''Graphic Classics'' is a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

anthology series published by Eureka Productions of

Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Mount Horeb is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin,. The population was 7,754 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Ho-Chunk nation The Village of Mount Horeb is part of the ancestral ...

. ''Graphic Classics'' features adaptations of literary classics by authors such as

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

, H. P. Lovecraft, and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

, with art by top professionals, many of whom hail from the

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

alternative comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which ...

world. Created and edited by

Tom Pomplun Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, the series began publication in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

. Designed for ages 12 and up, 22 of the ''Graphic Classics'' volumes have been included in

Diamond Comic Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. They transport comic books and graphic novels, as well as other po ...

list of recommended books for the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

Common Core Standards The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as simply Common Core, is an educational initiative from 2010 that details what K–12 students throughout the United States should know in English language arts and mathematics at the concl ...

curricula.

Publication history

''Graphic Classics'' was an outgrowth of ''Rosebud'', a literary journal co-founded by Pomplun which also included comics. In 2002, Pomplun left ''Rosebud'' to start ''Graphic Classics.''"5Q - Tom Pomplun,"
''Wisconsin People & Ideas'' (Sept. 8, 2012). Because of budget restrictions, one of the first decisions Pomplun made was to restrict adaptations in the series to works in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

(e.g., those published before 1923). The series started out in black-and-white; with vol. #17 (''Science Fiction Classics'', 2009) the books began being printed with full-color interior pages. Most volumes contain at least a few reprint of comics adaptations published by other companies, some going as far back as the 1970s. Six of the first eight volumes are in second editions (with the first volume, on

, in its fourth edition), often with additional material than in the first edition. ''Graphic Classics'' vol 6: ''

Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book ''The Devil's Dictionary'' was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by t ...

'' was nominated for the 2003

Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative Nominees are listed below the winner(s) for each year. * 1998: (no award) ** ''Sergio Aragones' Dia de las Muertos (Day of the Dead)'' by Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier ** ''Preacher'' by Garth Ennis ** ''The Son of Man'' (''Hellblazer'' 129-133) ...

. ''Graphic Classics'' vol. 10: '' Horror Classics'' (2004) was the first volume focusing on a theme rather than a single author. Eureka produced a special 68-page

Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and is often cross-promoted wit ...

''Graphic Classics'' edition in 2008. It featured adaptations of

's " The Black Cat," (adapted by Rod Lott and

Gerry Alanguilan Doroteo Gerardo N. Alanguilan Jr. (20 January 1968 – 21 December 2019), also known in the Philippines by his alias Komikero, was a Filipino comic book artist, writer, and architect from San Pablo, Laguna. He was an important figure in the Ph ...

's "John Barrington Cowles" (adapted by Alex Burrows and

Simon Gane Simon Gane is a British artist from Bath known for his work in the comic book field. Gane grew up influenced by the comics of Hergé and Jacques Tardi.Spurgeon, Tom"CR Holiday Interview #3: Simon Gane,"''Comics Reporter'' (December 17, 2007). He ...

Lord Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957, usually Lord Dunsany) was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. Over 90 volumes of fiction, essays, poems and plays appeared in his lifetime.Lanham, M ...

's "A Narrow Escape" (adapted by

Milton Knight Milton Knight Jr. (May 12, 1962) is an American cartoonist, animator, comic book artist, writer, painter, and storyboard/layout artist. He directed animation for a variety of cartoon series, including ''Cool World'', ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedg ...

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...

's " The Dream" (adapted by Antonella Caputo and Anne Timmons), and a one-page

fable (illustrated by Mark Dancey). ''Graphic Classics'' vol. 22: ''African American Classics'' (2011) was adapted and illustrated almost entirely by

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

comics creators.Scott, Rion Amilcar. "Artists and Writers Join Forces in New Book," ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

'' (Jan. 1, 2013).

Titles

References

External links

* * *{{comicbookdb, type=title, id=17910, title=''Graphic Classics''
''New York Times'' article on publishers releasing classic literature in comics form
(May 2009) 2002 comics debuts Comics based on fiction

Publication history

Titles

See also

References

External links