The Hobbit: A Graphic Novel Review
Summary: A wonderful graphic novel adaptation of the classic tale.
5
Fantasy Favourite
One of the biggest issues people have when books are adapted to film is that large portions of the story get left out, this is typically an unfortunate requirement of adapting it to a different medium. What about when a novel is adapted to a graphic novel? I suspect opinions will vary but I was quite impressed with The Hobbit: A Graphic Novel.
Writing:
How do you take a much loved (and quite long) story and make it fit the graphic novel format? Well, in the case of The Hobbit: A Graphic Novel the approach seems to have been to ensure the main story moments are kept and whatever else would keep the pace going, less important elements that were perhaps not too crucial to the main story are left out. Granted it has been quite some time since I last read The Hobbit (possibly up to 30 years ago), but the graphic novel felt like it had all the most important elements… those moments that stuck in my mind. There’s less room for elaborate descriptions of people and places… but fortunately there is lovely artwork to fill that role.
Art:
If you are going to adapt a decent sized story into a more compact form you need to edit a lot of words out… fortunately J. R. R. Tolkien used a lot of words describing people, places and things… so removing the descriptions doesn’t have to impact the story telling, not when you have some fantastic illustrations to show the reader instead. David Wenzel has a real mastery of watercolor and brings a vibrant energy to the scenes throughout the book.
From the lovely warm and inviting Shire to the gloomy woods, from the verdant Elven lands to the cold stone of the Lonely Mountain… every location evokes just the right feeling and you can practically feel what the characters are experiencing as they attempt to complete their quest.
Final Thoughts:
For some purists they may prefer the traditional version and relish the descriptive language J. R. R. Tolkien used. But for me I quite enjoyed the visual spectacle and pacing of the story. If nothing else I think this would make a fantastic and slightly more accessible introduction to Middle Earth for younger readers. Definitely worth a look if for no other reason than the lovely artwork, but also a great way to rekindle the love for Tolkien’s work.
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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