Bunnicula: The Graphic Novel

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S BUNNICULAT: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT?
This is easy—it's a graphic novel adaptation of the modern classic, Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by James and Deborah Howe.

For those who missed this when they were kids, briefly, it's the story about a dog (Harold) and a cat (Chester) reacting to a rabbit that their family brings home after finding him in a movie theater. The rabbit has some distinctive patterns on his fur that remind the kids (and Chester) of a classic Dracula-type vampire, so they name him Bunnicula.

Chester's a literary type, with a taste for classic horror. Between his look, Bunnicula's nocturnal habits, and the fact that every vegetable in the house starts show more being drained of its juices, Chester becomes convinced that the new pet is a vampire and tries his best to warn the family and destroy the intruder before he harms the family. Harold's around as the voice of reason and tries to mitigate Chester's shenanigans before his new little buddy gets hurt. Hilarity and shenanigans ensue.

STEPHEN GILPNI'S WORK AND THE LOOK OF THE BOOK OVERALL
When I saw this on the bookstore shelf, I was intrigued because the original novel was such a favorite of mine—and then my kids, too. I had no real intentions of buying it because I could always just grab the novel again to revisit, but I picked it up to give it a quick glance and the art blew me away, and I had to buy it. Chester looked good, I clicked immediately with the character design for the Monroes (particularly the boys), Bunnicula was spot-on...

But the clincher for me was Harold. He might as well have been a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's, because his hair (and everything else) was perfect. Sure, now it's expected that the dog will be my favorite character in a book—but that wasn't my default when I first encountered the book. But it took little time for him to be my favorite character in the series*. So when Gilpin knocked that character out of the park, he won my affection. Sure, it's based on the illustrations from the original book, but he owned it and brought the look to life.

* It's very likely that Harold laid the groundwork for my appreciation of canine protagonists, like Chet and Oberon.

Sometimes, I wonder what the point is behind doing a graphic novel adaptation of a written work—does it really add anything? This one did—there are some nice updates (Harold uses a computer, etc.) and some visual jokes and flourishes that could only be made in this format. Gilpin clearly made the most out of what Howe and Donkin gave him.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BUNNICULA: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL?
It'd be hard (but not impossible) to make something faithful to the letter (as much as space allows) and the spirit of the novel that didn't make me happy. But this one wowed me—it brought me back to the day I first discovered this great band of people and critters decades ago, recapturing and repackaging the magic.

I'm not sure that it'll have that impact on everyone—I don't know if an 8-10 year-old picking it up in 2022 is going to get hooked on the series, for example. I can't imagine how one doesn't, but I don't know if they will.

I wasn't sure how to rate this, how much of my reaction to it was based on memory and nostalgia and how much was this new work. But I know how I felt while reading it and I saw how my (now adult) children's eyes lit up when I showed them this version of the book, and I had to go with the full five stars.

Adult fans who remember the book—grab this, you'll have a blast. It'll probably work its charms on younger readers, too—and hopefully will work to bring them to the original series. show less

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC in exchange for review through Edelweiss.)

I was a huge bookworm as a kid (still am!), and - along with Nancy Drew, The Baby-Sitters Club, and Encyclopedia Brown - Bunnicula was one of my favorite series. So I was stoked when I discovered the graphic novel adaptation on Edelweiss.

BUNNICULA: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL follows the plot of the inaugural book, BUNNICULA: A RABBIT-TALE OF MYSTERY: while attending a screening of the movie DRACULA, a family finds an abandoned rabbit in one of the theater seats. The Monroes - mom and dad and their sons Pete and Toby - bring the little ball of fluff home and christen him Bunnicula, after the circumstances of his (very strange and spooky) discovery. Shortly after show more Bunnicula's adoption, weird things start happening in the Monroe household - most glaringly, some of the family's vegetables go white overnight.

The cat of the house, Chester, becomes convinced that Bunnicula is a vampire who will soon lead to the family's destruction. His attempts to unmask (then murder!) Bunnicula rubs his canine friend Harold the wrong way, and he soon takes Bunnicula's side.

Though it's been ages since I've read the books, the graphic novel seems to be a pretty faithful retelling of the story; a fun way of revisiting an old favorite, but in a new medium. It's strange; it didn't feel like a whole lot happened, plot-wise, for an 128-page comic book (and one that's heavy on narration, at that); and yet the story is fun, engaging, and moves at a pretty steady clip.

It's hard to judge the artwork, since the ARC isn't full-color, but I enjoyed the illustrations and thought they suited the overall vibe of the story quite well. My only complaint: Chester's face has this weird, humanoid quality that I found really disconcerting in an Uncanny Valley way. show less

Cute! I never read the original book, but I can see the charm. I have to say Chester looks a little uncanny valley with an almost humanlike face; So ugly if I'm being honest. Harold has the same thing, but it goes with his design.

Harold and Chester's blunders with their new family member, Bunnicula is fun. I like Harold's narration as well.

3.5

This retelling in a new format does justice to the original, which was uniquely inventive and funny. (The visuals of Chester are especially good.)

Beware the hare! It’s not possible to describe my happiness and excitement when I saw this cherished childhood favorite being made in graphic novel form! And disappointed I was not. In fact, this is so hilarious and the characters of Chester and Harold are so well done that I love it as much as the original. I can’t wait to see the final full-color version when it comes out.

This is told from Harold the dog's POV. Harold's human family brings home a bunny they found in a movie theater showing Dracula. Weird things start to happen, and Chester, the family's cat, is convinced that the bunny, named Bunnicula, is somehow getting out of his cage at night and sucking vegetables dry. In the morning, all that's left is white veggies. Chester becomes consumed with defeating Bunnicula and thereby saving mankind. Harold, meanwhile, doesn't see anything harmful about Bunnicula, even if it does turn out to be true that the bunny is some kind of vampire.

I'm sure I must have read the book this was based on at some point, but I can't remember much about it except the basics. I can't say how the original book and graphic show more novel compare, but I thought this was a fun read overall. Some of the artwork is hilarious, like the vet with the shot. I also liked Harold's design - he looked like a kindly older gentleman, a good match for his personality.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Bunnicula is a classic for a reason. The story is timeless and is still fresh every time you read it. The newest version is in graphic novel, and the perfect illustrators were picked to take this classic and make it modern for a new generation. There’s nothing to tell about the story itself as it stands on its own decades after it was published. But it took skilled artists to make that medium visual in a way that’s entertaining to kids, but also make it timeless. Bunnicula is always a great seasonal read for October.