AT THE SMITHSONIAN

At Age 204, Charles Darwin Gets Animated

Check out scenes from the new comic “Darwin: A Graphic Biography” by Eugene Byrne and Simon Gurr

Leah Binkovitz
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Eugene Byrne and Simon Gurr wanted to celebrate Darwin’s lifelong spirit of curiosity and bring the message to kids with their new graphic novel. Darwin: A Graphic Biography
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He occasionally went to extreme lengths to collect and document his findings. Darwin: A Graphic Biography
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His time spent traveling helped him produce The Origin of Species. Darwin: A Graphic Biography
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In 1835, he traveled to the Galapagos Islands where his theories developed further. Darwin: A Graphic Biography
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His father had plans for him that Darwin did not share. Darwin: A Graphic Biography
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During the five years of travel, Darwin filled his notebook with observations. Darwin: A Graphic Biography
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Given the opportunity to travel with the HMS Beagle, Darwin discovered a whole new world that piqued his interest. Darwin: A Graphic Biography

For this year’s celebration of Charles Darwin’s birthday, check him out in a new graphic novel that’s as smart and entertaining as he was. Journalist Eugene Byrne and illustrator Simon Gurr teamed up on their third historical graphic novel to tell the naturalist’s tale of discovery and personal evolution (get it?). Beginning with the days when young Darwin was a curious boy whose failure to succeed in the medical field irked his father, the novel shows that it was the naturalist’s curiosity and persistence that allowed him to eventually flourish. A botany professor invited him to travel aboard the now-famous HMS Beagle.

Enjoy some select scenes from Smithsonian Books’ new, Darwin: A Graphic Biography.

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Leah Binkovitz

Leah Binkovitz is a Stone & Holt Weeks Fellow at Washington Post and NPR. Previously, she was a contributing writer and editorial intern for the At the Smithsonian section of Smithsonian magazine.