Graphic Novel Review: Marvel Adaptations – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice | Original work by Jane Austen | Adapted by Nancy Butler & Illustrated by Hugo Petrus | Marvel Comics | 4 Stars | Source: Bought | 114 pages | Collects Issues #1-#5
Classics | Romance
Release Date: October 28th, 2009
ISBN13: 9780785139157
Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

“An adaptation of the original by Jane Austen that tells of Lizzy Bennet and her loveable, eccentric family as they navigate through tricky British social circles.”

Review:

As some of you may know, I have just recently got in to graphic novels. I was told by a few friends that the best way to get in to them is to check out adaptations of books you have already read instead of original works. With that in mind, I went to Goodreads and found this!

This is a review of the adaptation more than P&P since I would not know where to start reviewing that since I loved it so much!

This graphic novel sits at just over 100 pages has just under 300 so a considerable amount of the books has had to be taken out. Some of the descriptions have obviously been thrown and Mrs. Bennett’s nerves aren’t mentioned as much. In terms of maintaining the original story arc, I think it does this perfectly. In the same week I read this, I listened to the audiobook, watched the miniseries and watched the film so I had most of the book to memory.

If there is anything I remember Pride and Prejudice for, it is for how genuinely funny and witty it is. This adaptation definitely maintains that. I still laughed at Lizzy’s commentary and Mrs Bennetts hysteria.

Small note on the illustrations. For the most part, they are beautiful. The cover is kind of deceiving since the inside is not like that.  The only thing I found of putting was the fact that characters facial expressions were incredibly harsh. This works perfect for characters like Mr. Darcy or Lady Catharine, but when it came to the Bennett sisters (arguably apart from Mary!) It didn’t suit them at all. This only happens a few times in the comic so it is not too bad!

All in all, I think this is a great adaptation. I think it is good for lovers of P&P and also for those who have yet to read it and find the whole classic thing daunting like I do sometimes. I wish I had this back when I was studying the novel in school. The small overview would have been nice! I will definitely check out the rest of the Marvel Classics adaptations!

Goodreads Average: 3.76/5 (out of 2,720 ratings)

EXTRAS:

This originally came out in 5 separate volumes and in the back of this bindup of there were the covers for all of them. Here are two of my favourites.

 

 

Advertisement

Review: Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh

Shovel Ready | Adam Sternbergh | Headline Publishing Shovel Ready #1 | Source: Review (Bookbridgr) | 256 pages | Adult | Fantasy | Dystopia 
Release Date: January 24th, 2014
Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

“I don’t want to know your reasons. I don’t care. Think of me as a bullet. Just point.’

Spademan used to be a garbage man. That was before the dirty bomb hit Times Square, before his wife was killed, before New York became a burnt-out shell. Now the wealthy escape grim reality by spending their days tapped into a virtual world; the rest of the population has to fend for itself on the streets. Now there’s nothing but garbage.

So Spademan became a hit man. He doesn’t ask questions, he works quickly, and he’s very handy with a box-cutter.

When he’s hired to kill the daughter of a high-profile evangelist, Spademan’s life is upended. To survive, he will have to navigate two worlds – the slick fantasy world of the elite and the wasteland reality of the rest of the city’s inhabitants – to finish the job, clear his conscience, and make sure he’s not the one who winds up in the ground.”

Review:

I had never seen this novel around until I picked it up on the Bookbridgr site. Set in a dystopian New York City where bombings have destroyed the city and a new society has formed, this definitely seemed the book for me. In short although I was not a huge fan of some elements, overall I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Negatives out of the way first, the writing style was a huge case of hit and miss for me. Although it was more hit than miss in the end, I sometimes felt so lost when it came to the dialogue. There is little to no punctuation and while reading it is incredibly choppy (choppy in the best way possible). It is very snappy and to the point. This meant that world building was so on point, however, me attempting to follow some of the dialogue, not so much.

One of my favourite parts of the novel was the “Limnosphere”. A form of virtual reality, if you will. Before the bombs struck it was just a small part of some peoples everyday lives, now, the majority of who is left have retired to it full time. I found the whole logistics behind it so interesting!

Just a quick shout out to Spademan, our main character. I think he is one of the few characters who have been so well introduced that have made me empathize with an assassin. The novel is from his point of view and as I said before, the world building from him was spot on. I also loved how he had a certain levels of ethics when it came to executing his assassinations. Small bits of info that in the grand scheme of things may not have been needed but I still was more than happy to have!

Overall, this a solid start to a series and I can’t wait to see what comes next. I am truly looking forward to see where this series goes!

Goodreads Average: 3.48/5 (out of 1,683 ratings)

 

 

Review: The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman

The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains Neil Gaiman | Illustrated by Eddie Campbell
Headline Publishing | Stand Alone | 4 Stars Source: Bookbridgr/Review | Fantasy 
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

You ask me if I can forgive myself?
I can forgive myself . . .

And so begins The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains, a haunting story of family, the otherworld, and a search for hidden treasure. This gorgeous full-color illustrated book version was born of a unique collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman and renowned artist Eddie Campbell, who brought to vivid life the characters and landscape of Gaiman’s award-winning story. In this volume, the talents and vision of two great creative geniuses come together in a glorious explosion of color and shadow, memory and regret, vengeance and, ultimately, love.

. . . for many things. For where I left him.
For what I did.

Review:

I have never read a book by Neil Gaiman before, however, I have known of him for years. He is one of those people that you always hear something about. Whether it be his books that receive endless streams of positive reviews or his screen writing. When I saw this pop up for review on Bookbridgr, I just had to request it.

This novel stands at just 80 pages and took me just under an hour to read. I had some level of expectations but I still did not go in with hugely high hopes because as I said before, I have never a read a book by Gaiman. I finished the novel adoring it and in the end I was so glad I requested it.

I am not going to go into too much detail when it comes to synopsis. A man goes to see another gentleman about going to the Black Mountains to find hidden gold. Gold that comes at a huge price. The gentleman agrees to take him there and off the go on a journey to the Black Mountains. To say this is oversimplifying the plot would be an understatement. But I think that is all you need to if you are going to go in to this one without any kind of spoilers.

 

The Truth is Cave in the Black Mountains is so beautifully written. It has such an eerie and poetic quality to the writing. It probably could have took me less time to read this one but I wanted to take in every word. The plot was interesting to witnessing the plot unfold on top of the writing style made this such an enjoyable read for me.

This book is stunning. Inside and out. Eddie Campbell’s illustrations are just breath taking and at some points were even scary. I wish I could share them all. Especially my personal favourite ones. However, I will just leave you with these two as any more will probably spoil some things for anyone who decides to pick this one up.

I recommend this to people who are want to get in to Neil Gaiman’s work. As I said before, it is only short. What have you got to lose?

Goodreads Average: 4.16/5 (out of 208 ratings)

This was sent to me by Headline Publishing (Via Bookbridgr) in exchange for an honest review.