The Graphic Canon, Volumes 1-3

 

The Graphic Canon, Vol. 1-3 edited by Russ Kick, adapted from works by various authors, with art by various artists (2012) 1600 pages

There are some works included in this literary canon by people of Afro, Latino, and Asian descent. Some graphic adaptations of classic works are more successful than others. I'll try to keep this blog entry short by offering only a few highlights or critiques for each volume.

Volume 1

I had previously read three excerpts from Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey's graphic Action Philosophers!. It was a pleasure to revisit these entries. I especially liked the adaptation of Lucretius's "On the Nature of Things." There was also a great adaptation of a Noh play by Hagoromo. The adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West was fun. And I enjoyed the satire of Swift's Gulliver's Travels and "A Modest Proposal." 

Volume 2

There were too few actual graphics for adaptations of three Grimm fairy tales, three Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, and five Edgar Allan Poe short stories/poems. There was an intriguing adaptation of The Mortal Immortal, something Mary Shelley wrote other than Frankenstein. This volume of 19th century literature has a mix of very short and very long works. Many were visualized too minimally. Edgar Allan Poe and Lewis Carroll are perhaps over-represented. Still I loved the visuals merged with the rhyme for Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky.

Volume 3

I caught two outright errors presented in the biographical introductions to two author's works in this volume. What others might the editor have missed? It is amusing mixing Kafka's The Metamorphosis with Charles Schulz's Peanuts. The poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wildred Owen is given haunting graphics of the horror of WWI. There are excerpts of two graphic adaptations of James Joyce's Ulysses, yet it still remains difficult to fully understand. Hemingway's article "Living on $1,000 a Year in Paris" nicely illustrates the 1920s. "Letters to a Young Poet" by Rainer Maria Rilke offers radical graphic design of text with no images, but is still touching. A Robert Crumb adaptation of Sartre is frustratingly left in French with only a summary of the plot translated in the intro. "The Voice of the Hamster" by a teenaged Thomas Pynchon was very funny. I counted a full fifteen entries that gave a single page to convey a work. This is too minimal. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but not tens of thousands of specific words contained in most novels. These minimalist entries did not draw me into wanting to read the original works.

The Conference of the Birds

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis  160 pp.

This has already been blogged about by Annie and Patrick so there isn't a whole lot I can add. Peter Sis' illustrations of this excerpt of a Persian poem are the centerpiece here. I found myself examining every detail of the artwork and even following the paths of the different labyrinths with my finger. And I don't feel guilty about including this in my page count since I read it twice.

The Conference of the Birds/Peter Sis

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis; poetry, philosophy; 160 pages

This book is Sis's adaptation of the medieval Persian poem, The Conference of the Birds. Much of the text is left out or simplified, so the main focus here is Sis's wonderful art. Printed on thick, textured paper, and delicately colored, the illustrations look like something out of a dream, which fits quite nicely with the theme of the poem. A beautiful book, well worth checking out.

The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh 322 pages

A medieval historical fiction novel that should appeal to boys. Young William is orphaned after a fire kills his family. He is hired as a servant at the local monastery. The story takes a turn when he saves a hobgoblin caught in a trap. The creature tells Will that only those with the Sight can see creatures such as him. Will is drawn into a mystery involving a buried angel and a leper who visits the abbey. After his mentor falls ill, Will is pressured to help Mr. Bone. Those who enjoyed Delaney's "The Last Apprentice" should enjoy this rousing adventure also.