409. Classics Illustrated: Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson by John K. Snyder III
Rating: (4/5)
2009, Papercutz, 56 pgs
Age: (10+)
"This classic tale is a favorite of comics fans. Not only is it the inspiration for The Incredible Hulk but Alan Moore, writer/creator of the best-selling Watchmen graphic novel, used “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” in his original graphic novel series, “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman,” thus making this CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED version of the original novel sort of an “origin” story for the monstrous Mr. Hyde. Likewise, CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #2, which featured fellow LOEG member “The Invisible Man,” will also appeal to fans of Mr. Moore’s Victorian Age super-hero team. Of course, this adaptation by “Batman” and “Grendel” artist J.K. Snyder is true to the spirit of the original Robert Louis Stevenson novel and stands by itself as a fantastic thrilling adventure."
Borrowed a copy from my local library.
{rant} Can you believe this is the only book from this series that my library system owns?! I'm going to have to ILL the rest of them! {rant over} When I got this from the library and saw the cover, then flipped through the pages the art made me pause and go "Whoa!". I didn't even want to read it at that point and I love this classic RLS novella. The art is very modern and immediately made me think Picasso, with all the strange angles and weird unrecognisable geometric shapes. It's also very colourful, but in a dark way with mostly blues and reds. So, I kinda got myself over the idea of reading a Victorian story with such outrageous art and proceeded to read. It did not take me long before I was emerged in the story and by the end had become used to the art style. The textual adaptation of the story itself is very well done. It opens with the girl getting trampled in the street and proceeds chronologically not letting us into the secret of Jekyll & Hyde until the end, and is even divided into the same chapter headings as the original. A great introduction to the story and certainly a different visual way to experience it than I had ever done so before. Browsing through the book now that I've read it, I do appreciate the art much more than on first impression! A unique adaptation.
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