Endurance, Book 1: The Frozen Keep saw Ernest Shackleton and his crew sailing to Antarctica. With book 2, The Beckoning Shore, it will take everything captain and crew possess just to make it home again.
Black Rose Writing and Terril Sullivan present the finale to this two-part adventure in the Heroic Age of Exploration of the early 1900s. When last we left our characters, young Jack Robinson was near stranded with the rest of Shackleton’s crew, and a damaged Endurance was trapped in the ice. Back home, Jack’s love Leah considers forever escaping the confines of her hostile hometown. And far across the sea, Jack’s brother Edward faces ghosts and death on European battlefields. While book 2 continues all of these storylines, the attention narrows in a bit more on Jack and the crew, faced with impossible odds as they abandon the wrecked Endurance and make their way toward home however than can.
Sullivan’s writing remains effectively consistent here, weaving in historical events and Shackleton’s journals with quick pacing and adventurous storytelling—all framed in characters rather than a simple recounting of the facts. Leah and Edward both have their time on the page amidst the violence of the whaling industry and the filthy trenches of the European front. But these stories are winding down, and even the specter of death is less present on the pages as both characters wonder whether they will see Jack or home again. Meanwhile, the majority of this volume focuses on the tumultuous journey by boat and foot across an icy and inhospitable land. In the midst of that survival, loyalties are tested and even Jack’s barely tolerated presence on the crew threatens to take things to the breaking point. Sullivan continues to deliver a healthy dose of character work in resolving the fears and tensions of the characters, but the driving force of the book is purely the fight for survival. From encounters with wildlife to the harsh reality of being underequipped at the end of the world, Sullivan works to bring this point in history to life for the reader.
The illustrations remain as engaging as in book 1—with a wide palate of colors and a level of realism that still makes plenty of room for the flourishes of the comic form. Sound effects and natural dangers are worked into the panels, moving from dim and uncertain nights to bright Antarctic escapes. It’s a straightforward visual style that carries the narrative forward across countries and an entire world’s worth of beauty and danger.
In concluding the Endurance series, my feeling on both books remains largely similar. Sullivan’s art and writing do not break new ground in artfulness or test the boundaries of what comics can achieve. They are functional, made with care, and work effectively together to tell a story of intimate humanity and grand adventure. There’s something to be enjoyed here for most readers teen-aged and above, but especially for any students learning about this period of exploration or simply intrigued by tales of real-life adventure. The content itself has some natural violence and danger as well as discussions of animal death, but what appears on the page is never overly detailed or lingered on. Complete in two volumes and readily accessible to a wide audience, this series would be a fine addition to library shelves anywhere there’s interest in historical adventure comics.
Endurance, Book 2: The Beckoning Shore  Â
By Terrill Sullivan
Black Rose Writing, 2024
ISBN: 9781685134419
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
