Product Description

Graphic Classics: Edgar Allan Poe is completely revised, with over forty pages of new material. New to this edition are comics adaptations of "King Pest", "The Imp of the Perverse", and "The Premature Burial". Plus a newly-illustrated version of "The Raven" by ten great artists. Returning from the previous edition are "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Fall of the House of Usher" and six more thrilling stories.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #159375 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–A collection of adaptations of 13 of Poe's poems and short stories. Many favorites are included, such as "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Raven," and "The Fall of the House of Usher"; some less-well-known works also make an appearance. The short stories are usually either abridged or paraphrased; "Hop Frog" and "The Black Cat" stand as exceptions, presented in their entirety with a few smart illustrations occasionally breaking the text. While no adaptation will ever completely do justice to Poe's genius, his original words are handled carefully and with due respect. However, where this edition of Graphic Classics succeeds most brilliantly is in its renditions of Poe's poems, which remain untouched yet are sumptuously and often lavishly decorated. Of particular note is Rafael Nieves and Juan Gomez's "The Bells." From J. B. Bonivert's psychedelic interpretation of "The Raven" to John Coulthart's gothic plates in "The Haunted Palace," each retelling opens new and engaging perspectives into Poe's masterpieces. The potential that this book has to draw comics readers, reluctant or otherwise, into the world of classic literature is enough to make it a worthwhile purchase; the quality of the art and storytelling makes it a noteworthy addition to any collection.–J. M. Poole, East Rochester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. Among all the authors included in the Graphics Classics series, Edgar Allan Poe may be the one whose work is best suited to graphic adaptation. Several new stories have been added to this third edition--among them, "The Imp of the Perverse" and "The Premature Burial." With a newly illustrated adaptation of "The Raven" as its centerpiece and a prose-and-pictures telling of "Hop Frog" as its climax, the collection, illustrated in styles ranging from the outright comedic to the brooding, wisely increases the density of the words as it progresses, drawing potentially reluctant readers more deeply into the stories. Although a sense of darkness--an essential quality in Poe's work--is occasionally lacking, some of the tales are well served by the ghoulish humor, and whimsical flourishes frequently lighten Poe's baroque language and tone to make the stories more accessible. Jesse Karp
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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

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

Customer Reviews

Gothic comics - An outstanding blend of words and pictures
Edgar Allan Poe is a natural choice as the first volume of the Graphic Classics volumes, a series partially inspired by the Classic Illustrated collection of comic books, which attempted to lure young readers into reading respectable, "classic" authors through the comics medium. This new incarnation, however, takes an entirely different tact, combining fantastic literary stories with equally talented artists for something that is far more entertainment than education.

Also, while these are "comic books," the illustrators are far more "New Yorker" than "Fantastic Four." Creative, individualistic and highly stylized, each artist leaves their own distinctive mark on their story, creating a unique experience, a collaboration between author and artist.

This 3rd Edition of "Graphic Classics: Volume 1 - Edgar Allan Poe" assembles nine short stories and three poems of the master, including his most famous works as well as some less well-known. Each is given a different treatment, ranging from illustrated text pieces to full comic strips. Each is of very high quality, making this book highly recommended.

Included in this volume are:

"The Tell-Tale Heart" - My first Edgar Allan Poe story, that I was assigned to read in Jr. High School, is still a provocative and powerful piece. Artist Rick Geary gives us a straight-forward rendition, including a lovingly detailed picture of The Eye.

"King Pest" - A story of plague-ridden London, where two hapless sailors find themselves guests at the table of the King and Queen of pestilence. Anton Emdin's grotesque illustrations add a nice comic flair to the tale.

"The Premature Burial" - A claustrophobic tale of fear of premature burial, and how we often create the demon's that haunt us. Joe Ollman does a splendid job of creating atmosphere, and the panic of being buried alive.

"El Dorado" - This one I liked a lot. A semi-humorous cartoons style brings the point of the sad poem home even more fiercely.

"Spirits of the Dead" - A surrealistic adaptation of a quiet Poe poem, ruminating on death.

"The Imp of the Perverse" - Like "The Tell-tale Heart," a story of the sting of guilt, and how a perfect murder is never as perfect as we would like to think.

"The Raven" - A new adaptation of Poe's masterpiece, this is an assemble version with a different artist doing a different stanza. It comes off beautifully, allowing Poe's words to be the true star of the show.

"The Masque of the Red Death" - A text-and-pictures adaptation,full of the stunning delights of Propero's hidden Bohemia, and the plague of the Red Death that intrudes on their party.

"Never Bet the Devil Your Head" - A wild and funny adaptation of a wild and funny story. An excellent ending.

"Hop-Frog" - The text is presented in its entirety, and the artists is so completely well-suited to this story that I think I will forever see the foolish fat king and his eight fat friends as portrayed by artist Lisa K. Weber.

"The Cask of Amontillado" - My favorite Poe story is well treated, keeping the essential dialog and tension, even while being distilled down to a few pages.

"The Fall of the House of Usher" - Mostly a text-and-pictures piece with some dialog, the artist captures the haunted Roderic Usher's lonely fate. As well as his sisters'.

Each black-and-white rendition is by a different artist
Compiled and edited by Tom Pomplun, Graphic Classics: Edgar Allan Poe is an outstanding graphic novel anthology of diverse comic-book style adaptations of classic stories and poems by the legendary Edgar Allan Poe. Included are "The Raven", "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Tell-Tale Heart", and nine others. Each black-and-white rendition is by a different artist, and the styles range from gruesomely realistic to extravagantly bizarre; all of them deftly capture Poe's brilliant and sometimes shocking dialogue, plots, and the helplessness of man. Also very highly recommended from their "Graphic Classics" series are the Eureka Productions graphic novel editions of H.P. Lovecraft (0971246440); Ambrose Bierce (0971246467); and Bram Stoker (0971246475).

Edgar Allan Poe Rocks!
Edgar Allan Poe Graphic Classics

Okay, I get the point. Having read all of Tom Pompluns' classic compilations, I have often thought `Why not get mainstream artists? I'm sure John Byrne would do one for him? Hey, Steranko? What about Wiacek? Or Perez?'. But, call me slow, this collection of stories has opened the door.

The tales he has chosen to adapt, and the artists he has assigned the work to, work. Why? In a twisted way, the sheer esoteric nature of the Poe, Twain, Stevenson, Doyle, Bierce, and Lovecraft stories match the highly stylized artwork from Geary, Weber, Howarth, Knight, Shaw and others. Put a story like King Pest into the hands of Frank Brunner, and you have a masterful piece, that may miss the off mark. Brunner is fantasy. Pest is satire, at its' best. Neal Adams doing the Cask of Amontilado would be a visual feast, but the art would overshadow the terror of the story. Some of the art in this volume does not necessarily make the tale sing, but it does put the onus onto the writer and as a team, it either does, or does not work.

Most of these work. This volume includes The Premature Burial, Imp of the Perverse, King Pest, The Tell Tale Heart, Masque of the Red Death, Hop Frog, Never Bet the Devil Your Head, Cask of Amontilado, Fall of the House of Usher, and the Raven. A couple of these are reprints but 40 of the 144 pages are new. Because of the new material, the book has a `new' feel to it.

Of the stories here, I had never heard of half of them. King Pest is a hoot. Hop Frog is delightful. The Imp of the Perverse is perverse. And the Premature Burial is masterful. Material from a genius like Poe should never be forgotten.

What the heck Tom, I bet Steranko would do a cover!!


Tim Lasiuta