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''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 panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...
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, 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 ( ...
or
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 independence from Indonesia and ...
. Designed for ages 12 and up, 22 of the ''Graphic Classics'' volumes have been included in Diamond Comic Distributors 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 ...
's
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 con ...
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 to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
(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
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 ...
, 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 ...
'' 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 wi ...
''Graphic Classics'' edition in 2008. It featured adaptations of
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 ...
'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 Phi ...
), Arthur Conan Doyle's "John Barrington Cowles" (adapted by Alex Burrows and Simon Gane),
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, ...
'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 He ...
),
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...
's "
The Dream A dream is an experience during sleep. Dream, The Dream, Dreams, etc. may also refer to: Art Paintings * ''Le Rêve'' (Detaille), an 1888 painting by Édouard Detaille * ''Le Rêve'' (Picasso) (''The Dream'' in French), 1932 oil painting by ...
" (adapted by Antonella Caputo and Anne Timmons), and a one-page
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 ...
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 Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
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 Mil ...
'' (Jan. 1, 2013).


Titles


See also

Other comic book adaptations of literature: * ''
Classics Illustrated ''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as ''Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and ''The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in ...
'' * ''
Marvel Classics Comics ''Marvel Classics Comics'' was an American comics magazine which ran from 1976 until 1978. It specialized in adaptations of literary classics such as '' Moby-Dick'', '' The Three Musketeers'', and '' The Iliad''. It was Marvel Comics' attempt to ...
'' * Marvel Illustrated * ''
PAICO Classics ''Paico Classics,'' also ''Paico Classics Illustrated,'' was a series of Indian comic books published by Pai and Company (PAICO), Cochin between April 1984 and December 1988. The series were the reprints of "Pendulum Illustrated Classics" (Pendulum ...
'', Indian series similar to ''Classics Illustrated'' * ''Pendulum Illustrated Classics'', published by
Pendulum Press Pendulum Press was a publishing company based in West Haven, Connecticut, that operated from 1970 to 1994, producing the bulk of their material in the 1970s. The company is most well known for their comic book adaptations of literary classics. The ...


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