Caroline's Catalog

Digest-sized (5 ½" x 8 ½") comic book, 24 interior pages. Black and white ink wash with violet cardstock cover. Published April 2012.

$3.00 each + shipping

Also available for download for $1.50 at itch.io

Caroline Herschel (1750—1848) was an astronomer living and working in England in the 1780s and '90s, starting as an assistant to her famous brother, William Herschel, who discovered the planet eventually called Uranus.

Starting her observing career by discovering a nebula that had not been cataloged by Messier, she eventually discovered eight (possibly nine) comets, documented numerous corrections to John Flamsteed's Atlas of the Heavens, and wrote up an exhaustive star catalog of the Northern Hemisphere that was published by the Royal Astronomical Society of England.

Appropriate for all ages

Reviews

Author-illustrator E. J. Barnes gives the historical figures lots of character and expression throughout and I enjoyed the clean, easy-to-follow style. Readers will get a good introduction to the Herschels and be entertained with this quick read.

Staff of the Neils Bohr Library and Archives, "Women's History Month Graphic Novel and Picture Book Recommendations"

The most outwardly humble item in our [New York Comic Con] haul, E. J. Barnes's self-produced bio-comic of the 18th-century astronomer (and musician) Caroline Herschel, is also one of the most exciting from a Women's Studies standpoint. Girl power.

Ayun Halliday, New York Times/Motherlode: Adventures in Parenting

E. J. Barnes does a nice job with the historical details, but where she really shines is in the life and personality she instills into Caroline Herschel, whose love for discovery and for life in general comes across loud and clear.

Rick Silva, Comic A Day

In just a slightly more progressive world, Barnes' pamphlet could have been produced and handed out to students earlier this year to commemorate, say, Women's History Month.

Chad Parenteau, We Got Issues

This is a fascinating story to anybody who’s interested in the stars and how humans got really good at cataloging them and other celestial objects, told in a relatable way from the perspective of an older woman (she’s depicted as 82 here) who has had time to contemplate her life and work. Which isn’t a shock, as E.J. has been doing great work for years now, but it’s very much worth checking out.

Optical Sloth