Kimble Bent, Malcontent

Chris Grosz captures the adventuring life of Kimball Bent, sailor, soldier, deserter, outlaw and Hauhau slave, in a dramatic graphic novel. After signing up for the Queen's shilling, Bent was sent to New Zealand in the 1860s, on the eve of the tumultuous Taranaki land wars. An act of defiance saw him deserting the army, and his eventual adoption by Maori tribes. Kimble Bent, Malcontent vividly portrays Bent's life as a Pakeha Maori, his assimilation into tribal life and his observation of Hauhau war rites. Bent was privy to some of the most fierce and infamous battles of the New Zealand wars, Te Ngutu o te Manu and Tauranga-ika, for instance, and acquainted with some of its most legendary personalities such as master strategist Titokowaru and pacifist Te Kooti. He was there when von Tempsky was slain and ran for his life with the Hauhau from Kepa's formidable kupapa forces. Encompassing bloodshed, mayhem and survival, with the odd bit of romance, these escapades have elevated Bent to folk-hero status. Rendered in scraperboard, a bold black and white hand-drawn style, this exhilarating graphic novel is based on James Cowan's original book published in 1911, The Adventures of Kimble Bent.

Finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2012