This slender graphic adaptation of the Great American Novel preserves some of Twain’s language, most of his plot and a good sense of his sardonic take on human society. Mixing dialogue balloons with enough boxed narrative to evoke Huck’s distinctive voice, Mann packs in all of the major incidents and tones down at least some of the violence—the two con men are only “punished” here rather than specifically tarred and feathered, for instance. Similarly, though Huck gets viciously slapped around by his father in the pictures, in general there isn’t much other blood visible. The illustrator’s faces tend toward sameness, but Kumar populates his color art with strong, stocky figures, depicts action effectively and, by using irregular frames and insets, sets up an engrossing helter-skelter pacing. A good choice for readers who aren’t quite up to tackling the original, with perfunctory but well-meant notes on Twain’s life and the history of slavery in the United States. Co-published with its prequel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, adapted by Matt Josdal, illustrated by Brian Shearer (ISBN: 978-93-80028-34-7). (Graphic classic. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2010
ISBN: 978-93-80028-35-4
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
A graphic-novel treatment of Shakespeare that fails miserably where others have succeeded. In this brutally savaged graphic adaptation of the play, the Bard’s lines have been transformed into conversational banality (“How is it going, Shylock?”; "That goes for me too!") within often-misplaced dialogue balloons. Astonishingly, there’s nary a mention of Jews, leaching all the power from Shylock's "Has not a Jew..." speech ("And why has [Antonio] done this? Do I not have eyes like everyone else..."). Actually, just about all of the set speeches are nearly unrecognizable: "The quality of mercy is not strained" becomes “You don’t need to have a reason to show mercy.” Visually, the floridly dressed Venetian figures in Kumar’s showy illustrations just stand about in panel after panel, gesturing awkwardly and looking past one another’s shoulders. Portia’s taste for revealing, off-the-shoulder gowns may give adolescent gawkers pause, but as an invitation to read the original or see it performed here’s sure proof that all that glisters is not gold. A closing set of riddles is offered as an activity link to Portia’s three boxes in the play. Skip. (Graphic adaptation. 12-14)
Pub Date: May 17, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-59-0
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
The classic tale is newly dressed up as a graphic novel and transferred to modern Mumbai.
Hewing fairly closely to the original’s storyline, Mukherjee casts Ali Baba as a cab driver, the clever slave girl who repeatedly saves his hide as an aspiring young dancer named Marjeena, and the thieves as heavily armed bank robbers in suits and shades. Drawn as caricatures in the crowded-together but legible panels, Ali Baba and his son Omar have appropriately hapless looks, the thieves’ leader, Vladimir, is a picture of chiseled menace and the beauty Marjeena (modeled, to judge from the photo, on the author) projects an air of alert competence. The "reload" is felt in plot as well as depicted setting. The climax feels muddled, thanks to a previously unmet gent who mysteriously pops up to defuse the bombs that Vladimir sets, but Marjeena consents to marry Omar in the end rather than just being handed over. Also, the thieves are only arrested, not boiled in oil, and though Ali Baba’s ne’er-do-well brother Qasim is gunned down early on with much splashing of blood, at least he isn’t, as in the traditional version, chopped into quarters. A properly melodramatic rendition that doesn’t take itself too seriously. (Graphic fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80741-13-0
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
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