Avalon High: Coronation: The Merlin Prophecy

Avalon High: Coronation Volume I: The Merlin Prophecy
Created and Written by Meg Cabot, Illustrated by Jinky Coronado

I grew up reading comics. I read them as a child and I collected them as an adult. I currently own 2 huge storage boxes filled with classics such as Ghost Rider, The Incredible Hulk, She Hulk, Wolverine, Sandman, Watchmen and more. For an MLS class, I needed to read two graphic novels. I thought to myself, ok, I can do this! I love comics, I love novels, what’s better than the two of those combined?

This graphic novel was based upon Meg Cabot’s book Avalon High. Avalon High is a retelling/update of the Arthurian legend. This graphic novel, the first in a series of three, starts with a recap of Avalon High and then show more continues with Elaine being nominated for homecoming queen and trying to get Will (her boyfriend and the next Arthur) to believe that he is the reincarnated king and to reunite with his parents.

Ok, I am a huge Meg Cabot fan. I am not ashamed to admit that I have read all the Princess Diaries books, all the Mediator books, all of everything she has written actually. I was not a huge fan of Avalon High but since I am treading on new ground with graphic novels, I thought I would pick one where I was at least a little familiar with the characters. Wow, I really hate this medium.

First thing I hated: The “book” is about 109 pages long. If the words were strung together on pages instead of snipped together with graphics, I would be shocked if they filled 20 pages.

Second thing I hated: The text and illustrations were choppy. I had a hard time finding the words on the page, the graphics overwhelmed the words at times and I found the whole reading process extremely unsatisfying.

Third thing I hated: The story just ended... in the middle of a plot point. If I wanted a cliff hanger, I would watch television! I expect books with a sequel to have an ending which leaves me wanting more. I do not expect them to stop in the middle of a scene.

It turns out I am not the ideal audience for this medium. I would recommend this to a reluctant reader or to a comic book reader looking for just a little more. I would warn them that it ends too quickly and suggest that they check out more than the first one if they think they might like it, that way they could keep going and not break stride. show less

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Fans of Meg Cabot are treated to a change in style by the author. Paired with artist Jinky Coronado, Ms. Cabot retells AVALON HIGH in a comic/manga style. Readers do not have to have read AVALON HIGH to follow this new version of the story.

Elle Harrison has just moved to Annapolis with her history buff parents. Almost immediately weird things start to happen. Her history teacher, Mr. Morton, explains it as the return of King Arthur and the Age of Enlightenment. Apparently Elle is the Lady of the Lake and the football star, Will Wagner, is Arthur reincarnated. Elle's parents totally believe the story. Will thinks it's all a joke. And Elle, she doesn't know what to believe. The pieces all seem to fit show more together perfectly. Is it too much of a coincidence?

What takes 300 pages to be told in the original young adult story is told in just over 100 pages via the comic version. Of course, many of the details are left out. But the drawings reveal the story beautifully. Elle has to try to convince Will that he is King Arthur before the Homecoming dance. If he doesn't accept that he is the reincarnated King, the Age of Enlightenment can not happen, and the world will be thrust into darkness. No pressure, right? And to make matters worse, Will's brother, Marco, previously thought to be locked safely in a mental institution, is now out, and no one may be safe.

This is my first foray into this book style. Having read AVALON HIGH, I must admit I enjoyed THE MERLIN PROPHECY more than I expected to. I was instantly drawn to Elle and her adventures. The pictures were very vibrant, even in black and white. The details were amazing, and the story unfolded quickly and smoothly. Of course, Ms. Cabot leaves the reader wanting to learn what comes next. Not even the original story reveals how all the characters turn out. The reader will just have to wait for the continuation in AVALON HIGH CORONATION VOL. 2: HOMECOMING, due out in June 2008. show less

While I am not excited by manga I am still in love with the story line of this book. It is mostly a recap of the Avalon High novel but it does take the story a step further ending with a great cliff hanger. I am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

Este livro é uma história em quadrinhos que se passa depois do fim do livro Avalon High da Meg Cabot, mesma autora desta obra e de outras infanto juvenis muito conhecidas.
Eu não tinha lido o Avalon High ainda, por isso não sabia que se tratava de uma continuação, imaginei que apenas se passasse no mesmo universo, mas como eu vi o filme feito pela Disney a um tempo atrás, acabou que não peguei muitos spoilers.
Por ser uma estória de 2009 tem algumas questões que hoje em dia me incomodam como a competição feminina e a priorização da beleza.
De modo geral é uma boa estória que reconta o mito do Rei Arthur de forma interessante.

Okay, I haven't read Avalon High... and... I guess maybe you kind of need to in order to fully appreciate this book. It gives a brief overview of the premise in the first chapter - at Avalon High, many of the students are possibly reincarnations of Arthurian characters. Now, it's theorized that in order for Elaine's boyfriend, football player/Arthur, to save the world, he must learn who he is and accept it. The only problem is that Elaine can't think of how to convince him that this crazy prophecy is real...

It made me intrigued to read Avalon High so I could figure out what was going on. I think it's a really interesting premise for a book and I love that they've continued it (or summarized it?) in graphic novel format.

Ellie is new to Avalon high, but she's already running on the track team, nominated for homecoming queen, and dating the most desirable boy in school. It may be because she's the reincarnation of the Lady of the Lake, who provided King Arthur his famous sword!

Meg Cabot turns her restless pen to Arthurian legend, with this version in manga form (a novel also exists). The high school setting actually makes the tangled webs of the story more difficult to follow, not easier; this would be a good recommendation for leisure reading rather than a course supplement. The manga format means busy ladies and short skirts, so this is advised for middle school ages and up.

A graphic envisioning of Cabot’s Avalon High, this graphic novel picks up where Avalon High the novel left off, following the lives of Will, Ellie and the rest of the court. As if high school weren’t difficult enough, Arthur’s reincarnated court must face mortal foes. Rather enjoyable, but not quite as good as the novelization. Rather than text or dialogue, the story is driven by the illustrations, which are good but the general feel is as though something is missing. Perhaps after reading the novel I hoped for more in the graphic installation.