Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, 2nd Edition by William B. Jones, Jr. (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It started years ago with a 'good story'. #129 'Davy Crockett'. Thus began a lifelong devotion to Classics Illustrated by author William B. Jones, Jr.

Jump to 1992. An abortive account of Bill Clinton's rise to the White House leads Jones into a bout of writers block. His editor instructs the writer to craft a list of ideas; one of which is a historic account of Albert Kanter and his dream of creating a line of comic books that inspire countless generations to further explore the classics of world literature. 

After a 1993 phone interview with former Classics Illustrated artist Rudy Palais, Jones began a near decade of research, interviewing artists, writers, editors and fans to craft an extensive history of the line. Starting as Classic Comics as an imprint of Elliot Publishing in 1941, Kanter took the series private with the creation of the Gilberton Company, Inc. the following year. As comic books came under fire as the leading source of juvenile delinquency by 'experts' such as Dr. Wertham, Kanter made a brilliant attempt to distance his volumes from the industry by rebranding them as Classics Illustrated.

While Kanter's decision saved Classics Illustrated through the tumultuous 1950s, the move would ultimately halt production of new works at the beginning of the hopeful 1960s. The United States Postal Service ruled that Gilberton was publishing books, not periodicals. This decision would remove the much needed second class parcel classification essential for direct sales subscriptions. The company appealed and was overruled resulting in Gilberton ceasing publication of all-new works in 1962. 

For another decade, Classic Illustrated would exist only in reprint form. Kanter would update the existing books with new scripts and art. Its most popular and iconic update were the painted covers. In 1967, the line was sold to Frawley Corporation who unfortunately didn't understand how to properly publish comics. The original Classic Illustrated would cease entirely 4 years later. Over the next 3 decades, various companies would attempt to revitalize the brand. But none of them could ever match the success of Gilberton.

Jones second edition would expand upon the writers and authors that graced the Gilberton doors. Not a fan of the witch hunt of the Senate hearings that resulted in the creation of the Comics Code, Albert Kanter became a lifeline to a number of EC Comics staff including Joe Orlando and 'Ghastly' Graham Ingels. Even a pre-coronated Jack Kirby worked for a time on Classics Illustrated as did cover painting genius George Evans and comics strip maestro Al Williamson. 

The updated volume would also research Canadian Jack Lake's digital reproductions of both the main series and its sister publication Classics Illustrated Junior. Jim Salicrup would end up licensing the brand from Jack Lake Productions to create brand new titles in the mid 2000s with Papercutz. Jones would close out his updated research with a look at fanzines devoted to collecting any and everything Gilberton and the fans that collect it.

Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History is 381 pages long. However, only about 300 pages are what I would determine to be readable. There are over 50 pages of appendices that read like the Dewey decimal system. What can you expect from a series of 170 comics that were collectively reprinted nearly 1,400 times! 

The binding for this book is similar to a college textbook. Add in appendix A-J, extensive chapter notes that were cross-referenced and perhaps the largest index on comic book history and you've got a reference book that comic book historians will salivate over. Almost a balanced look at Gilberton, warts and all. A little bit of the commentary does dote too far over the complaints and praise on multiple aspects of the books chronicled over the years from fans collective. Otherwise, this would be a required reading for any History of Sequential Arts course.

Completing this review completes Task #50 (Prose non-fiction about comic book history) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Classics Illustrated: Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol & Notes

This 1997 edition of Classics Illustrated Study Guides reprints the original 1948 released, featuring the artwork by Henry Kiefer. Unfortunately, the artwork has been digitally retouched to the point that all of Kiefer's original nuisances have been destroyed. I was able to find several original pages of artwork from Classics Illustrated #53 and let me tell you that whomever at Colorgraphix recolored this reprint should have been arrested for desecrating artwork. Everything looks so flat and bland. There's no depth as the original shading has been all but erased. If you ever get a chance to read this book in its original form, I ask that you not judge Kiefer's art based on this edition. This volume is just not up to his masterful standards!

