Price: $19.99 according to the back cover
History: Just last week, I popped "graphic novel" into my requests list, and but a few days later I was presented with an overdue birthday present. Fate methinks.
Look: Obviously, a Dorian Gray graphic novel is a world of terrors all of its own, especially for someone who goes frowny faced at covers which depict him. Shouldn't have worried - the style is wonderful, and more importantly, comes so close to what is in my mind. Maybe the descriptions really are that vivid that everyone imagines the same things? I like the little tributes too - in the background of the opium den scene, the moon really is a yellow skull. And the descriptive chapter is all present and correct. Like all the best adaptations, you don't really miss the bits which are cut - and that's saying a lot from me, who knows it far far too well. My only serious complaint on that count was the character of Sybil's mother, whose penchant for melodrama is missed entirely. And that Sybil is dark haired, not blonde - not that it matters (my friends and I have been arguing this for half a year; last night, we decided to check, and I was right - not blonde, not ginger, but dark haired! Ha! So it's a sore point...) Finally, the art is gorgeous in its own right - as is the use of colours and shadows.
It's nice to read as well - and underneath the dust jacket, the hardback is black with gold text, which is always a score for this novel.
Introduction/Appendices: two pages by the guy in charge of the adaptation, two interesting pages at that; the six original covers, and a glossary for the more obscure Victorian words
No comments:
Post a Comment