A Novel Idea

By Amanda Tarbet
June 8, 2009

Adaptations of popular literary works are nothing new to the world of comics. After all, the ultra-popular Classics Illustrated published adaptations of novels like The Three Musketeers and Faust for thirty years. Extrapolations of the lives of our beloved literary characters have also been well received by comics readers. For instance, Alan Moore took several literary icons, such as Captain Nemo and The Invisible Man, and wrote new and intriguing adventures for them in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen books. Some recently published comic books are using similar ideas and, if you love books as much as I do, you're probably eager to read them. Before you blindly spend your money, though, allow me to give you the rundown on which of these comics are worthy.

First up is the latest series from Marvel Classics Illustrated, an adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice by Nancy Butler. For those of you who are not familiar with this classic novel, it is the story of Elizabeth Bennett and her four sisters in 18th century England. As was expected of the women of their time, they must all get married. The novel centers on Lizzy's relationship with Mister Darcy and the transformation of these characters once they let go of their egos. It's romantic, often funny, and an all-around excellent read. This series was much hyped by Marvel ("We have a female writer! Ladies, we're doing this for you!"), and the premiere issue sold out. At my local comic shop, the manager told me that one of his customers came in, saw the series, and bought every single issue to give out to her friends. Marvel seems to have tapped into a lucrative audience: the dedicated fans of Jane Austen. If you believe the Internet, however, then you know that the first issue was a disappointment. Positive reviews thus far have been few and far between, and the book itself sparked an interesting controversy. That is, the cover was criticized early on for its Cosmopolitan-like appearance with "cover lines" promoting the inner story: How to Cure your Boy-Crazy Sisters! 17 Secrets About Summer Dresses! I'm curious as to what made Marvel think that such a design was a good idea. I do not recall ever seeing an edition of Pride and Prejudice with a similar cover, and Austen rails against the types of superficiality found within the magazines that this cover imitates. So, in addition to being an unwise attempt at being funny, it is completely at odds with the essence of the work, which seems to me to be the greater offense.

Nonetheless, Sonny Liew's drawing of Elizabeth Bennett on the cover is whimsical and stylistically fresh. The opinions on forums and comments expressed by many readers, from what I can gather, suggested that they were expecting a similar style for the interior art. Those expectations were not met. Of course, an undertaking such as this was going to be difficult. Austen's work is celebrated for her writing style, and any adaptation is going to be forced to leave out most of the prose, meaning the art becomes even more important. Even then, the target audience already knows the story and they know that they love it, so in this case the prose is not necessarily the aspect that will hold the reader's attention. Plus, you must take into account the fact that several films of Pride and Prejudice have been produced and, ergo, have already brought the novel to life. The art absolutely needs to bring something new and pleasurable to the experience of reading/seeing this story, or it will not impress anyone — and that is where this adaptation falters.

Hugo Petrus' art is not terrible. In fact, it does an adequate job of conveying the story. But that is all it is: adequate. In many of the panels, the faces of the Bennett sisters look interchangeable. The costumes, decor, and architecture fit the period, but often still come across as plain, although I do like the rich colors, like the heavy golds that signal candlelight and the dark reds of the carpets and curtains. Panels are drawn from different angles in an effort to shake it up and make the discussions exciting, but there are less disorienting ways of doing the same thing. Perhaps my biggest pet peeve is that many of the panels lack any detail whatsoever, rendering entire pages of mere faces talking with single-color backgrounds behind them. Perhaps this was done so that the reader would focus primarily on the words, but, as mentioned above, anyone reading this book is going to be focusing on the art because they already know the words. When one does study the art, one cannot help but notice that the females in this story were modeled on the Greg Land school of art, meaning questionable reference photos were possibly used and that the hair on the women is absurdly big and flowy. I understand that the artist was probably attempting reality with the characters. Unfortunately that is what we get, and the reality he creates is underwhelming. I have no doubt that Petrus' style would work well in some other type of comic, but it does not support this book very well.

However! You will be happy to hear that issue #2 is a mild improvement. So it is possible that the first issue suffered from pacing issues (the plot doesn't really get interesting until further along in the story), and therefore also suffers from being too faithful to the original. I particularly like the scene in which Lizzy rejects Mister Collins' proposal, and then receives her father's approval for doing so. The contrasting facial expressions between Lizzy and Mr. Collins, and then Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, are particularly well done. And Petrus does an excellent job of making Mrs. Bennett look like a troll. However, much of the book is still unimpressive, especially when it comes to the color palette and the out-of-place inking style used on the characters' lips (which we see a lot of because the faces are so prominent). And the most physical part of the whole story, the dancing scenes, appear static. This time, the cover also more closely resembles the interior art, which provides some consistency, if nothing else. Overall, though, I was still bored, and found my attention wandering.

