachronisms just by emphasizing the universal aspects of the story.

As Santiago ages the more explicit Calvinisms in the work recede, but still pop up from time to time as an expression of his exuberance as he finds his place in the world in a way which appeals to his passions and makes use of his gifts.

Highly recommend this book to anyone, and especially recommend it as a gift to any bright 10 year old with an interest in art and/or science looking for a book which reflects their own experiences despite the temporal, geographical and cultural differences.

Oh, and I see Hosler had another new book out after this.  ANT STORY about... a talking ant... named Rubi...  You can take the talking insects of of the boy...