Classical Comics
Encyclopedia
Classical Comics is a British
publisher of graphic novel
adaptations
of the great works of literature
, including Shakespeare
, Charlotte Brontë
and Dickens
.
Classical Comics chairman, Clive Bryant has stated "We want to make Shakespeare as energetic and colourful as Spider-man" The aim is not just to aid in English literature classes but also in other areas: Karen Wenborn, the managing director, has said "We, and the teachers we’ve consulted, can visualize huge benefits within the education process using the books, not only for literacy and literature, but also drama, art and history.”
In April 2008 Classical Comics signed a distribution deal with book&volume to cover Australia and New Zealand. In June 2008 they announced two further distributions deals. Publishers Group West will be releasing British English and American English versions of Classical Comics' titles in the US and Canada and Ittosha are going to be translating the books into Japanese.
Classical Comics are also adapting their comics into other media and have turned their Macbeth graphic novel into an interactive motion comic
with actors like Derek Jacobi
and Juliet Stevenson
voicing the roles. Jon Haward
, the artist on Macbeth and The Tempest, moved into the role of art direction for the Hamlet adaptation, providing character designs and rough page outlines for pencilled David Lorenzo
to work with.
is supporting the project. "This is a fun way of getting into the stories", the director Ian McNeilly said. "Plays are not meant to be read, but to be seen. The illustrations in these books are an easy way of following what is going on". Wenborn has also reported that focus group
s were "incredibly enthusiastic" and The Guardian
, who examined the version of MacBeth, has suggested that "it will also, surely, suck some more young readers into the brilliant darkness of this play."
However, they have also been accused, by newspapers like the Daily Mail
, of dumbing down the original text, especially with the very simplified versions. They quote Dr Bernard Lamb, of the Queen's English Society
, as saying "Pupils may just enjoy the cartoons and not connect it with Shakespeare and they won't be much of a contribution to education" and that "A lot of the beauty of Shakespeare is in the language more than the plot."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
publisher of graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
adaptations
Literary adaptation
Literary adaptation is the adapting of a literary source to another genre or medium, such as a film, a stage play, or even ace video game...
of the great works of literature
Great Books
Great Books refers primarily to a group of books that tradition, and various institutions and authorities, have regarded as constituting or best expressing the foundations of Western culture ; derivatively the term also refers to a curriculum or method of education based around a list of such books...
, including Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
and Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
Overview
All of the volumes will be published as graphic novels. Art is being provided by British artists, most of whom have a long history of working in British comics. Some of the releases, in particular the Shakespeare, will come in three different versions: the original text, plain text and quick text, designed to allow readers with different needs to pick the version that bests suits them.Classical Comics chairman, Clive Bryant has stated "We want to make Shakespeare as energetic and colourful as Spider-man" The aim is not just to aid in English literature classes but also in other areas: Karen Wenborn, the managing director, has said "We, and the teachers we’ve consulted, can visualize huge benefits within the education process using the books, not only for literacy and literature, but also drama, art and history.”
In April 2008 Classical Comics signed a distribution deal with book&volume to cover Australia and New Zealand. In June 2008 they announced two further distributions deals. Publishers Group West will be releasing British English and American English versions of Classical Comics' titles in the US and Canada and Ittosha are going to be translating the books into Japanese.
Classical Comics are also adapting their comics into other media and have turned their Macbeth graphic novel into an interactive motion comic
Motion comic
A motion comic is a form of comics combining elements of print comic books and animation.-History:The earliest examples of motion comics are found in independent creations such as Broken Saints....
with actors like Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
and Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Stevenson
Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE is an English actor of stage and screen.- Early life :Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth , a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer. Stevenson's father was in the army and was posted to a new place every...
voicing the roles. Jon Haward
Jon Haward
Jon Haward is a comics artist. He has illustrated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Judge Dredd, Sinister Dexter and Biker Mice From Mars, among other strips.-Reference:...
