Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the graphic novel by Tony Lee

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: the graphic novel
Author: Tony Lee (adapter), Jane Austen (author), Seth Grahame-Smith (author), Cliff Richards (illustrator)
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (May 4, 2010)
Genre: Graphic Novel
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:
This is a graphic novel of the mash up of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice with Seth Grahame-Smith's. The mash up is adapted by Tony Lee, who has worked extensively in comics for the last six years, including writing for such licenses as X-Men, Spider Man, Starship Troopers, Wallace & Gromit, Shrek and Doctor Who. His critically acclaimed graphic novel ‘Outlaw: The Legend Of Robin Hood’ has been announced as a Junior Library Guild Selection for 2009.

Illustrator Cliff Richards is a veteran artist best known for his five-year run on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics series. He has also worked on several projects for other comics publishers, including Birds of Prey, Huntress, and Wonder Woman for DC Comics, and Rogue, Excalibur, and New Thunderbolts for Marvel Comics.

My thoughts:
If you want more gore and less story, then read this graphic novel instead of the book. There's definitely more zombie splicing, heads rolling and women kicking A in the graphic novel. What's missing, though, is the hilarious nature of the original mash up. In my original review, I did like the goriness of the illustrations, and I think Richards does a fabulous job of illustrating macabre, but I miss the humor.

Some books that I actually enjoyed when they turned into novels:
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Twilight the graphic novel adapted by Young Kim
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer, adapted by Andrew Donkin

Any graphic novels that you prefer over the book?

Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith

Author: Steve Hockensmith

Publisher: Quirk Classics

Pages: 320 pages

Publication date: March 2010

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the publishers:

With more than one million copies in print, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was the surprise publishing phenomenon of 2009. A best seller on three continents, PPZ has been translated into 17 languages and optioned to become a film starring Natalie Portman.

In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth-century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Written by acclaimed novelist (and Edgar Award nominee) Steve Hockensmith, PPZII invites Austen fans to step back into Regency England, Land of the Undead!

STEVE HOCKENSMITH is an award-winning novelist and reporter. His mystery Holmes on the Range was a finalist for the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony awards. He lives in Alameda, California.

My thoughts:

 This is my first official zombie book, but not my first experience with Jane Austen. I always thought that Jane Austen was a little difficult and far fetched for the kinds of readers that I like to recommend books for, but this was a hilarious and gruesome romp through stuffy England.

The book starts quietly with the funeral of Mr. Ford, and quickly turns into chaos when Mr. Ford, new zombie, tries to haul himself out of the casket and wriggle towards all the yummy brains waiting for him in the chapel. Mr. Bennet and his two older daughters, Elizabeth and Jane, must try to destroy the zombie by cutting off its head. Mr. Bennet wants his daughters to cut off Mr. Ford's head, and although the two girls fail, this is the beginning of the creation of memorable heroines and samurai killing machines disguised as young ladies.

Who knew that the addition of zombies would make Austen so accessible? This book is a nice mixture of humor, gore, excitement, love, disappointment, horror and fun! The author takes the stuffy social mores of Austen's England and mixes it with the blood spurting scenes common in old samurai movies, the ones that are so cheesy that they are classics.

I especially enjoyed the illustrations that gave it a black and white horror picture vibe. The only drawback was in the horrendous disappointment of all the men. Couldn't there be just one honorable, strong, non-loser man? The closest is Mr. Bennet, but he has his faults too. I can't wait to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to see how the girls are doing.

In a sentence. . .

This mash up is prim little Austen with serious feminine rage!

* I was given this book by  FSB Associates in exchange for an honest review.