 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | WILEY PUBLISHING | | | ▪ | EDITOR / ART: | | ADAM SEXTON / HYEONDO PARK | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | WESTERN / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 178 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 02/11/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/22/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Presenting the Bard's inimitable take on real events in Roman history, Julius Caesar routinely sells more than 25,000 copies every year. This graphically rich manga adaptation offers an accessible, contemporary way to enjoy this classic tale of power, manipulation, betrayal, and violence. It would be especially useful to anyone needing to read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar for school – the visuals that this manga provides is a great way to better understand this story that was written in such an old form of English, making it harder to understand in today’s world. Julius Caesar as a story/play has many conflicts and characters of interest. Soothsayers and premonitions, power-hungry politicians, conspiracy and betrayal, and of course, assassination. The battle for control of the Roman Empire is all here for you to enjoy in this non-stop intrigue of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in this action-packed manga edition of the famous work. The art is surprisingly good and unique for a North American made manga. It’s definitely a manga-inspired work with characters and art that mimic the Japanese style we all know and love – there’s nothing wrong with taking a concept and working with it – mimicking something is the greatest form of flattery! The text is extremely readable, as it should be for any book that is portraying a work of Shakespeare. It’s very much appreciated because the language as it is presented is a bit more difficult to follow, so having the lettering so readable really helps this flow along in a more manageable way. The art flows well too, never being too overcrowded, but always detailed. Having such nice visuals really brings a lot of extra enjoyment to this classic work. Beyond all those positive things, this book is also very affordable, and I’d almost suggest buying it over a Coles Notes version if you’re using it for educational purposes. Having the visuals for character recognition, etc. really helps get the story across to the reader – everyone likes pictures. There’s even a section for notes in the back – now that’s thinking!
IN SUMMARY:
The manga edition of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is an excellent educational tool, as well as a great manga with a classic story. Work as famous as Shakespeare’s deserves to have a manga representation, and this series of books does it right! |