This was a fine retelling of the classic that basically gave birth to much of our modern Christmas traditions. There's also a large article at the end of this book that deep dives into the intricacies of A Christmas Carol. The story's life on stage and screen, a life history of Dickens, even a study of the importance of Christmas pudding are topics examined in that study guide. I only wish that essayist Debra Doyle would have explained why Dickens called this story A Christmas Carol when there's no music or lyrics to be found. That''s a tidbit I'd love to learn about. 

Including a list of study questions, this book is like the Clif Notes of Graphic Novels. While this version is much more economical to my wallet, I'm not sure if the retouched artwork is worth the savings.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Classics Comics #23: The Moonstone (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

A staple of the comic book industry went defunct in 1971 when Classics Illustrated ceased publication. Frawley Corporation had purchased the rights to the educational reading tools from Gilberton in 1967. While 1969 was the last year the publisher released new material, Frawley kept issuing reprinted material both at home and abroad before abandoning the comic line for nearly 2 decades.

The void for comics based on works of classic fiction wouldn't be a very lengthy one. In 1973, Pendulum Press began a run of over 70 volumes of black and white adaptations of famous works. Artists and writers such as Otto Binder, Alex Nino, and Gerry Talaoc brought such beloved stories such as The Red Badge of Courage and Gulliver's Travels to life in a line called Pendulum Illustrated Classics. New material was produced under this line through 1980 with Shakespeare's Hamlet as the last original work.  

In 1976, the powers that be at Marvel Comics decided to take advantage of the vacuum brought about from Classics Illustrated's demise. Working with Pendulum Press, Marvel released Marvel Classics Comics, with the first 12 issues of the new series colorized reprints of Pendulum works. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, adapted by Kin Platt and Nestor Redondo and Otto Binder and Alex Niño's The Time Machine were the subjects of the first two issues.  

Each issue was 52 pages long - with no ads! Except for a post on the back cover advertising next month's upcoming releases. Marvel would release 2 new issues every month. The series ended in 1978 with adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and Dickens' A Christmas Carol published as issues #35 and #36.

Issue #23 was an adaptation of The Moonstone. Written by British author Wilkie Collins in 1868, it tells of a cursed gem stone and it's mysterious theft. One part gothic romance, as well as a complex whodunnit, The Moonstone is groundbreaking as it delves into the literal destruction of India's culture by British colonialists.

The story opens with the theft of the Moonstone, a sacred Hindu gem that rests in the forehead of a giant idol. During a skirmish called the 'Siege of Seringapatam', most of the attendants of the temple are killed by British forces. In the attack, a British soldier steals the Moonstone smuggling it back home in England. Thumbing his nose at the curse which follows the Moonstone, along with guardians of the Moonstone who will stop at nothing less than murder to retrieve it, the thief dies of mysterious circumstances; willing the jewel to his estranged niece.

The niece is gifted the heirloom on the night of her birthday. But her ownership of the jewel is short-lived, as the Moonstone is stolen later that night as she sleeps. A detective from a local constabulary is called in and an investigation begins. Fingers are pointed. Relationships are dashed. And the body count piles up as everyone is considered a suspect.

The author of the 'about the author' article on the inside cover of this issue lists Charles Dickens as a direct influence on Wilkie Collins. However true that may be, this story with it's gothic imagery and use of the scientific method to solve the crime, a lot of inspiration needs to be pointed at the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Clearly without works like this, we'd probably have a very different Sherlock Holmes. Who knows. It's quite possible that without the theft of the Moonstone, the world of criminal science might have never evolved to the level of sophistication that it has in today's policing methods.

