Wow! The month of October is almost over and this is the last Thursday in our #GNCelebration. I do hope that you have been enjoying the posts from, Franki & Mary Lee of A Year of Reading, and Tammy & Clare from Assessment in Perspective, and I, as we celebrate graphic novels and comic books. To link up your reviews and connect with everyone participating in the #GNCelebration, visit our #GNCelebration Google Community.
This week, it was so hard to pick which book to feature. I am sitting here with a stack of graphic novels trying to decide. My final choice came down to a favorite illustrator with a choice perfect for the Halloween season.
Gris Grimly's Frankenstein
Original Text: Mary Shelley
Adapted and Illustrated by Gris Grimly
Balzer & Bray (2013)
Fiction * Horror * Classic
Audience: Ages 13 and up
IndieBound | WorldCat
About the book:
Gris Grimly, the New York Times bestselling artist and creator of the beloved Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness, has long considered Mary Shelley's classic tale of terror to be one of his greatest inspirations. He is now paying homage to it with a lavishly illustrated full-length adaptation, the first of its kind in this or any format. The tale of the hubris of Victor Frankenstein, the innocence of his monstrous creation, and the darkest desires of the human heart have never been more vividly represented on the page. Using an abridged version of the original text, Gris has created an experience that is part graphic novel, part prose novel, and all Gris Grimly: a bold sewing-together of elements both classic and contemporary. Beautifully terrifying and terrifyingly beautiful, this is Frankenstein as you've never seen it before
My thoughts on this book:
I discovered the work of Gris Grimly through the picture book Boris & Bella by Carolyn Crimi and Illustrated by Grimly. I shared this with classes that I taught and when my niece was 4, I think I read it to her every night for a year.
I became a fan of Grimly's work and have been fortunate to see him at local book events.
I have also been fascinated with the story of Frankenstein. How can you not?! There are so many layers in this story and to think that Mary Shelley was 19 years old when she began writing this book.
A few summers ago, I had the opportunity to see the "movie" version of the theater production of Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. On stage, the two actors would trade places each night with one playing Dr. Frankenstein and the other playing the monster. Thank you to amazing filming, and the good fortune of being in Los Angeles, I saw both versions of the "play".
This is a preview of the stage production of Frankenstein featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller:
But I digress...Of course, when I heard that Gris Grimly was taking on the challenge of making a graphic novel version of Frankenstein I knew I wanted it. My niece was in middle school at the time of this release and she couldn't wait to read it.
Grimly works to make the story Frankenstein accessible to readers, especially those who may not think they could work through the original text.
There is something to be said for just flipping through the pages of this book. The illustrations are brilliant (yes, I really like Grimly's work) and the tribute to 1970's British Rock brings another layer to the illustrations and the characters.
In the end, you will feel like you have gained new insight into the story of Frankenstein, and may just want to read it again, especially in time for Halloween.
Check out Gris Grimly's blog for more about his creative process, click here.
Don't forget to join us:
On November 1, 2015 at 8:00 EST, we will culminate this celebration with a Twitter Chat featuring Terry Thompson the author of Adventures in Graphica: Using Comics and Graphic Novels to Teach Comprehension, 2-6.
This week's giveaway:
Gris Grimly's Frankenstein (paperback) and Boris & Bella (paperback) by Carolyn Crimi & Gris Grimly
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