The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship: A Graphic Novel - Softcover

Pullman, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1338149113 ISBN 13: 9781338149111

Publisher: Graphix, 2018

Synopsis

Trapped in the mists of time by a terrible research experiment gone wrong, John Blake and his mysterious ship are doomed to sail between the centuries, searching for a way home. In the ocean of the modern day, John rescues a shipwrecked young girl his own age, Serena, and promises to help.

But returning Serena to her own time means traveling to the one place where the ship is in most danger of destruction. The all-powerful Dahlberg Corporation has an ambitious leader with plans far greater and more terrible than anyone has realized, and he is hot on their trail. For only John, Serena, and the crew know Dahlberg's true intentions, and only they have the power to stop him from bending the world to his will...

About this title

About the Author:

Philip Pullman is the internationally acclaimed author of many books for children and adults, including the forthcoming Book of Dust. His trilogy His Dark Materials has been published in more than forty languages, has sold close to 17.5 million copies worldwide, and won innumerable awards and accolades. The Golden Compass was named an "All-Time Greatest Novel" by Entertainment Weekly and a "Top 100 Book of All Time" by Newsweek. The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship is his first original graphic novel.

Fred Fordham first discovered comics after reading Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. That book sparked an interest in the form generally but particularly in the French Bande Dessinee tradition. His first graphic novel, Nightfall, was published in France. He has also written and illustrated strips for David Lloyd's online comics-art magazine, Aces Weekly, and worked as an illustrator for The Phoenix comic.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 8 Up—When Harvard student Danielle succeeds in tracking the legendary Mary Alice, a pirate ship that disappears and reappears across time, she becomes drawn into a conspiracy headed by the menacing Dahlberg Corporation. The Dahlbergs are after the secrets of the Mary Alice, and only Royal Navy agent Roger Blake opposes them. Drawn into this web of intrigue is Serena, an Australian teenager who is swept off her parents' yacht and rescued by the Mary Alice crew. Serena learns of the mysterious vessel's ability to travel across time as well as the nature of its ragtag crew. While Roger Blake and Danielle race to find the ship before the Dahlbergs can, Serena unravels the true mystery aboard the Mary Alice: a teenage boy named John Blake. This is Pullman's first original graphic novel, and fans of "His Dark Materials" will recognize such plot elements as the use of futuristic gadgets and the role of father figures. Fordham's paneling and artwork initially read like storyboards, with a static appearance that relaxes as the fairly complex narrative progresses. The various plot threads coalesce into a powerful tale, with the artwork creating a soaring, cinematic feel. VERDICT A modern seafaring epic, highly recommended for all Pullman and fantasy fans and more than worthy of its author's oeuvre.—Matisse Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library

About this edition

• Publisher: Graphix
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1338149113
• ISBN 13: 9781338149111
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160
• Illustrator: Fordham Fred