This issue was adapted by Don McGregor. Art was by Dino Castrillo. Cover by Ernie Chan.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #25 (Set in a Foreign Country) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Classics Illustrated #62: Bret Harte's Western Stories (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

I think it's an unwritten rule amongst established comic book collectors- if you find an original issue of Classics Illustrated and you can afford it; YOU BUY IT! Even if you have no idea who the author is, as was the case with me and this issue.

Bret Harte isn't a former professional wrestler. Instead, he's a rather obscure writer of Westerns; in particular tales about mining towns and the drunks, gamblers and outlaws that occupy them. A New Yorker, Harte went west to California in the 1850s. After a couple of years trying his hand at mining, Harte took his experiences and wrote a romanticized version of the West that gained immediate popularity. 

In between jobs as an educator, journalist and even the secretary of the San Francisco Mint, Bret Harte penned a number of short stories with tragic endings. 'The Luck of Roaring Camp' and 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat', both of which are collected in this 1949 issue are no exception. All of the main characters die tragically, despite amazing tales that bring the reader into an almost awe of the surroundings and events. 

Unlike the characters he created, Bret Harte returned back east in 1871. Having found his fame and fortune, Harte did something unusual on his return home, he stopped writing about life out west. Instead, Harte began writing historical romances about aristocrats. Almost immediately, the writer lost his audience and later attempts to recapture that lightning in a bottle came to naught as interest in stories about the gold rush had become passe, replaced by the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and Poe and the science fiction fantasies of H.G. Wells and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Harte died in 1901 and would have faded into near obscurity if not for the Golden Age of Hollywood. In 1919, John Ford directed the first of at least 5 adaptations of The Outcasts of Poker Flat which tells of a group of settlers run out of town only to get snowed in at a makeshift camp in the harsh Sierra Nevada. Over the years, Harte's body of work has been captured on celluloid including 1955's Tennessee's Partner starring Ronald Reagan, an acclaimed musical, a spaghetti Western; even a Soviet era cowboy flick!

Classics Illustrated #62: Bret Harte's Western Stories were reprinted 9 times with the last edition debuting in 1968. The artwork was by Henry C. Kiefer, a student of such studios as the Iger Shop and Funnies Inc. Along with a biography of Mr. Harte, this issue contains prose articles on the opera Pagliacci, the discovery of the magnetic south pole and a popular breed of dog. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #1 (Comic from the Golden Age (1938-1956) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Classics Illustrated #075- Lady of the Lake (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Reading advocate LeVar Burton is quoted as saying 'If your child is passionate about superheroes then dammit, buy them comic books.' I think that quote is more than apropos of the comic being reviewed today. 

Though the cover touted it was 'recommended by educators', Classics Illustrated still got a bad rap. Russian born publisher Albert Lewis Kanter saw the appeal comics had to children and decided to create a line of comic books based on classics of literature. The hope was that child would marvel at the adventures of The Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe and The Count of Monte Cristo (the first 3 subjects in the series) in cartoon form and then head to their local library and search out the real McCoy to read! If LeVar Burton was alive in 1941, I really think he'd be dinging Albert Lewis Kanter's praises.

Despite this bold effort to make learning more accessible for children, some teachers initially frowned upon using comic books as a teaching tool. If you read Jean Shepherd's childhood accounts, there's a great account of him and a friend getting in trouble with sneaking a copy of Robinson Crusoe in class. Even though it was the bane of teachers everywhere, Comics Illustrated thrived from 1941-1969. A total of 169 issues were released along with a sister series devoted to elementary school aged students. Almost every issue was reissued at least twice.

The books were first released as Classic Comics until 1947. With the name change, the book shrunk from 64 to 56 to finally 48 pages. Paper rationing during World War II and rising paper prices were the culprit. 100-page Special issues were released focusing on historical and biographical subjects.

The final change that became probably the most iconic part of the series came in 1951. Instead of simple line-drawn covers, the front page boasted beautiful full color painted covers. Also in 1951, Kanter signed a deal with Curtis Circulation and together they partnership began to directly advertise Classics Illustrated to schools as an educational tool. Beating Clif Notes by 7 years, with the coming of the Atomic Age, Classics Illustrated started to achieve a level of credibility with educators as an introductory tool to works of fine literature. 

