Category: Graphic Novel

Emma Woodhouse thinks she’s a great matchmaker. The story opens on the wedding of her former governess, Miss Taylor, marrying Mr. Weston. Emma’s father is devastated that Miss Taylor will no longer live with them but Emma assures him this is a good match for Miss Taylor. Emma meets Harriet, a young girl who lives in the school in town. Harriet never knew who her parents were, but Emma is sure that her father had a high standing in society. When Harriet gets a proposal from a farmer, Emma insists that she turn it down because she can marry someone better. Emma sets Harriet’s sights on Mr. Elton, who ends up falling for Emma. Meanwhile, Mr. Weston’s son comes to visit. Mr. and Mrs. Weston want Mr. Weston’s son, Mr. Churchill, to marry Emma so their families will be joined. However, when Harriet confesses to being in love with Mr. Knightly, Emma’s brother-in-law, Emma realizes she has loved him all along.

I really like this adaptation of Emma. Some scenes are interpreted differently to accommodate the graphic novel format. For example, the novel starts with Emma and her father sitting in their house, discussing Miss Taylor’s new marriage. However, the graphic novel opens with Miss Taylor’s wedding, with Emma and her father speaking in the pews of the church. This makes the opening of the graphic novel more active, since pictures of people just sitting and talking in their home would be a boring way to start it off.

At the end of this book, the author describes some of the changes she made to the original story. The story still unfolds in the same way as the book. There are some twists at the end of the story, which could have been demonstrated earlier in the book for people who have read the original. But she kept these surprises a secret for new readers, who haven’t read Jane Austen’s original, so they will experience the twists for themselves.

This was a great adaptation of Emma. I will be posting more reviews of Manga Classics from UDON Entertainment in the coming weeks.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books. I love the adaptations of her classic story, especially ones in different formats.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, it follows Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters on their way to finding love. Their mother, Mrs. Bennet, believes if her daughters have a fortune, they will be happy. Unfortunately, their father’s estate is entailed so it will be inherited by a distant cousin instead of the Bennet sisters. When Mr. Bingley moves into the large estate down the road, Mrs. Bennet is certain that one of her daughters will marry him, since he is wealthy. They meet Bingley and his friend Darcy at a ball they host at Bingley’s estate, Netherfield. Immediately, Elizabeth decides that Darcy is too proud to have anything to do with her or her family. Jane, Elizabeth’s older sister, falls in love with Bingley, and their mother begins to plan the wedding, though they aren’t engaged.  Soon after that, Bingley, Darcy, and Bingley’s sisters move back to London. Jane is crushed when she realizes her relationship with Bingley is now over. Elizabeth and Jane then go on alternating holidays with their aunt and uncle, eventually leading them both back to Darcy and Bingley. Elizabeth will have to learn not to be so quick to judge people, and Darcy must put his pride aside to find love.

This manga version from UDON Entertainment follows the plot, but it fills in some gaps that were in the narrative too. For example, we get to see Darcy’s reaction to Elizabeth at the Lucas’s ball, when he first falls in love with her. This graphic novel gives an objective perspective, by showing Darcy’s reaction, whereas Austen’s novel follows Elizabeth’s perspective. 

The language was more straightforward and simple in this graphic novel. It lost some of Jane Austen’s beautiful prose.  However, this would make the book more accessible to readers of all levels. 

There were two different manga art styles in this book. Most of the time, the pictures were realistic, a more traditional manga style. But sometimes the smaller frames had small cartoon drawings, that were less detailed. This change in style happened when Lydia, Kitty, or Mrs. Bennet we’re excited, talking about boys and/or money. The less detailed drawings demonstrate how childish and superficial those women were acting.  

I’m excited to read more manga classics in the coming weeks. Look for more reviews coming soon!

The story opens with Captain Marvel, and others, entering a market. They disperse, and then someone named Tic disappears. Flash back to six weeks ago. Captain Marvel is in New York. Iron Man asks her to go to space to represent the Avengers. In space she meets the Guardians of the Galaxy and they find Tic, who Captain Marvel takes to her home planet. Then she fights for them in a battle to keep them on their planet. 

If that sounds confusing and disjointed, that’s because it was. This was the first Captain Marvel comic I’ve read and I was disappointed. I thought it would be more of an origin story, like many of the Marvel reboots have been in recent years. There were many parts in the graphic novel that didn’t even have Captain Marvel in them. I didn’t understand why the story focused on the other planet when she was supposed to be the main character. 

My favourite part was when she teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy because I’m more familiar with them than Captain Marvel. I understood their personalities and purpose. Since this story didn’t provide a background for Captain Marvel, I didn’t feel connected to her in any way. 

Unfortunately this graphic novel fell flat for me. However, it made me want to pick up a Guardians of the Galaxy comic, so it wasn’t all bad!