Dear Reader,
Walking around the Book Expo America last week I saw hundreds of books and authors, everything from how to feed your dog the right organic food to some of the latest romance releases. But what really turned my head as I walked up and down the aisles of the Jacob Javitz Center in New York was a comic book of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. There, in this huge convention center, sat Nancy Butler the author and brain child behind the Jane Austen graphic novels produced by Marvel Comics.
Last year, Marvel released Nancy Butler’s comic book adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (Marvel Illustrated Edition) in 5 installments, sold them on newsstands and later compiled them into a book. The sales surpassed expectations introducing a book that was published in 1813 to a whole new generation of young people. Butler’s Pride and Prejudice was a huge success and last month was the debut of the first installment of the graphic novel Sense and Sensibility. Imagine my surprise seeing Mrs. Dashwood portrayed in comic book form talking to Marianne about Edward Ferris. Imagine, if you will, the ‘balloon’ drawn over their heads as Marianne says to her mother: “Oh, Mama, how spiritless and tame was Edward’s reading of The Cosair to us last night! I felt for Elinor most severely. Yet she bore it with so much composure, I vow she scarcely noticed it.”
Having written several regency romances, Nancy Butler is no stranger to the time period and I think these adaptations are a fabulous idea and a great way to introduce young readers to the classics. I had the good fortune to meet Nancy and to ask her a few questions.
Marisa O'Neill: What gave you the idea to create graphic books from the Jane Austen classics?
Nancy Butler: I've been friends with Marvel senior editor Ralph Macchio for many years. Since we first met, I've been nagging him to create comics that would bring in more female readers. Whenever he described the Marvel Illustrated line, he kept bringing up "boy" books . . . Treasure Island, Moby-Dick, Three Musketeers, etc. I finally asked him why they didn't do something that would appeal to female readers. "Like what?" he asked. Pride and Prejudice immediately popped into my head. He was a bit skeptical, but when he pitched it to marketing, they bit. And then they asked him if he knew someone who could write the adaptation. Ralph knew my background writing Regency romances, knew I had a fan following and contacts in the Austen world, so he suggested me.
MO: Why Pride and Prejudice?
NB: I pointed out to Ralph that between the enduring BBC series with Colin Firth, the Bridget Jones movies, and the Kiera Knightly movie, P&P was hot, hot, hot. He thought I was exaggerating, but before the hardcover compilation was even available for sale, the Jane Austen Society had ordered enough copies to put the project in the black. The sales manager also reported that they were getting more emails about that comic than almost any other title on their list. Ultimately, P&P was reviewed in Entertainment Weekly, spent 13 weeks on the NY Times Graphic Novel bestseller list, and was the featured photo in an article on graphic adaptations in Publisher's Weekly. I was also interviewed by Vanetta Rogers of Newsarama and by Bill Radford, the comics guru at the Colorado Springs Gazette. (Bill told me his column on P&P was among the most shared for 2009.) Naturally, after all this attention, Marvel was eager to do another Austen title and they chose Sense and Sensiblilty.
MO: How do you go about condensing each book to fit into the installments?
NB: This is the tricky part. First of all, I had never done an adaptation before. And I had to learn the Marvel style—which involves creating a detailed plot and then writing a script after the art is done. I knew I couldn't condense every part of these complex novels into five 22-page comics. So I focused on the parts I knew people expected to see . . . all the favorite "beats"—the clever exchanges, the arguments, the catty comments, the heartfelt revelations. Once I built that basic framework of "must have" scenes, I filled in directly from Austen to flesh out the stories. Whenever possible, I use Austen's dialogue and observations. I'm always amazed—after each issue is completed—by how much I was actually able to fit in there! My great hope is that readers don't find the comics either crowded or choppy.
MO: Did you work closely with the graphic artist?
NB: Yes, it's critical to have good communication with the artists, especially since they weren't as familiar with the Regency era as I was. I worked with Hugo Petrus of Barcelona on P&P. Hugo has a very traditional comic style that some felt was wrong for Austen. But I liked his attention to detail. Sonny Liew of Singapore did three of the P&P covers . . . and based on favorable reader response, Marvel decided to have him do the interiors of S&S. His style is more lyrical and idiosyncratic, and I think it fits Austen very well.
As I previously mentioned, Nancy’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice has already been compiled into a hardcover book; and for those of you who prefer to read the whole 5-in-1 volume of Sense and Sensibility, the hardcover compilation will be out in November.
So dear reader, if you’re looking for a new way to read Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility; or if you’re looking for a way to introduce a young person to the classics, might I suggest you give Nancy Butler’s adaptations a try?
I’m curious: What other books would you like to see adapted into comic book form?
Until next Monday, remember, there’s always a book waiting to be read.
-- Marisa
Marisa O'Neill is an avid reader and a television producer.
Don’t forget to stop by Romantic Reads this week where Julia Quinn will be visiting all week long! Tomorrow, Maria Lokken will be talking about a great new romance that takes place on the American frontier.