Over the years, a number of talented artists worked on Classics Illustrated. John Severin (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos), Dick Ayers (Fantastic Four), Joe Orlando (Creepy), and Reed Crandall (Blackhawk) were among some of the names who illustrated multiple issues of the series. But when it came to the writing, Albert Kanter let the original text speak for themselves!

Actual lines of text and dialogue were taken directly from the original works and placed into the panels of art. With the case of Classics Illustrated #075 The Lady of The Lake, the story was written by Sir Walter Scott. The story is written in verse instead of prose. Being a Scotsman, many of the verses don't really rhyme on paper. But if you remember how Groundskeeper Willie pronounced things differently, the epic poem's rhythm comes more from the inflection than the vocabulary.

Scott's story of chivalry, honor and romance is a fantasized account of historic events. The noble James Fitz-James becomes lost during a stag hunt. Secretly, Fitz-James is King James V. While lost, he encounters a beautiful maiden named Ellen, who is the daughter of a Scottish Clansman named Douglas. 

Douglas was once a mentor to James. Now an exiled enemy, Douglas is asked to join the dishonorable Roderick Dhu to wage war against King James. Fighting with Roderick is Malcolm, who owns the heart of Ellen. Hoping to save Malcolm, Douglas seeks King James in an attempt to reconcile. But before he surrenders to the King, Douglas kicks major butt in a number of physical challenges.

Ultimately, King James is victorious. He mortally wounds Roderick. Douglas and Malcolm are imprisoned. But when Ellen comes to advocate for her people's release, James and the Maiden both learn whom each other really are. And a happy ending is achieved as father is released and King James joins the Lady of the Lake and Malcolm in matrimony. 

I've never had to use Clif Notes to read a comic book before. But the prose was like reading the King James Bible. (This King James is not the one who authorized that version of the Bible.) There's a bunch of Scottish terms and thankfully, the editors do annotate what some of those words mean. But I was so lost. If not for Wikipedia, I probably wouldn't know what happened or why it did.

I own about a dozen issues of this iconic comic series. Reading a Classic Illustrated is one of my reading challenge tasks. I was going to choose a Western themed issue. But since I had just read a John Wayne Civil War era book, I tried to diversify. I was thinking the Lady in the Lake was the one from Arthurian legend. Gee, was I wrong. 

A beautiful selection from one of the most classic comic book series of all-time. This issue is just one of more difficult issues to navigate due to how it's written and the brogue. But beautifully illustrated and that cover is outta-sight. Unfortunately, the visual appeal isn't enough to make my rating that very high.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #5 (Issue of Classics Illustrated) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

"Classics Illustrated Deluxe #1: The Wind in the Willows (Classics Illustrated Deluxe Graphic Novels)"

There is a reason why I never enjoyed this book as a child. I thought it was because I wasn’t old enough to enjoy it. Now, I re-read the book in the Classic Illustrated style and I feel like I am too old to enjoy the book.

The art is great. It’s full of George Perez style detail on every page and every single panel. I even enjoyed several of the chapters, especially the winter/ Christmas episodes. When it comes to a plot, then things get a bit confusing.

First of all, I have no idea what the author was trying to get across as the main theme. In Moby Dick, the theme is obsession. In Peter Pan, the theme is not wanting to grow up. But, in Wind in the Willows there are so many things that don’t even eventually have something to do with the story’s climax. Like the giant “Pan” character. What’s up with that? And why doesn’t he show up later on? I feel like something was left out or overlooked.

I guess the timing was never right to read this book in order for me to enjoy it. Would I recommend it to others? Maybe, but it’s gonna have to depend on the age of the reader. Plus, I’m not really sure girls would enjoy this as much as boys.

I give this book 5 out of 10.