Overview
Combining manga and the timeless texts of Shakespeare’s plays, this series translates some of the greatest works of literature into a new format. In King Lear, the aging king—here a Native American—must decide how to split his kingdom among his daughters. When he scorns his one dutiful daughter and trusts the two selfish ones, he pays a steep price.
F&P level: Z
Synopsis
King Lear banishes his favorite daughter when she speaks out against him. Little does he know that the two other daughters who praise him are actually plotting against him.
Alan Review
Setting the story in the same time and milieu of Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, the adaptors of this drama take on the grand task of translating a complex tragedy into the manga (Japanese comic book) format. The alternative setting highlights political dimensions of the story, with Lear being an Iroquois chief who marries his daughters to British dukes and a French king. The adaptors succeed in capturing the frenetic quality of Lear's madness, particularly in the famous storm scene, as well as conveying the emotional range of many characters, chief among them Lear's daughters, Goneril and Regan. This book should please both students and teachers. There are definite action movie features injected into the tragedy, but the original language is preserved throughout, and there are helpful scaffolds, such as full-page, color character descriptions, a plot summary, and a brief biography of Shakespeare. Reviewer: Stergios Botzakis
Editorials
Stergios Botzakis
Setting the story in the same time and milieu of Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, the adaptors of this drama take on the grand task of translating a complex tragedy into the manga (Japanese comic book) format. The alternative setting highlights political dimensions of the story, with Lear being an Iroquois chief who marries his daughters to British dukes and a French king. The adaptors succeed in capturing the frenetic quality of Lear's madness, particularly in the famous storm scene, as well as conveying the emotional range of many characters, chief among them Lear's daughters, Goneril and Regan. This book should please both students and teachers. There are definite action movie features injected into the tragedy, but the original language is preserved throughout, and there are helpful scaffolds, such as full-page, color character descriptions, a plot summary, and a brief biography of Shakespeare. Reviewer: Stergios BotzakisSchool Library Journal
Gr 5-9
Each book opens with a list of characters and a description of the setting. Background information, a short synopsis, famous phrases from the play, and a biographical sketch of Shakespeare are also included. Described as titles for reluctant readers, each slim volume is written in large-sized font and includes full-color illustrations covering between two to five panels per age. All dialogue has been extracted from the original play, which exposes readers to Shakespearean language. Explanatory text boxes judiciously placed throughout the panels enhance readers' understanding of characters, actions, and events. With substantial front and back matter, these adaptations seem best suited for instructional purposes. Additional explanation, discussion, and further reading may be required if young readers are to understand the Shakespearean phrases and interlocking plots as well as the subject matter of these plays: madness, human suffering, suicide, revenge, and murder. However, the books will serve as introductions to the Bard for older, reluctant readers. Dunn's illustrations for Hamlet and King Lear were done in a straightforward style and have rich, dramatic colors. Espinosa's use of a limited color palette for A Midsummer Night's Dream suits the moonlight setting. This adaptation's inclusion of Puck's rhyming introduction to the characters is a delightful addition.-Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY