Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caesar (Paperback)

by Richard Appignanesi (Adapter), William Shakespeare (Author), Mustashrik Mahbab (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—In these additions to the series, characters are introduced with full-color illustrations accompanied by a play quotation revealing the essence of each cast member. Both adaptations use excerpts from Shakespeare's words paired with black-and-white art to dramatize the action. Although the books are categorized as manga, pages are read from front to back, left to right. Caesar is set in a contemporary world filled with cell phones and motorcycles. The artist's imagery, such as the serpent in Brutus's home and the puppets in Cassius's hands, adds depth and layers of meaning to the text. Stage directions, noted in boxes at the top of panels, help readers to follow the story. While the style of artwork appears "busy" for manga, the artist's rendition of faces accurately captures each character's feelings in this emotionally charged adaptation. Macbeth is set in a postapocalyptic world, with crumbling cities, alien beings who serve as "witches," and men with Charles Atlas-like bodies. Bold, dynamic male figures reinforce the notion of mutations in both body and emotion. The setting introduces some anachronisms. Sophisticated communication devices seem at odds with armor-clad riders carrying swords and traveling on horseback. Although segments of well-known speeches are included, the abridgment seems choppy. Numerous, briefly introduced characters and abrupt scene changes make it difficult to follow the story line. However, readers familiar with the play may appreciate this futuristic adaptation.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* Abrams’ generally high-quality Manga Shakespeare line reaches its pinnacle thus far with Julius Caesar, the bard’s tragedy of conspiracy, warfare, and bloody revenge. Abridged text is spread out to render it less intimidating, and the most dramatic scenes are given plenty of room to breathe. Rome itself is portrayed as a YA-friendly mixture of classical architecture and modern weapons of war, the citizens dressed in Flash Gordon fashion and Judge Dredd headgear. What truly shines in this work, though, is the superlative visualization by newcomer Mustashrik. Working in stark white and inky black, he has created a spare but intense landscape that mirrors the emotions of the characters, and combines a sense of dreamlike isolation with a minimal backdrop that suggests a stage on which the drama is normally enacted. Using shadow, he has managed to make the assassination simultaneously graphic yet subtle, and by alternating tight focus and long shots, and using a thick brush to exemplify expressions, he has fittingly crafted a visual tour de force of Mark Antony’s speech. Especially for the more artistically minded, this is a raw, striking, and powerful introduction to Shakespeare. Grades 8-12. --Jesse Karp

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Amulet Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810970724
• ISBN-13: 978-0810970724
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #682,983 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dark Julius Ceaser, September 23, 2008

By	B. Cole (Walla Walla, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The sixth of the Manga Shakespeare is the darkest of them. The drawing and selection of lines goes for the war torn look. The constant circling gunships and look of Mad Max tell the story in Shakespeare's words and has some depth with the art work, but it is harsh. I found myself stumbling sometimes on the language due, to being distracted by the drawings, a bit disconcerting,but some art is that way. You may need to read it twice to understand more of the artwork. Not for the youngest manga fans

4.0 out of 5 stars Caesar Manga, June 2, 2009

By	I. Stackhouse (Marion, SC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a teacher, and I bought this book to help my students understand Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The drawings helped my students grasp the story, and the language still sounds authentic and not dumbed down. I would suggest this book as a companion text for any teenager who is trying to understand Julius Caesar.