Regular marked price: $12.99Discount Price: $10.39
Cost Savings: $2.60 (20%)Price fluctuation possible.
How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Shipping? Absolutely FREE if you qualify for Super Saver Shipping.
Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN num: 9780399244810
ISBN number: 0399244816
Label: Philomel
Manufacturer: Philomel
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 148
Printing Date: October 04, 2007
Publishing house: Philomel
Age index: Ages 9-12
Sale Popularity Level: 40903
Studio: Philomel
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
It was meant to be: The classic fantasy adventure that began the Redwall phenomenon is finally available in a cool graphic format. Illustrated by renowned comics artist Bret Blevins, Redwall: The Graphic Novel brings to life all the battles, all the heroes, and all the villains in a fun new format perfect for reluctant readers, those just entering the Redwall world, or the countless existing fans of the series.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
i found the graphic novel very interesting. i liked the artwork and loved how the animals came to life while reading.
i'd never read any of the redwall books before and after reading this graphic novel, i went out and bought the very first one. a great way to get into the series.
Rated by buyers 
-
This book is Outstanding. The illustrations are wonderful, and true to the original Redwall book. I wish they had used these illustrations as the basis of the DVD programs!
Rated by buyers -
And about time too! When the Warriors novels started coming out in graphic novel forms, I didn't think much of it. Author Erin Hunter has always written books that seem similar to the "Redwall" titles, but with a narrower focus. Then Mouse Guard was published earlier in 2007 and I thought it a lovely work, if less complex and multi-faceted than "Redwall" too. About the time Mice Templar hit the shelves, though, I started to get angry. What. The. Heck? First of all, I'm sure there are some nice sociological theories you could put into play regarding the state of the United States yesterday and our odd fixation on mice going to war, but above and beyond all that, where in the world was the Redwall graphic novel? I mean, Brian Jacques essentially took that old The Wind in the Willows animals-wearing-clothes idea, gave it some armor, and defined the very idea of contemporary children's books where animals war against one another. I'm sure that you could find others, but Jacques was the fellow that made animals in armies profitable. Finally, at long last, we've a graphic novelization of the very very first "Redwall" book. Adapted by Stuart Moore and illustrated by Bret Blevins, the book is a faithful retelling of the original text, offering some advantages and disadvantages in its new format.
Once there may have been a need for warrior mice to guard Redwall Abbey, but those days have long since passed. Now the most that young Matthias can hope for is to someday become an abbot himself. As they say, the days of the warrior are past. Or rather, they would be if Cluny the Scourge and his crew of blood-thirsty rats weren't travelling straight for the Abbey with murder on their minds. Now the good animals must band together to fight this terrible invader. For Matthias, that means going on a quest of his own to recover and use the word of the legendary Martin the Warrior. In his own small way, Matthias is the only hope for a land now torn asunder by war.
I had forgotten the sheer amount of story Jacques worked into the very first book in the "Redwall" series, something this book was quick to remind me of. I'll admit right now that I haven't reread it since I picked up this new version, but as far as my foggy memory serves this seems to be the whole kit and caboodle (at least in terms of big scenes). Readers unfamiliar with the original book but who love graphic novels may even find themselves surprised at the sheer number of women warriors that crop up. One of the things I've always loved about Jacques and his characters is that he isn't afraid to create strong women. Over and over again the important people in this book surprise the reader by turning out to be female. Illustratior Blevins, to his credit, doesn't go the standard animation route of just slapping eyelashes on anything faintly feminine either, and the result is a more interesting narrative in terms of character and expectations.
In the essence of space, much has been lost in terms of descriptions and smells. Jacques ranks right up there with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Grace Lin when it comes to writing about the true glories of delicious abundant food. Tasty morsels get short shrift in Moore's version though, and that's a true pity. I'm sure that with the right text, illustrator Bret Blevins could whip up delicious baked goods and succulent soups if the need arose. At 148 pages this work is faithful, but I can't help but imagine what would have happened if Philomel had gone all the way and produced a 200+ lush full-colour edition with time spent on character and scope. Nothing against the grey and white pages, mind you. In this age of flashy computer-drawn hues and tones it was kind of a relief to see the events of this story playing out in good old-fashioned gritty grays and blacks. Still, you get the sense that the 148-page limit should have been pushed a little farther. As I am given to understand it, this adaptation was originally published overseas, so there was little the American publisher Philomel could do once they brought it over. Perhaps if it is successful they'll consider future installments at a more extensive length.
Illustrator Bret Blevins is primarily known for his work with big comic book powerhouses like Marvel and DC Comics, but his style takes many of its cues from real life. For this particular book he would have had to create a rat worthy of Cluny's grotesque evil. Certainly Blevins' work with musculature and action serves him particularly well in the massive battle and action sequences. At the same time, the good guys in this book had to look at least a little tough. It's all well and good to read a story about adorable woodland creatures going to war, but if your characters are too adorable then there isn't any life in them. Blevins does a good job at balancing this all out. So much so, in fact, that I was a little surprised that characters like Silent Sam, ... Read More
Rated by buyers 
-
Well, I expected this book with mixed expectations. How can you get the feeling of such a great book into comic form? I still have mixed feelings about it. The drawing are EXTREMELY chaotic and hard to follow, even for one who has read the book a million times, like I have. And I hated how they passed over certain characters and scenes that I love, such as: Basil Stag Hare, who's part is reduced to about two lines when you meet him, and another two in the tapestry-rescuing scene with Jess; Cornflower, who appears perhaps twice in the course of the book, and never speaks.(Interesting, how this is the opposite mistake to the one made in the animated series, where Cornflower is always shoved in where she isn't needed) Also, they left out the part with Jess handing over the dish-cloth to Cluny, which is the funniest part of the book. And Methuselah and Matthias's riddle-solving is passed over quickly. But enough nit-picks ;D The story was stuck to surprisingly well, despite the condensation needed to put it into comic-book form. Asmodeus's death was a great scene, and I LOVE the way Squire Julian and Captain Snow are depicted.
So, all-in-all, a good very first attempt, but one more word: do not endeavor to look at this graphic novel until you are a least familiar with the original. You will not be able to tell what is going on, for as I said before, the pictures are pretty difficult to follow.
Rated by buyers -
As a fan of the Redwall series for ten years, I must say I enjoyed this adaptation of the book that started them all. The quality of the work was excellent, and you can really see the characters coming to life from the pencil sketches of Bret Blevins.
That being said, this book is not without its flaws. As the Book Review had mentioned, I fear some of the magic of reading the novel is lost in this translation. Many scenes are omitted from the book, such as the feast for example. It is mentioned briefly in the cart ride back to St. Ninian's. As some may know, it is a point of pride that Brian Jacques includes depictions of food in each of his novels. The story seems to advance a little quicker than it did in the book as well, which was a point of minor annoyance. Still, it is the very first endeavor at translating these stories into a graphic novel format, and I very much look forward to more in the future, if there are any planned. I have favorite stories I'd like to see translated myself.
So, overall..art style is great, which was a surprise, considering the artist's background work in Marvel comics. Instead of buffed-up super heroes, we have plain, simple mice. Who'da thunk it?
Story adaptation is pretty well conceived, though some beloved scenes may have been sacrificed.
I still recommend it, though. To both fans of the book and to those new to the series.
I hope this review is helpful.
Find other books like this one:
