Henry V, The Graphic Novel

How do you recognize the difference between pushing the boundaries, doing the same ol' thing, or giving an interesting twist to something that's been done before? How do you make something old new again?

Classical Comics, Ltd is attempting to do just that by employing a really interesting twist to the Bard himself. They are introducing Henry V as a graphic novel.

My initial reaction to this use of Shakespeare's work was humor. Shakespeare? A comic book? I mean, c'mon.

Yet, when I received introductory copies showcasing the first Act of the play, I had to admit, not only was it a really cool idea, there was sense and logic to it. After all, Shakespeare's plays were originally a combination of the visual and oral mediums. They were meant to be seen and heard. A graphic novel bridges the visual gap for someone reading the plays. They provide the missing visual element and Classical Comics' artwork is vibrant and skillfully rendered. It leaves the page and enters the stage of the reader's mind, adding dimension and character to the text.

The only thing that really bothers is about the project is the creative team messed with the Bard's actual words. The graphic novels are being release in three separate versions: Original Text, Plain Text, and Quick Text. As the labels suggest, the original text version uses the original language of Henry V as written by Shakespeare. The plain text version uses more modern language, but attempts to keep the same meaning and nuances as the original. The quick text version is more like footnotes or a summary of what each character is saying.

Call me an elitist, but there is so much layered meaning and subtext not only in the rhythm and structure of the language Shakespeare used, but also in the words he chose. That's why I much prefer the Original Text version of this project. Mucking about with the word choices and the structure detracts from the richness of the language used is just wrong. It takes away nuance, foreshadowing, depth, and meaning from the characters' plights.

I can understand the reason for the Plain Text version. It does serve to make Shakespeare more accessible and could serve as a supplement to a student reading Henry V for the first time. It provides a fast and easy understanding to some of the now-obscure phrasings of the original, but anyone purchasing the quick text version might as well purchase the Cliffs Notes for Henry V. It amounts to the same thing with the same loss of meaning, context, and depth. The quick text version is not really reading Shakespeare or Henry V. It's a bastardization of Shakespeare's intent.

The literary geek in me is intrigued by this concept and is interested to see how well these graphic novels are received and how accessible others will find Shakespeare in this format.


Title: Henry V, The Graphic Novel (Original Text, Plain Text, or Quick Text)
Author: William Shakespeare
Publisher: Classical Comics, Ltd
Editor: Clive Bryant
Creative Team: Script Adaption: Johan McDonald; Pencils: Neill Cameron; Inks: Bambos; Colouring: Jason Candy and Kat Nicholson; Lettering: Nigel Dobbyn
ISBN(s): 978-1-906332-00-6 (Original Text); 978-1-906332-01-3 (Plain Text); 978-1-906332-02-0 (Quick Text)
Format: 144 pages, paperback
Publication Date: 05NOV07
Cover Price: ₤6.99