From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up–These titles, while remaining faithful to the original screenplays, bring these classic stories to a newer and younger audience who might never have seen the black-and-white television programs. Also, a unique advantage to using Serling&'s screenplays is that readers will also see glimpses of his vision that were never captured on camera.
Deaths-Head Revisited tells the story of a former Nazi commander who returns to his old concentration camp, while
The Midnight Sun tells the story of how society falls apart after Earth moves closer to the sun. It includes a scene that was never filmed for budget reasons. The illustrators adeptly capture many of the scenes immortalized on film and translate them into full-color graphic-novel format. Worthwhile purchases.
–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Adapted from Serling’s original television script, this entry in the Twilight Zone series of graphic novels follows former SS captain Gunther Lutze as he returns to Dachau to visit the concentration camp where he murdered hundreds decades earlier. He is soon met with the ghosts of the persecuted, who try him for his crimes. As is expected with the Twilight Zone, it’s not clear whether or not everything is attributable to Lutze’s tortured psyche, but the point is that it’s occasionally powerful and frequently creepy—if seeing hordes of the dead crawl out of ovens doesn’t disturb you, nothing will. The transition to the graphic format is smooth, with a shot/reverse-shot pattern of sweaty close-ups that emulates the feel of the original program. The scope of the imagery is grander than anything Serling could’ve attained (or even wanted), but for newcomers the sweeping scale will adequately replace TV’s inherent claustrophobia. A closing note describes the parallels to real-life Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Warning to purists: the artwork is in full color. Grades 7-10. --Daniel Kraus
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
