Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: RL Stevenson's Strange Case - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0887768822 ISBN 13: 9780887768828

Publisher: Tundra Books, 2008

Synopsis

Good and evil, right and wrong. Both are seen through the eyes of John Utterson, a lawyer and friend of the scientist Dr. Jekyll. After hearing the alarming account of the horrendous trampling of a small girl “like some damned juggernaut” by a violent man named Mr. Hyde, who also holds a connection to the lawyer’s dear friend, Utterson’s curiosity gets the better of him and he begins to investigate. As he probes further into the events and the hidden life of Mr. Hyde, Utterson slowly uncovers a terrifying and ghastly story.

This graphic novel adaptation of RL Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde brings together the creative comic “dream team” of Alan Grant and Cam Kennedy and is a follow-up to their first collaboration, Kidnapped — The Graphic Novel.

About this title

About the Author

Alan Grant’s work includes Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Robo-Hunter and Ace Trucking Co., Doomlord, Joe Soap Private Eye, Computer Warrior, The Outsider, as well as Nightbreed, The Last American, Detective Comics, Shadow of the Bat, Lobo, L.E.G.I.O.N. ’89, Legends of the Dark Knight, and The Demon.

Cam Kennedy is known internationally for his portrayals of Star Wars: Dark Empire and Star Wars: Dark Empire 2 — the two series that re-launched the Star Wars franchise in comics, as well as Batman, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Daredevil, Punisher, and Spectre and Lobo.

Reviews

Grade 7 Up—This classic has tremendous modern appeal. A complex detective story for the most part, this adaptation depicts the gaslight era of London in all its gloomy grandeur. Topcoats, top hats, funereal suits, walking canes, and roaring fires all play prominently in the artwork. Most of the characters are depicted as grimacing, displaying an apparent distaste for their surroundings. The literary quality of the text makes for a heady read, but it will appeal to teens who could otherwise overlook the eternal power of a simple, fantastic story. Public libraries with an eye to keeping a varied teen fiction shelf should consider this title.—John Leighton, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
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Grant and Kennedy, with more than 70 years of comic experience between them, produced a superlative adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped last year, and they maintain the same high quality for this take on his classic tale of transformation and duality. Condensed with style and simplicity into a quick read that is not rushed but rather carried forward on its own momentum, Grant distills the original text with clarity and preserves the feeling of its era. Kennedy, meanwhile, makes each picture count, loading the panels with fog-dense Victorian atmosphere, presenting a Jekyll whose spiral into despair is subtly painful and a Hyde who is, as Stevenson called him, “pure evil.” The original story was structured to heighten suspense toward the terrible revelation of the relationship between the two eponymous characters. Because no reader is likely to be unaware of this already, Grant and Kennedy play things out with a cinematic pace and visual flair that will keep readers turning pages to the end. Grades 5-8. --Jesse Karp

Edition details

• Publisher: Tundra Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0887768822
• ISBN 13: 9780887768828
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Kennedy Cam
• Number of pages: 48