Review: Pride and Prejudice (Marvel Illustrated Comics) by Jane Austen, Nancy Butler & Hugo Petrus
Pride and Prejudice (Graphic Novel)
by Jane Austen; adapted by Nancy Butler and Hugo Petrus
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife...
One of the most-beloved novels of all time joins the lineup of novels adapted into graphic novels by Marvel Illustrated. In a small English village, husbands must be found for the five daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. When Mr. Bingley moves to town, he is instantly elevated to the most eligible bachelor in the county. The eldest Bennet, Jane, is instantly smitten, but her sister Elizabeth isn't nearly so taken with Bingley's snobbish friend, Mr. Darcy. It will take a small miracle to get Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia married off when they come from such modest means and have such poor connections.
To fit into a 120 page graphic novel, Austen's novel had to be pared down considerably, and Nancy Butler did an admirable job distilling the narrative to its essentials. The main plot is preserved, and while diehard P&P fans may mourn the loss of a favorite scene I think that overall, this is a great version of the story. It moves along very smoothly from one paneled page to the next.
However, I was disappointed by the art. The art style of the pages is completely different from the cover. Instead of the lighter, pastel color palette and dream-like, painterly figures the comic books have the sharp shadows more commonly found in superhero comics. The coloring of the pages, an earthy reddish/brown, seems almost too bold and lacks the delicacy I hoped for. But this would have been forgiven if the main characters - Jane and Lizzy and their sisters - weren't so decidedly modern-looking. Each girl has pouty lips, high cheekbones, painted eyes and layered, modern haircuts. (Sure, when hair is up in a bun you can't really tell, but whenever a young lady has her hair down it's quite obviously a modern style.) They look like pretty movies stars from the late 20th century, not Regency era beauties.
Still, it's a nice adaptation, and it must have done fairly well, for Marvel has since followed up with adaptations of Sense & Sensibility and Emma.
4 out of 5 stars
To read more about Pride and Prejudice, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
by Jane Austen; adapted by Nancy Butler and Hugo Petrus
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife...
One of the most-beloved novels of all time joins the lineup of novels adapted into graphic novels by Marvel Illustrated. In a small English village, husbands must be found for the five daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. When Mr. Bingley moves to town, he is instantly elevated to the most eligible bachelor in the county. The eldest Bennet, Jane, is instantly smitten, but her sister Elizabeth isn't nearly so taken with Bingley's snobbish friend, Mr. Darcy. It will take a small miracle to get Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia married off when they come from such modest means and have such poor connections.
To fit into a 120 page graphic novel, Austen's novel had to be pared down considerably, and Nancy Butler did an admirable job distilling the narrative to its essentials. The main plot is preserved, and while diehard P&P fans may mourn the loss of a favorite scene I think that overall, this is a great version of the story. It moves along very smoothly from one paneled page to the next.
However, I was disappointed by the art. The art style of the pages is completely different from the cover. Instead of the lighter, pastel color palette and dream-like, painterly figures the comic books have the sharp shadows more commonly found in superhero comics. The coloring of the pages, an earthy reddish/brown, seems almost too bold and lacks the delicacy I hoped for. But this would have been forgiven if the main characters - Jane and Lizzy and their sisters - weren't so decidedly modern-looking. Each girl has pouty lips, high cheekbones, painted eyes and layered, modern haircuts. (Sure, when hair is up in a bun you can't really tell, but whenever a young lady has her hair down it's quite obviously a modern style.) They look like pretty movies stars from the late 20th century, not Regency era beauties.
Still, it's a nice adaptation, and it must have done fairly well, for Marvel has since followed up with adaptations of Sense & Sensibility and Emma.
4 out of 5 stars
To read more about Pride and Prejudice, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.