Matthew Henson was the sort of man that pulp heroes such as Doc Savage and Indiana Jones were based on: resourceful, resolute, and courageous. In this entry in the Graphic Biographies series, Hoena speeds through a whirlwind of facts, about his life, from his stint as a 12-year-old sailor and hard times during which he was forced into demeaning jobs to his travels with Robert Peary, during which he played a crucial role in befriending the local Inuit population and locating the North Pole. Although the motives of certain historical figures in the account remain unaddressed, the encapsulation of facts moves briskly along and is filled with fascinating nuggets of information (for example, how dog sledges were kept together in temperatures that made nails too brittle to use). The art feels contemporary, and the layout recalls classic comic books, a great boon to the pacing.
—Booklist