Customer Reviews

Science Fiction Classics: Graphic Classics Volume Seventeen (Graphic Classics (Eureka))

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Just when you thought that Tom Pomplun could not improve on his Graphic Classic line, he pulls a rabbit out of his literary hat and voila! Science Fiction, in COLOR!

Volume 17 jumps out of the gates with a stellar cover from "The War of the Worlds" (Wells, as if you didn't know), and continues on with science fiction from sources you would not expect. Hans Christian Anderson appears to describe "In a Thousand Years". Sure, it is a bit off, but what the heck. As long as there is no Little Mermaid mentioned, I'm pretty good about it. Jules Verne gives us a futuristic vision in "In the Year 2889" that Johnny Ryan illustrates with amazing dexterity. Don't mind George Jetson though, he does know what he is doing in this day in the life of a superstar. Arthur Conan Doyle takes us into "The Disintergration Machine", and E M Forester tours us with "The Machine Shop". It really is hard to top "A Martian Odyssey" by Weinbaum/Avery and Sellas though. The classy art certainly makes this tale hard to put down.

Does one story stand above the rest? Not really, Pomplun gives readers a variety of stories that shine for different reasons. Humor, adventure, theology, and philosophy are all represented here.

The move to color puts this series over the top and readers who could not quite pick up the previous 16 books, should. While the b/w art was good, the color in the volume sparkles but does raise the price to [...] us, an increase that is worth every penny.

Tim Lasiuta

[...]

What a treat - six classic sci-fi adventures presented in a graphic novel format:

The War of the Worlds - HG Wells
A Martian Odyssey - Stanley G Weinbaum
The Disintegration Machine - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
In the Year 2889 - Jules Verne
The Bureau d'Echange de Maux - Lord Dunsany
The Machine Stops - EM Forster

The "editor" of the collection, Tom Pomplun, has very cleverly collected six stories, dramatically different in their natures one from the other, and arranged for them to be illustrated in equally contrasting artistic styles.

"The War of the Worlds", for example, is portrayed in a beautifully painted subdued collection of browns, blacks, greys and ambers with more realistically drawn characters similar to many of the old stories seen in "Creepy" and "Eerie" collections. "The Bureau d'Echange de Maux" is drawn in a style that, to my mind, seems almost impressionist and, in complete contrast, "In the Year 2889", is illustrated in pure cartoon style with characters that most closely resemble the children's television series, "The Jetsons".

Of the six in the collection, I had actually read the full length novel for the first three listed above. I was pleased to discover that the story line contained in this collection didn't suffer in the least as a result of the severe abridgement that this format, of necessity, demands.

In fact, I was so pleased that I'm now in a serious hunt to find used copies of the full length versions of the other three which were new to me.

Not only that ... I found this particular volume of "Graphic Classics" so diverting and so entertaining that I also intend to hunt down the previous sixteen versions and begin a little collection. Who knows ... they may appreciate in value as collectibles as some point in the future! And, in the meantime, some great reading pleasure awaits the child in me that I have discovered still enjoys reading a comic book (oops ... I mean a "graphic novel"!)

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

In this seventeenth volume of graphic classics one might've expected the series to have stretched beyond its ability to delight and entertain, and yet this volume offers some of the best stories yet, done with some great adaptation and some truly original artwork.

Volume 17 kicks off with a bang with the graphic adaptation of H. G. Well's famous War of the Worlds. Writer Rich Rainey must be commended for condensing the novel into just 48 pages, and yet maintaining enough storyline and action to be true to the original book. The artwork from Micah Farritor helps set the scene of the nineteenth century, giving each of the characters a very human look. As for the aliens, Farritor borrows from the classic look of War of the Worlds, but also adds his own style.

A day in the life of a man who looks much like George Jetson is the setting for the next story: Jules Verne's "In the Year 2889." Stories from Stanley G. Weintraub and Arthur Conan Doyle are included, each presenting their own unique art style from a different artist. Graphic Classics Volume 17 is a great addition to the collection, leaving readers looking forward to what's to come next.

Originally written on June 18th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

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I bought this one for the short story "The machine Stops" This is a very good commic with a lots of different artists. All in color.

If you've ever wanted to read some of the classics in science fiction, but just can't seem to find the time, Graphic Classics has the solution for you. In these graphic novels, the classics come alive, and each story can be read in a relatively short time.

Stories included:
In a Thousand Years by Hans Christian Andersen
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
In the Year 2889 by Jules Verne
A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
The Disintegration Machine by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Bureau d'Echange de Maux by Lord Dunsany
The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster

I had never read any of these classics, and I enjoyed these tales told through pictures and dialogue between the major characters. Of course some of the original story is lost in these abbreviated versions, but the main point is retained in an easy to read format.

If you're a die-hard literary type, by all means read the originals. But if you enjoy action, good illustrations, and a quick read, these science fiction classics are just what you need to converse intelligently about stories you may never have had the chance to read otherwise.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Science fiction has long been a staple of American popular culture from the days of pulp magazine, through motion pictures and television, and most pervasively, through books and comics. The newest addition to the impressive Eureka Production series of graphic novel adaptations of the world's great literature, Volume 17 showcases science fiction stories by Jules Verne, Stanley G. Weinbaum, E. M. Forster, and H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Dunsany, and Hans Christian Anderson. Each featured story is uniquely illustrated by a different artist. The result is a compendium of great graphic novel style adaptions that do full justice to the original authors and their seminal works. Graphic novel enthusiasts, as well as school and community librarians, would be well advised to visit the Eureka Productions website for a complete listing of their Graphic Classics series.

Posted 6/27/2009: This is a comic book rendering of six classic stories by top notch authors, including H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. The stories are told with good graphic illustrations by six different artists. It can be read by pre-teens, or anyone older than that, even older adults like me. I was particularly impressed by the art work of Micah Farritor in his rendition of The War of the Worlds. A good stocking stuffer.