, the artist on Macbeth and The Tempest, moved into the role of art direction for the Hamlet adaptation, providing character designs and rough page outlines for pencilled David Lorenzo
David Lorenzo
David V. Lorenzo is an American law firm marketing consultant, former strategic consultant and partner with The Gallup Organization, and former general manager of Marriott ExecuStay.-Career:...
to work with.
Reception
The National Association for the Teaching of EnglishNational Association for the Teaching of English
The National Association for the Teaching of English is the UK subject teacher association for all aspects of English from pre-school to university. NATE supports effective teaching and learning, keeps teachers informed about current developments and provides them with a voice at a national level....
is supporting the project. "This is a fun way of getting into the stories", the director Ian McNeilly said. "Plays are not meant to be read, but to be seen. The illustrations in these books are an easy way of following what is going on". Wenborn has also reported that focus group
Focus group
A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging...
s were "incredibly enthusiastic" and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, who examined the version of MacBeth, has suggested that "it will also, surely, suck some more young readers into the brilliant darkness of this play."
However, they have also been accused, by newspapers like the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, of dumbing down the original text, especially with the very simplified versions. They quote Dr Bernard Lamb, of the Queen's English Society
Queen's English Society
The Queen's English Society is a charity that aims to keep the English language safe from perceived declining standards . The current President is Dr. Bernard Lamb, a former Reader in Genetics at Imperial College.-History:...
, as saying "Pupils may just enjoy the cartoons and not connect it with Shakespeare and they won't be much of a contribution to education" and that "A lot of the beauty of Shakespeare is in the language more than the plot."
Titles
- Henry VHenry V (play)Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
(by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and adapted by John McDonald, with pencils by Neill CameronNeill Cameron-Biography:Cameron started out in British small press comics, most notably drawing Bulldog Empire, which also appeared in the small press section of Judge Dredd Megazine and was reprinted in the first volume of ILYA's Mammoth Book of Best New Manga....
and inks by Bambos, 144 pages, November 2007, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-00-6, Plain Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-01-3, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-02-0) - MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
(by William Shakespeare and adapted by John McDonald with artwork by Jon HawardJon HawardJon Haward is a comics artist. He has illustrated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Judge Dredd, Sinister Dexter and Biker Mice From Mars, among other strips.-Reference:...
, 144 pages, February 2008, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-03-7, Plain Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-04-4, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-05-1) - Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
(by William Shakespeare and adapted by John McDonald with artwork by Will Volley and Jim Devlin, 160 pages, September 2009, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-19-8, Plain Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-20-4, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-21-1)) - The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
(by William Shakespeare and adapted by John McDonald with artwork by Jon Haward, 144 pages, September 2009 Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-29-7, Plain Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-30-3, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-31-0) - Jane EyreJane EyreJane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
(by Charlotte BronteCharlotte BrontëCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
and adapted by Amy Corzine with artwork by John BurnsJohn Burns (comics)John M. Burns is an English comics artist, with a career stretching back to the mid-1960s.- Biography :His initial work was as an illustrator for Junior Express and School Friend...
, 144 pages, Spring 2008, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-06-8, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-08-2) - FrankensteinFrankensteinFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
(by Mary ShelleyMary ShelleyMary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
and adapted by Jason Cobley with artwork by Declan ShalveyDeclan ShalveyDeclan Shalvey is an Irish comic book artist. He made his name with his first comic Hero Killers, that won an Eagle Award, before going on to work on a number of Irish comics, as well as getting work on American comic books most notably Thunderbolts....
, 144 pages, September 2008 Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-15-0, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-16-7) - A Christmas CarolA Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
(by Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
and adapted by Sean Michael WilsonSean Michael WilsonSean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Edinburgh, Scotland, but who now lives and works in Japan.-Biography:Wilson was inspired to create comics at an early age by 2000 AD but he largely published poetry while studying sociology and psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh...
