Graphic Classics Edgar Allan Poe (GRAPHIC CLASSICS GN) - Softcover

Poe, Edgar Allan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982563000 ISBN 13: 9780982563007

Publisher: Eureka Productions, 2010

Synopsis

Graphic Classics: Edgar Allan Poe returns in a revised 4th Edition, with 40 new pages of content! New comics adaptations include The Pit and the Pendulum by David Hontiveros and Carlo Vergara, and William Wilson by Rafael Nieves and Dan Dougherty. The Raven returns in a revised adaptation by J.B. Bonivert, with Annabel Lee by the same artist as a new companion piece. Plus, The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, and four more terrifying tales.

About this title

About the Author

Authors are Edgar Allan Poe, Clive Barker, and Joe R. Lansdale. Artists are Rick Geary, Gahan Wilson, Maxon Crumb, J.B. Bonivert, Spain Rodriguez, Roger Langridge, Richard Sala, Lisa K. Weber, Toni Pawlowsky, Rafael Nieves & Juan Gomez, Andy Ewen, David McLimans, Tom Pomplun, and Spencer Walts. Edited by Tom Pomplun.

Review

As someone who has contributed to horror anthologies, I'm well aware of how difficult it is to put together one where each story is as strong as the next. Without exception, anthologies written by multiple authors are going to have stories that vary in quality. Pretty much the only way around that would be to get one writer and an incredibly talented writer at that to pen every story in the book. Of course you see where I m going with this. Usually when you get a single author to write every story in a collection of short stories you don't call it an anthology anymore, but I m going to argue for an exception in the case of Graphic Classics since each piece is illustrated by a different artist. So, picture the first volume in the Graphic Classics line as a horror anthology made perfect by the fact that it's entirely made up of stories by arguably the greatest horror writer who ever lived: Edgar Allan Poe. So much has been critically written about Poe and his talent that it would be silly to try to duplicate it in a review, so I'll stick to the subject and talk about the specific stories that editor Tom Pomplun chose for the inaugural volume of the Graphic Classics series. As with all Graphic Classics volumes, there's a mixture of the familiar (The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Fall of the House of Usher) and the relatively obscure (King Pest, The Premature Burial, Eldorado, Spirits of the Dead, The Imp of the Perverse, Never Bet the Devil Your Head, and Hop Frog). Of the familiar stories, the adaptation of The Raven stands out because it s retold strictly in prose with each couple of stanzas illustrated by different artists with wildly different styles. It's a poem and an art gallery at the same time. The other four familiar tales are adapted into comics form and all capture the feel of Poe's original prose. The Tell-Tale Heart is rather whimsically illustrated by Rick Geary in keeping with the ludicrous paranoia of its narrator. Stanley Shaw's posh, clean line-work is similarly fitting for the decadent grandeur of The Masque of the Red Death, as is the stark, heavily inked work of Pedro Lopez on the buried-alive tale The Cask of Amontillado. Matt Howarth's work on The Fall of the House of Usher is as gloomy and weird as it needs to be, and yet it's the first time I'm embarrassed to say that I've read the story and actually understood what s going on in it. Of the stuff that's new (to me), my favorite piece is Hop Frog about a poor, put-upon, hunchbacked jester. Not because it retains Poe's original prose, but because it's illustrated with the hilariously grotesque illustrations of Lisa Weber. And because the story itself is just that good. As I read it, I kept thinking about what a great movie it would make, with or without Karloff and Lugosi. But, like I said, they're all winners. They're all written by Poe and they're all perfectly matched with their illustrators. Graphic Classics Volume One is a must read for any fan of Poe or horror in general (though I suppose those labels are actually interchangeable). --Michael May, Comic World News

Matt Howarth, and Lisa K. Weber. Most short story text is abridged; creatively preserving much of the author's original language. However, Eldorado, Spirits of the Dead, The Raven, and Hop-Frog are presented in their entirety. The b&w illustrations represent numerous styles of drawing. Language, dress, and gender stereotypes are not an issue in this graphic work. This anthology of horror would satisfy your graphic readers without offending your graphic critics. Recommended. --Donna Reed, Library Media Connection

As someone who has contributed to horror anthologies, I'm well aware of how difficult it is to put together one where each story is as strong as the next. Without exception, anthologies written by multiple authors are going to have stories that vary in quality. Pretty much the only way around that would be to get one writer and an incredibly talented writer at that to pen every story in the book. Of course you see where I m going with this. Usually when you get a single author to write every story in a collection of short stories you don't call it an anthology anymore, but I m going to argue for an exception in the case of Graphic Classics since each piece is illustrated by a different artist. So, picture the first volume in the Graphic Classics line as a horror anthology made perfect by the fact that it's entirely made up of stories by arguably the greatest horror writer who ever lived: Edgar Allan Poe. So much has been critically written about Poe and his talent that it would be silly to try to duplicate it in a review, so I'll stick to the subject and talk about the specific stories that editor Tom Pomplun chose for the inaugural volume of the Graphic Classics series. As with all Graphic Classics volumes, there's a mixture of the familiar (The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Fall of the House of Usher) and the relatively obscure (King Pest, The Premature Burial, Eldorado, Spirits of the Dead, The Imp of the Perverse, Never Bet the Devil Your Head, and Hop Frog). Of the familiar stories, the adaptation of The Raven stands out because it s retold strictly in prose with each couple of stanzas illustrated by different artists with wildly different styles. It's a poem and an art gallery at the same time. The other four familiar tales are adapted into comics form and all capture the feel of Poe's original prose. The Tell-Tale Heart is rather whimsically illustrated by Rick Geary in keeping with the ludicrous paranoia of its narrator. Stanley Shaw's posh, clean line-work is similarly fitting for the decadent grandeur of The Masque of the Red Death, as is the stark, heavily inked work of Pedro Lopez on the buried-alive tale The Cask of Amontillado. Matt Howarth's work on The Fall of the House of Usher is as gloomy and weird as it needs to be, and yet it's the first time I'm embarrassed to say that I've read the story and actually understood what s going on in it. Of the stuff that's new (to me), my favorite piece is Hop Frog about a poor, put-upon, hunchbacked jester. Not because it retains Poe's original prose, but because it's illustrated with the hilariously grotesque illustrations of Lisa Weber. And because the story itself is just that good. As I read it, I kept thinking about what a great movie it would make, with or without Karloff and Lugosi. But, like I said, they're all winners. They're all written by Poe and they're all perfectly matched with their illustrators. Graphic Classics Volume One is a must read for any fan of Poe or horror in general (though I suppose those labels are actually interchangeable). --Michael May, Comic World News

About this edition

• Publisher: Eureka Productions
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0982563000
• ISBN 13: 9780982563007
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 144