An engaging interpretation of the poem whose richly detailed pages demand and reward attention.
The children’s classic nonsense poem from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass (1871) gets new and colorful illustrations by Rodgers.
The original John Tenniel illustration for the Jabberwock was black and white, but this newly illustrated version of the poem renders scenes in full color, spreading the 28-line poem in snippets over 18 pages. (The final page gives the poem in full.) In his debut book, Rodgers conjures up an alien landscape for “Jabberwocky.” It has some of the primeval feeling of Tenniel’s, whose Jabberwock had the leathery wings of a pterodactyl, but is richly colored and original. A variety of creatures, some blobby, some multilegged, some tentacled, inhabit this lushly verdant world. The young warrior is green and hairless, wearing Bronze Age–like clothing, and of course well-armed with the vorpal sword. He poles himself through swampland, then climbs up to a high clifftop to find his manxome foe. The Jabberwock itself is a frightening creature with its red eyes, lobster-claw–ish horns, and low-set bulk. And its horrible tongue could well burble; Rodgers adds some burbling for effect as the hero lures the Jabberwock to destruction and headlessness. Galumphing, in this case, involves using floating creatures roped to the Jabberwock’s head to transport it home. The father is rather frightening himself, a giant many times the size of his son, but his pride is palpable; an onlooker jumps for joy. Rodgers does a wonderful job opening up the poem, commenting on it artistically, and reimagining its figures.
An engaging interpretation of the poem whose richly detailed pages demand and reward attention.Pub Date: March 21, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4800-9565-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Immensely enjoyable.
The debut graphic novel from Mohamed presents a modern Egypt full of magical realism where wishes have been industrialized and heavily regulated.
The story opens with a televised public service announcement from the General Committee of Wish Supervision and Licensing about the dangers of “third-class wishes”—wishes that come in soda cans and tend to backfire on wishers who aren’t specific enough (like a wish to lose weight resulting in limbs falling from the wisher’s body). Thus begins a brilliant play among magic, the mundane, and bureaucracy that centers around a newsstand kiosk where a devout Muslim is trying to unload the three “first-class wishes” (contained in elegant glass bottles and properly licensed by the government) that have come into his possession, since he believes his religion forbids him to use them. As he gradually unloads the first-class wishes on a poor, regretful widow (who then runs afoul of authorities determined to manipulate her out of her valuable commodity) and a university student who seeks a possibly magical solution to their mental health crisis (but struggles with whether a wish to always be happy might have unintended consequences), interstitials give infographic histories of wishes, showing how the Western wish-industrial complex has exploited the countries where wishes are mined (largely in the Middle East). The book is exceptionally imaginative while also being wonderfully grounded in touching human relationships, existential quandaries, and familiar geopolitical and socio-economic dynamics. Mohamed’s art balances perfectly between cartoon and realism, powerfully conveying emotions, and her strong, clean lines gorgeously depict everything from an anguished face to an ornate bottle. Charts and graphs nicely break up the reading experience while also concisely building this larger world of everyday wishes. Mohamed has a great sense of humor, which comes out in footnotes and casual asides throughout.
Immensely enjoyable.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-524-74841-8
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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