by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Jen Green
Art: John Stokes
Colourist: Jason Cardy
The tale of Pip, Miss Havisham, and the spiteful Estella, retold with fresh enthusiasm…
No, you haven’t been transported to an alternate dimension where downthetubes reviews literary fiction and the entire team smokes clay pipes around a roaring fire and ruminates on the work of John Donne and Charles Dickens. This really is a review of Great Expectations — the glorious, beautifully realised graphic novel brought to life by the Classical Comics team.
I have to confess that until now, my experience of Great Expectations has been confined to BBC Sunday serials and the 1946 David Lean film. I have read Dickens’ Oliver Twist at school and some of his other works, such as Christmas Carol and The Signalman, but in terms of actually getting to grips with the original novels, I’ve been sadly lax.
Art from Classical Comics “Great Expectations” adapted by Jen Green, art by John Stokes
I’m pleased to report, then, that John Stokes serves up an interpretation of that “original text”, adapted in style by Jen Green, with confident aplomb, delivering page after page of beautiful, detailed and lovingly rendered art, perfectly complementing Dickens’ story. Without wanting to detract from the equally enjoyable work Mike Collins did on Classical Comics version of A Christmas Carol, It makes you wonder just why John seems to have been so absent from British comics for such a long time, such is the quality of what’s on offer. His attention to detail, without losing sight of the need for strong storytelling is in evidence throughout.
The story, of course, is a complex mix of mistaken intent, unrequited love and unexpected twists as protagonist Pip discovers almost all those who have shaped his life have some unknown connection or shady past. Again, the art breathes life into the entire cast without resorting to stereotype: Stokes’ version of the convict, Magwitch, is as believable as the twisted, heart-broken Miss Havisham.
Throughout, this adaptation delivers a powerful re-telling of Dickens novel, with gorgeous art that aids the storytelling and helps make sense of the many characters and their relationships. I was also delighted to find this version went with Dickens later, alternate ending to the story, which for me sat much better with the story and is not as downbeat as the original.
If you need any further convincing that I enjoyed this edition, I sat down to read the Original Text version and genuinely couldn’t put the thing down until I’d read it. For a nineteenth century novel to grab my attention so is no mean feat and its testament to the hard work the Classical Comics team put into the book. They’ve succeeded in creating a superb re-telling of a classic piece of fiction and, more importantly, given it a whole new dimension through its stunning art that will surely appeal to a wide range of readers.
Outstanding.
• Buy Great Expectations from amazon.co.uk
• Classical Comics: www.classicalcomics.com
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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