, with pencils by Mike Collins and inks by David RoachDavid Roach (comics)David Roach is a British comic book artist and writer based in Wales, United Kingdom. Roach actively illustrates for many companies, including 2000AD, Panini Comics, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Topps, and the gaming company Wizards of the Coast....
, 160 pages, October 2008, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-17-4, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-18-1) - Great ExpectationsGreat ExpectationsGreat Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in serial form in the publication All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times....
(by Charles Dickens and adapted by Jen Green and artwork by John StokesJohn Stokes (artist)John Stokes is a British comics artist who has largely worked for IPC and Marvel UK and is best known for his work on Fishboy.-Biography:Stokes got into the comics industry thanks to his brother George Stokes who already worked for IPC...
, 160 pages, March 2009, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-09-9, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-11-2) - The Canterville GhostThe Canterville Ghost"The Canterville Ghost" is a popular short story by Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in the magazine The Court and Society Review in February 1887. It was later included in a collection of short stories entitled...
(by Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
and adapted by Sean Michael WilsonSean Michael WilsonSean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Edinburgh, Scotland, but who now lives and works in Japan.-Biography:Wilson was inspired to create comics at an early age by 2000 AD but he largely published poetry while studying sociology and psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh...
, with art by Steve Bryant and Jason Millet, 144 pages, February 2010, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-27-3, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-28-0) - Sweeney ToddSweeney ToddSweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
(by anonymous and adapted by Sean Michael Wilson, with art by Declan Shalvey, 176 pages, November 2010, Original Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-79-2, Quick Text, ISBN 978-1-906332-80-8, forthcoming) - Wuthering HeightsWuthering HeightsWuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
(by Emily BronteEmily BrontëEmily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
and adapted by Sean Michael Wilson, with art by John M. Burns, 144 pages, August 2010, forthcoming) - Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
(By William Shakespeare and adapted by John McDonald, 2010, forthcoming)
Awards
- 2008:
- Won the Silver Medal "Graphic Novel/Drawn Book – Drama/Documentary" Independent Publisher Book AwardIndependent Publisher Book AwardThe Independent Publisher Book Awards , launched in 1996, are designed to bring increased recognition to titles published by independent authors and publishers...
, for Henry V. - Macbeth Original Text Winner in the Secondary Education category at the British Book Design and Production Awards 2008.
- Won the Silver Medal "Graphic Novel/Drawn Book – Drama/Documentary" Independent Publisher Book Award
- 2009:
- Won the Bronze Medal "Graphic Novel/Drawn Book – Drama/Documentary" Independent Publisher Book Award, for MacBeth.
- Association of Educational Publishers 2009 Winner - Distinguished Achievement Award in grades 9-12 'Frankenstein'
See also
Similar projects include:- Classic Comics, the fore-runner of Classics Illustrated
- Classics IllustratedClassics IllustratedClassics Illustrated is a comic book series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as Moby Dick, Hamlet, and The Iliad. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1971, producing 169 issues. Following the series' demise, various companies...
, a similar venture from the 1940s to 1960s - Marvel IllustratedMarvel IllustratedMarvel Illustrated is an imprint from Marvel Comics for comic adaptations of classic literature. Each novel's story is told in the form of a limited series, the issues of which are later collected together as a trade paperback.-Titles:...
, Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
imprint adapting classic literature - Graphic Classics
- Self Made HeroSelf Made HeroSelfMadeHero is a British graphic novel and manga publishing company, and imprint of Metro Media Ltd, who specialise in adapting works of literature.They launched with two lines in 2007:...
, another new British company producing adaptations of literature, including some of the same Shakespeare plays - The Manga Bible, an adaptation by SikuSiku (comics)Siku is the pseudonym of British/Nigerian artist and writer Ajibayo Akinsiku, best known for his work in 2000 AD.-Biography:Siku studied design and printing at the Yaba’s School of Art, and theology at the London School of Theology....