Kyle Baker Takes Alice Through The Looking-Glass
9 août 2008
[ENGLISH] Papercutz says: « “One of the most accomplished comics creators today.” — Booklist “One of the century’s greatest comic illustrators.” — ESPN “The best in the graphic novel business. The absolute best.” — Aaron McGruder, cartoonist, The Boondocks – They’re all talking about Kyle Baker, writer-artist of CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED Graphic Novel #3: Through The Looking-Glass. Baker’s inspired, gorgeous adaptation of the madcap sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland starts when Alice wonders what’s on the other side of a mirror — and passes through it to find out. She meets such famous characters as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Lion and the Unicorn, and Humpty-Dumpty, and even becomes the White Queen in a
surreal chess match against the Red Queen.
Through the Looking-Glass comes on the heels of Papercutz’ very successful re-launch of CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED. The new series began with the Wind in the Willows, which Newsweek called “A visual masterpiece — Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger have met their Michelangelo.” The book went back to press for a second printing within two months. Other classics already out include acclaimed artist Rick Geary’s adaptations of Great Expectations and The Invisible Man, and a
collection of tales by the Brothers Grimm.
Baker, who has won the comic-book industry’s Eagle, Harvey, and Eisner awards, is known for graphic novels as diverse as the historical drama Nat Turner and the wild New York comedy Why I Hate Saturn. His latest comics series, The Bakers, is in development with Fox TV. Previews of
his work on Through the Looking-Glass are available at http://www.papercutz.com/classics/looking_glass/lookingpre1.html. The book is a full-color, 56-page hardcover, 6 1/2” x 9”, for the affordable price of $9.95; ISBN 978-1-59707-115-4.
You can order the book through NBM Publishing at 800-886-1223.
See previews and more at www.papercutz.com.
For regular updates and to interact with us, see http://www.myspace.com/papercutzcomics.
I’m a Kyle Baker fan.
I’m a Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There fan.
I am not a fan of this adaptation. Especially not at $10.
It wasn’t so much « adapted » as it was « sloppily hacked away at by Norman Bates ».
I bought an original paperback copy in the 1990s at Pic-n-Sav (now called Big! Lots!) for 75 cents.
The small format diminishes both Mr. Baker’s artwork and makes mince meet out of an already choppy episodic tale.
Yes, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been done to death, but I think Mr. Baker would have had a superior and « smoother » tale to deal with and many more fun images to translate. (i.e. falling down the rabbit hole, Alice’s growing-shrinking-stretching, the caucus race, getting stuck in the rabbit’s house, the Duchess’s kitchen, the mad tea party, etc.) Kyle Baker’s Chesire Cat! How can we miss that?
The illustrations for Looking-Glass lacks inspiration; Mr. Baker seemed to settle for a bland interpatation of the gorgeous original Tenniel block prints rather than take a chance with a new style. (For instance, his Alice has blond hair, blue dress, and white apron… Gee, how original.)
The transitions from one episode to another seem abrupt and disjointed; yes, the journey ultimately turns out to be a dream, but where as the original telling was sly with the phasing in and out from one encounter to another, this retelling feels like your riding shot gun to a 15 year driver’s ed student. Brake-gas-brake-gas-brake-g-wait! brake.
A major disappointment.