A Christmas Carol: The Graphic Novel (original text)

A Christmas Carol being reworked as a graphic novel may at first seem to be treading on sacred ground. The result from Classical Comics does justice to its source. With the ghost imagery set in a comic format, the story takes on an edgier tone and will appeal to many comic fans.Several wonderful special features are included such as the Dickens family tree. ( )

Owning 5 different versions ( at least ) including both the audio and movie version presented by Patrick Stewart makes me a self-proclaimed expert and I can say that this graphic version is excellent. The images have a dream-like quality that stay with the reader well after finishing this story. The dream image is important because this entire story is presented as a dream that Scrooge has and wakes up the next morning with a chance to change his miserly ways. Enjoy this great addition to the CCC (Christmas Carol Canon)

I have to admit, this copy is very well done, with very fine additions, and high quality paper and layout. Still, I did not really like the book as much as I'd hoped. I like the original, complete text of anything. When I heard of this edition of the book I was pleased. I was surprised to find that while it was the original text, it was abridged. I figured original text meant the whole thing. Dickens is a master and it is a fine work, in it complete text.

My nine year old son picked it up and liked the pictures. He knew the story. He did not really read the written portions, although he readily reads stories which are completely written.

The additions, historical background and bios were very worthwhile and were such good additions to the book. Still, it is not for me or my family. I wish I could say better. ( )

I received this book for Early Review, and it arrived just in time for me to teach "A Christmas Carol" to my seventh grade reading class. What a great resource! I loved the graphic adaptation for some of my struggling readers, and the supplemental materials - timelines, author's biography, historical background, etc. - were excellent additions to the curriculum. I definitely recommend this for fans of graphic novels OR lovers of literature; I recommend it to teachers, and think a copy ought to be in every school library. ( )

This is a graphic novel presentation of the classic “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, in the ‘original text’ version. Classical Comics has prepared two graphic novel versions of this story, one is a “quick text” version told in modern English intended for a fast-paced read. This book in the “original text” version cuts out some of the words that describe the physical action taking place (as that is shown in the illustrations). It cuts out some of the extraneous descriptions but in a side by side comparison the dialogue and nearly all of the other text is identical to the original book by Dickens.

At the back of the book is wealth of background information on the author including a five page biography and a family tree for Charles Dickens as well as a two page timeline of his life. Two pages about the true history of England and its relevance to the story is provided as well as two more pages on the history of the celebration of Christmas in England including changes in the Victorian Era. Lastly two pages explain the writer’s and artist’s process to transform a book from traditional text to create a graphic novel format telling of the story. These sections are interesting (not boring) and are worthy of reading (not just by school teachers to create lesson plans although they could be used for that). The information about the history of England and Christmas celebrations was insightful to put the fictional story into context.

The illustrations are in full color and the illustrations are of high quality. This reminds me of the high quality, modern superhero graphic novels with the classic shift in perspectives, different sized boxes, and going back and forth from farther back to extreme close-up’s. Regarding the great illustration I note the facial expressions are detailed and well done and the shading of the scenes is well-done such as three shades of green on a shirt and a great job with the glowing lights of candles and gas lamps in dark rooms or outdoor night scenes. The ghost images are also well done.

I have compared this Classical Comics version to a different publishing house’s version of a graphic presentation of a Shakespeare play which had inferior illustrations most notably poor facial illustrations. This publishing house’s graphic presentation of classic books and Shakespeare plays is superior to the other company’s.

The pages are glossy and thick. This is a high quality book in every way.

Again these stories are available in two versions. The version I am reviewing is the original text version which is a longer read in the original book’s language. The other version is a “quick text” version in modern language, simplified for a fast read. To help identify which is which, the “quick text” version has a full color cover and the “original text” version has a black cover with an illustration only in glossy and matte texture. Both covers, at the bottom right, have the words “original text” and “quick text” but the version that the book is, is in orange while the other is blackened out but still legible.

Classical Comics publishes classic books and some plays of Shakespeare. All classic books are in the two formats mentioned above. The Shakespeare plays are available in THREE formats: original text “the unabridged play brought to life in full color”, plain text “the complete play translated into plain English” and quick text “the full play in quick modern English for a fast=paced read.

Due to the high quality product of “A Christmas Carol” I plan to buy other Classical Comics publications including some of the Shakespeare plays.

I think this book (and others by Classic Comics) would be an excellent addition to public libraries and could be an excellent addition to the Young Adult collection.

Regarding use in the classroom: I think that some interesting discussions could be had about how the action of the book in text version translated over to a graphic presentation. An assignment could be worked backwards; taking a page from the graphic book and having the student write it out only in text, using their own words to describe the action and the physical description of the people and places. These graphic presentations of classics especially in “quick text” could be read by elementary grade students, especially those boys who seem consumed by reading anything presented in comic book/graphic book style. To what extent high school teachers would want to use the easier reading versions in the classroom is up to their individual discretion and dependent on the students they are teaching. I won’t enter a debate of whether reading an easier version is ‘better than nothing’. With that said it would be an interesting lesson to compare the ‘quick text’ version to the ‘original text’ version. The modern English Shakespeare plays might be introduced first and then the student introduced to the original language after the initial story is known and understood.

Disclosure: A review copy of the original text version of “A Christmas Carol” was given to me through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program for the purpose of writing a review on their website.

http://thethinkingmother.blogspot.com/2009/03/christmas-carol-graphic-novel-book...