Moby-Dick als Comic

Über einem Projekt wie diesem vergisst sich leicht, dass Moby-Dick nicht nur aus philosophischen, sondern nebenbei auch noch spektakulären, abenteuerlichen, actiongeladenen Teilen besteht. Die visuellen Medien konzentrieren sich naturgemäß auf die letzteren. Comics zum Beispiel, unter denen nicht alle Bearbeitungen so viel Qualität erreichen, dass man sie Graphic Novel nennen sollte. Manche schon.

Victor G. Ambrus: Oxford Illustrated Classics.

André Deutsch: Illustrated Classics.

Will Eisner, 1998:

Aus der Bücherliste:

Will Eisners Zeichnungen sind so elaboriert wie Fotos, nur revolutionärer aufgeteilt, seine Geschichten vollwertige Drehbücher. Als Comic etwas verdrängt, als Mensch inzwischen tot, aber immer noch Weltklasse, qualitativ durchaus in der Liga mit Carl Barks.

Aus Publishers Weekly via amazon.de:

Comic book aficionados will appreciate master Will Eisner’s latest adaptation, Moby Dick. It may not begin, “Call me Ishmael,” but the story otherwise remains true to Herman Melville’s classic, with Queequeg, Ahab and the great white whale all making their entrances on cue. The cartoon panels that chronicle the final showdown between the captain and the giant fish are particularly spectacular.

Aus School Library Journal via amazon.de:

Eisner’s Moby Dick is simplistic, the whalebone without the whale. Melville’s subtleties sink under the comic-book format, and while the cartoonist does a creditable job of conveying the basic story of Ishmael, Queequeg, and Ahab, drama is inevitably sacrificed. Because of the way the panels are divided, it is difficult to know which one to read next, resulting in some confusion about plot sequence. That said, Eisner’s cartoons are charged with atmosphere, their sea tones and moody contrasts well suited to their subject. While younger readers may stumble over some of the sentence structure (“Who first sights him shall have this gold!”), the book may appeal to comic-book fans and reluctant readers.

Penko Gelev & Sophie Furse:

The story is narrated by Ishmael, a young man whose dreams of adventure become a nightmare as he unwittingly joins a doomed whaling ship led by an insane captain seeking revenge. Melville’s masterpiece is simplified and retold at an exciting and fast-moving pace to retain interest. Its vibrant full-colour artwork adds fresh appeal to the classic tale. Speech bubbles the text from the original novel work with the main text to emphasise and enhance the retelling. A running glossary at the foot of each page helps young readers with any challenging vocabulary without disrupting their reading experience. End matter provides information about the author, the historical background to the period in which the author lived and the timeline of world events that places the work in historical context. This book fits into guidelines for Key Stage 2 and 3 English and helps achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14.

Gary Gianni.

Sam Ita: Pop-up-Buch, November 2007.

Bill Sienkiewicz, 1990.

Lew Sayre Schwartz/Richard Giordano: Aus der Bücherliste:

Die Form, in der die meisten Amerikaner bis heute Melville kennen lernen: als Classical Comic, letzte Version von 2002. Daran ist per se nichts Verwerfliches.

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