Reviews

Adult/High School-From the troublemaking, steel-trap mind of Twain comes this collection of illustrated short stories, anecdotes, and epigrams. Interpreted in black and white by various artists, these adaptations vary greatly in artistic style, yet through it all Twain's unmistakable insight never waivers. Some of the pieces, such as the consistently enjoyable tragicomedies "The Mysterious Stranger" and "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," receive a traditional comic-book treatment. Other pieces have a more modern, even expressionistic feel. Twain's language can be florid, and many readers will have to refer to the dictionary for clarification. In addition, his work is complex (many of the pieces involve him having a discussion with some incarnation of himself) and can be challenging. The heartbreaking "A Dog's Tale," a story of animal innocence in the face of casual, human evil, is accompanied by sociopolitical iconography that requires a sophisticated audience. While illustrated adaptations of Twain's lesser-known works are not for every reader's taste, teens looking for an unusual introduction to the writer will certainly find this book engaging.-Douglas P. Davey, Halton Hills Public Libraries, Ontario, Canada Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

The eighth in the publisher's series of literary adaptations, this work includes a dozen short tales and anecdotes by Twain, the great American tale spinner and satirist. This is not much like the staid old "Classics Illustrated" comics but literature for the indie comics crowd-with art in a variety of styles, some quite exaggerated and cartoony. The book's most substantial piece is "The Mysterious Stranger," adapted by Rick Geary (Treasury of Victorian Murder), about an angel named Satan (nephew of the better-known one) and his questionable "aid" to residents of a small Austrian town. Some pieces are adapted to comics form; others present the original text with a few (sometimes superfluous) illustrations. One outstanding example of the latter type is "A Dog's Tale," illustrated by Lance Tooks, in which the text becomes part of the page design, and the role of the ill-treated dog is played by a black woman, making explicit another layer of the story's meaning. Not every piece here is a winner, though, and the earlier Edgar Allan Poe and H.G. Wells volumes include material that may be more familiar to most readers. Still, this is a worthy project, and this volume is recommended for teens and adults. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

With a terrific lineup of artists and unbeatable material, Pomplun has assembled a collection of Mark Twain's work that should delight graphic novel fans and anyone seeking to boost their general cultural knowledge. The stories collected here are, of necessity, taken from Twain's short works, and if not every single word has made it into these comics adaptations, there is still an abundance of the great man's rhetoric, which should satisfy all but the most exacting readers. The book begins with Twain's 70th birthday oration, delivered in 1905, and continues with one of Twain's later works, "The Mysterious Stranger," a dark morality tale set in 16th-century Austria. The mood lightens with "How I Was Sold in Newark" and "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Other yarns include "A Ghost Story" and "A Dog's Tale." Interspersed are shorter pieces: "Ode to Stephen Dowling Bots, Dec'd" (excerpted from Huckleberry Finn), a short discussion of a 19th-century fraud entitled "P.T. Barnum and the Cardiff Giant" and a superbly tongue-in-cheek advertisement for "A Curious Pleasure Excursion," in which the public learns Twain has leased a comet and is ready to take patrons on a deluxe ride through outer space. With over 20 different artists interpreting Twain's work, illustrations range from discreet drawings accompanying a page full of text to boffo spreads where characters cavort through the tale. Particularly charming is the collection of images accompanying Twain's practical "Advice to Little Girls," recommendations as timely now as when they were written. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.