Who was Matthew Henson? As the first person to reach the North Pole in 1909, he became part of Inuit legend as the man who defeated the devil. However, the deserved fame was denied to him—because Matthew Henson was black. In his new book, award-winning comic artist and author Simon Schwartz tells the story of the African American polar explorer Matthew Henson. He movingly recounts the pioneering spirit, failures, and being forgotten of a great man. At the Erlangen Comic Salon in 2012, Simon Schwartz was awarded the Max and Moritz Prize for the best German-language comic for "Packeis." "With 'Packeis,' Simon Schwartz has created an impressive graphic novel that combines history with mythology, social criticism, and suspense." Christian Möller, WDR5 Scala.