Article originally written by Steve Ponzo
Barefoot Serpent confronts the serious topic of suicide through the most unlikely of sources, a child’s eyes. A lost little girl leads us on a journey in a world strange enough to be magical as the ghost of her brother haunts her. Even though the themes are dark, Barefoot Serpent is ultimately a story of hope and the realization that life is worth living even in the face of tragedy. 
Scott Morse began this book as an homage to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Instead of simply writing a mundane biography and analyzing his films, Morse creates a story to express his admiration, while layering in themes from Kurosawa’s films and events from his life.
At its core, Barefoot Serpent is about a family vacationing on Hawaii to cope with their son’s suicide. Instead of the escape from grief they had hoped for, the family is forced to confront their loss. The parents blame themselves and harbor anger toward everyone else, while their young daughter struggles to understand what happens next.
With a background in character animation, a career at Pixar, and multiple Eisner and Ignatz award nominations, Morse has distinguished himself as one of the most innovative artists in comics. His use of simplistic black and white animation balances, both structurally and thematically, the complex emotions of story. Each page consists of three horizontal panels that create a widescreen-cinematic effect. Kurosawa is known for letting visuals carry the story, and Morse emulates this through his economy of dialogue. Conversations are placed under the panels in the same way subtitles would appear in a film. These techniques are visually beautifully on their own, all the while subtly evoking the films of Kurosawa.
Book-ending the story of the little girl is a fully painted biography of Akira Kurosawa. These passages feel like an old children’s book, through both their design and writing style. The simplistic approach to the dark and complicated life of Kurosawa is juxtaposed to the childlike presentation thus softening the issues at hand.
On the surface, these two stories seem to have little in common, but upon closer examination we see that these two tales are perfect compliments. The thematic correlations become apparent with subsequent reads. Morse uses a multitude of references to common themes of Kurosawa’s films, and the connections between the lives of both Kurosawa and the little girl. However, knowledge of Kurosawa’s films is not needed to enjoy this story. The purity of the emotion, rich characterizations, and visual beauty in Barefoot Serpent are more than most graphic novels could ever hope to achieve. Any familiarity with Kurosawa’s films is just an added layer.
Weaving themes of depression, friendship, and hope into Barefoot Serpent, Morse turns the subtle story into multi-layered emotional tale. A famous Kurosawa quote reads, “There is nothing that says more about the creator than his work,” and Barefoot Serpent speaks volumes about the brilliance of Scott Morse.
