Review: Jane Eyre: The Graphic Novel by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre: The Graphic Novel
by Charlotte Bronte and the team at Classical Comics
Poor little orphaned Jane Eyre. Unwanted by her her Aunt Reed's family, Jane is sent to a boarding school and suffers under the inadequate conditions. When she is older she becomes a governess to the daughter of mysterious Mr. Rochester, and their flirtations and romance have become one of the great classic stories of the Gothic romance genre, spawning countless sequels and film adaptations.
This graphic novel adaptation of the novel, like all of Classical Comics' catalog, is available in two versions:
Original Text: The dialogue and text is taken directly from the words of Charlotte Bronte
Quick Text: The words have been shortened and modified into modern English for easier reading in comic book format
Amy Corzine, the script adapter for Jane Eyre, did a wonderful job capturing the characters' emotions in abbreviated form. The Original Text never felt unwieldy, and the Quick Text did not lack in any way. I was quite happy with both texts, and would recommend either. The story is true to the original novel, although for space's sake some scenes were cut.
John M. Burns' did a stunning job with the art. Instead of the usual inked panels we see in comic books, Jane Eyre is lushly painted in an older style of art that reminds me of the old Nancy Drew covers. (After Googling Nancy Drew's art in an attempt to understand this connection, I must be remembering the second generation artist Bill Gillies or third generation Rudy Nappi.) The use of heavy shadows and rich color really capture the mood of the gothic story. Dark greens and greys give Lowood School a unhealthy pallor, while Thornfield Hall's brightly decorated walls, so lovely during parties and special events, become dimly lit and vaguely threatening when Rochester's mood is low. The characters look just the way I always imagined them, so I was quite pleased with that.
Another lovely addition to the Classical Comics line-up, Jane Eyre has been available in the UK since earlier this year and should be released in the United States soon. (The publisher's websites says Dec. 8th, 2008 while Amazon.com will begin shipping in January 2009, but either way the book should be available within a few weeks!)
To read more about Jane Eyre: The Graphic Novel, buy a copy or add it to your wishlist, click here.