G. Neri and the Dino Detectives
The author G. Neri has compared his work to being a mash-up DJ: “I sample real life and re-mix it into story.” I just love that metaphor. Neri has applied that technique to writing an incredible array of books on a variety of topics, including…Antarctic Dinosaurs! So of course, I was keen to interview him about his book, The Time Traveling Dino Detectives of Antarctica:
What inspired you to want to write about Antarctic Dinosaurs?
When I found out there were people looking for dinosaurs in Antarctica, my brain kind of exploded. Just imagining them in that extreme environment looking for dinos that previously didn’t exist is enough for a fantasy novel, let alone a non-fiction piece. And when they invited me to be a part of the project, I was like, yes please.
Dino Detectives, like several other of your books, is a graphic novel. Can you talk about what you like about that format? Do you have to approach writing differently than you do for writing a novel?
To me, comics allow you to bend reality in such a wonderful way. It’s a true kid’s medium, so I saw all kinds of possibilities. When they would show me a fossil that was 120 million years old, I said that’s pretty cool. But you know what would be cooler? If you touched it and were transported back in time to see it alive! I saw these scientists as homicide detectives, looking for the buried body, in this case, dinosaurs, using clues to find out who it was and how they were killed. So adding time travel to that idea seemed perfect for comics.
How did your time in Antarctica help you write Dino Detectives? Can you talk about your work with the scientists while you were down there?
Working with the people down there is an amazing experience. Just being there is amazing but when you see what people are doing, its wild. Because I didn’t do well in science as a kid, I consider myself to be a kind of science translator, meaning I have to ask a lot of question to figure out what they are really doing, what is the big concept and how I can capture the magic of their quest. And quest is a great word to use when you’re searching for dinosaurs in the Transantarctic mountains.
Do you have a favorite Antarctic dinosaur?
Cryolophosaurus, aka Elvisaurus. Just love the idea of a pompadoured dinosaur. And it looked pretty amazing too.
Is Dino Detectives available in print, or just as an e-book?
The comic was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and is used in conjunction with the film, Dinosaurs of Antarctica. So I’ve been independently selling large quantities of print comics to schools where I speak about Antarctica and show the film. I’ve probably given over 300 talks about it so far. The film was starting to come out in IMAX theaters but shut down due to the pandemic. But it should resurface soon. You can also buy the interactive e-book or order school sets here: https://dino-detectives.com/
You do tons of school visits. Can you talk about those?
I talk about Antarctica to all grades 3-12, even college. The comic is aimed at grades 3-8 the most, probably. I cover my whole experience down there with many different science teams, from divers diving under the frozen sea ice looking for Foraminifera, to people working in Antarctica’s desert, the Dry Valleys, to the penguin colonies, space program, long-distance air balloonist capturing cosmic rays and so much more. You can find out more here about coming to your school. https://www.gregneri.com/home/#/antarctica/
Do you have any upcoming projects related to Antarctica?
I am just finishing up my big book of wonder about my time on the ice called, My Antarctica. I always said, Antarctica made me feel like that 10-year-old kid I was, who was into National Geographic and explorers. So it’s told through the eyes of my 10-year-old self, using comics, illustration, my photos, writing and poetry. It’ll be coming out in late ’23 from Candlewick.
Thank you, G. I’ll be looking forward to reading My Antarctica when it comes out!