If you are a die-hard Austen fan, you might want to pick this up and add it to your collection, but I do not expect that you will read it more often than the actual novel. On the other hand, if you are a high school student who is being forced against your will to read this novel, the comic book makes an excellent Cliff Notes version of the story and isn't nearly as obnoxious as the Kiera Knightly film version. And if you couldn't care less about Pride and Prejudice, this comic will not likely convert you into a fan, and you can save your money for something more interesting.

And that more-interesting something would be Dynamite Entertainment's Sherlock Holmes written by Leah Moore and John Reppion. Rather than adapting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works directly, Moore and Reppion present us with a brand new tale of the great detective and his trusted friend, Dr. Watson. The first issue starts off with a bang, literally, when a warehouse is bombed. Holmes and Watson then decide to guard a former assistant police commissioner, Sir Samuel Henry, who tells them that the bomber threatened his life. Supporting characters are introduced in the next several pages within the walls of Sir Samuel's home. With a maid and several representatives of Scotland Yard inside, the situation is reminiscent of a game of Clue. And the issues ends with a bang, as well, though for the sake of having a spoiler-free review, I will keep the identity of Sir Samuel's murderer a secret.

Thus far, the book seems like it's going to be a traditional Sherlock Holmes story with a slight twist to it. I really like the dialogue: it fits the time period and conveys the dialect without being inaccessible. The plot itself has an intense urgency and, by the end, a very perplexing, layered mystery that I am very excited to see unraveled. The art here, by Aaron Campbell, is very similar to that of Pride and Prejudice, in that it is very realistic, often heavy on the inking, and looks good without overpowering the text. Unlike P and P, however, such a style works well because the reader does not know the story ahead of time and needs to be paying attention to all of the elements equally. This issue has several action scenes to accompany the dialogue, so the pacing neither drags nor seems uneven. The images flow nicely during the more subdued scenes, but are also appropriately jarring during the more tumultuous moments. The colors are often dark and the inking can be heavy, but it's necessary for the pages that take place at night.

I will definitely be picking up the second issue to see the development and solution of the puzzle Moore and Reppion have written for Holmes and Watson. Anyone who likes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work will probably also enjoy this comic, and I expect Sherlock Holmes fever to spread after the new film with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law is released. So, if you need a Sherlock Holmes fix, and want to read an adventure that is new but still told in the Doyle tradition, definitely read this comic.

I have saved the best of the bunch for last, and that would be Vertigo's The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. The selling point for me, originally, was the $1 price for the first issue and the Brian K. Vaughan endorsement on the cover, but it's the premise that has me hooked and practically salivating for more. This new series does something totally unique with the concept of comic books borrowing from literature. The main character is a boy (Tommy Taylor) who was supposedly the basis for a series of books his father (Wilson Taylor) wrote about a boy magician who looks purposefully like Harry Potter (also Tommy Taylor), has two best friends who are comparative to Ron and Hermione (Peter and Sue), and a nemesis who is even grosser than Voldemort (Count Ambrosio). Tom's father disappeared a while ago with no warning, so Tom now goes to conventions and speaks to fans as the inspiration for the very popular novels. However, it turns out that not all is what it seems: the book characters might not be completely imaginary and there might be a "big secret conspiracy that unifies all the world's literatures," as Carey himself put it, that has been hidden from us all this time. The idea behind this book is very unique and will bring something new to the tradition of comics based on novels.

As for the art, I was very impressed by the mixed media aspect. In addition to the usual panel action, there were excerpts from a Tommy Taylor novel, clips from a newscast, and notes from the desk of Wilson Taylor. The pencils were less realistic and looser than those of Sherlock Holmes and P and P, but they are also even more detailed, with scarcely a bland panel. The colors are bright and it's easy to distinguish one character from another. The team managed to pack a lot into this issue without making it seem too overwhelming, and left off with an intriguing cliffhanger.

Overall, a stunning first issue, and I recommend it to any avid reader who has always wondered about the lives of their favorite characters, as well as anyone who enjoys reading about conspiracies. Anything could happen with the future issues, but I am convinced that this series is very promising and worth following. I only wish that it was more kid friendly. Whereas P and P and Sherlock Holmes are appropriate for children, The Unwritten is suggested for mature readers, and I take that rating seriously when it comes to Vertigo.

In conclusion, fellow readers, May was a pretty good month for those of us who love it when our novels and comic books get better acquainted. We've got a decent companion to the original Pride and Prejudice, or an illustrated Cliff Notes if you are a student of British literature. The original great detective, Sherlock Holmes, is getting an exciting and fresh start that will not make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle roll over in his grave. To top it all off, there's a new team with an all-original take on literature and the truth behind it. Which of these series will stand the test of time? Only sales numbers will tell. Buy wisely and read frequently!

FIRST LOOK: Pride & Prejudice #1
The Trial of Sherlock Holmes
Vertigo: The Unwritten #1