I was in a bookstore the other day and I happened to see a delightful collection of books: Manga Shakespeare! Link: http://www.mangashakespeare.com/
I almost spent all of my money right then and there. I figure, I love literature, I love illustration…let’s combine them! I particularly want the Richard III. I think the only thing that stopped me was the idea that the weight charge on my suitcase is something I want to avoid. And yes, some of them move the setting to space, or the future, but the thing is, I don’t really mind. If that makes me a bad lit student, so be it.
I also have found graphic novel versions of Beowulf and Fahrenheit 451, which I will be getting my hands on as soon as is feasible.
I have read a collection of Poe’s stories illustrated by Gris Grimly, that was awesome.
So what are your favorite classics in graphic novel form? Heavily illustrated versions can play too.
Or, what classics would you like to see in graphic novel form?
Personally, I would like to see Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as a graphic novel, really well done, and not as a way of making the work for children. Like, if I knew an artist and had a boat full of money, I would commission it.
Ooh! Also Frankenstein. Wuthering Heights. The Sherlock Holmes canon. GREEK MYTHS OMG. The Great Gatsby. Gulliver’s Travels.
I mean, I love reading, but it is just wonderful to see what talented people can do to bring the visuals of a story into the concrete world and out of the imagination.
Oh, and this is the website that got me thinking about this topic: http://heyoscarwilde.com/ It’s a collection of artwork based on literary characters and authors. There’s one done by Bruce Timm of Gully Foyle from The Stars My Destination, which basically checks all my happy geek boxes.