A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

The illustrator/adaptor Hope Larson has done a very good job in converting the classic “A Wrinkle in Time” into a graphic novel format. To someone who grew up with “Archie” and “Superman” comic books, this looks like a very strange hybrid; a book I know practically by heart because I read it over and over as a grade school student blended with a traditional comic book, action shown in graphics, thoughts and words written out in balloons.

While this is a very excellent adaptation, I wonder how it fits into a young person’s education, because all books, even reading for pleasure, are a part of education. I wonder…..do graphic novels keep you from making those amazing movies-in-your-mind that happen when you read a printed book, especially one without illustrations (Harry Potter, for example)? Or are graphic novels a helpful assist for those kids who can’t or won’t read for pleasure?

I think, for kids who don’t read very well, this book could really whet the appetite for the print novel. This is still of my favorite books and I think, along with Charlotte’s Web and other classics for children, should be read and read often. So if you have a student or child who hates to read, or has difficulty, this graphic novel, with all the exciting science fiction and interpersonal heartbreak of the teen years, could spark a love of books. So I think this is a great version of “A Wrinkle in Time”. I’d hate to think that it would be the ONLY version someone would ever read because my version (in my head) is much richer, more colorful and far more SCARY than the graphic version. And I’d hate for anyone to miss the chance to read the written version and have their own opportunity to make their own “movie in your head.” The ability to visualize from the written word is a skill that is essential. However, this is an excellent graphic rendition, and it was fun to read.

This is a really interesting graphic novel version of the the much loved story _A Wrinkle in Time_. For the most part, it follows the story fairly accurately.

The graphics are unique and interesting. I admit, I was a tad bit put off with the blue toned shading on the artwork, but it grows on you after a little while. In fact, the artwork alone is a good enough reason to purchase this version of the story, though a full color edition would have been much better. Perhaps we can hope for one in the future.

Okay, to the details. The graphic novel follows the prose novel pretty well. The author/artist does make some minor changes to the story. I found those changes quite interesting, as they gave me a bit of insight on how the author interprets this story. She makes a few different choices than I do.

One choice is how the characters are drawn, Meg is close to how I have always seen her in my minds eye, but Charles Wallace and Calvin are totally different than I ever envisioned. And that was pretty fun, because it was almost like these characters were new again.

Still interesting, though not so entertaining, were depictions of things the author and artist saw in the characters I have never seen before. Meg’s anger came through in an almost disturbing manner throughout the book, disturbing because I had never seen that particular kind of anger in her character. It seemed like an unreasoned anger, not the despairing anger I expected. It was also resolved just a little too easily. There were similar things emphasized in the other characters too. None of which was wrong, all of which I think represented the way the author/artist saw the characters when she read the original story.

No, those depictions were not entertaining, but they sure were interesting. And they made reading the graphic novel a great experience. I read it straight through in one sitting, then came back over the next couple days to savor parts I had particularly enjoyed.

I think most people will find IT most amusing in this retelling.

Well worth the very reasonable price for this this book, and a must have for any collection. I think most of us will find this version resonates well with our children, even if it does, at times, leave those of us who read the book when it was new, slightly bemused.

A Wrinkle in Time has become a timeless tale, more relevant today than in any other decade, containing two prominent ingredients: a strong female lead, and a popularization of science. Hope Larson does an excellent job at adapting the story to the graphic novel format by capturing the essense of the story, and detailing the physical reactions of the characters in a way that progresses the tale.

The graphic novel format does present a few obstacles that take away from the story as a whole. As with any adaptation (e.g. graphic novel, television, movie) the visual representation of the story reduces the imaginative effort of the reader. If one has read the book before, the graphic novel might not meet expectations of visual elements, such as character looks. Also, the graphic novel is really a reduction of the story, missing some of the wonderful language that has made the original novel such a classic. Meanwhile, the lack of color (the graphic novel uses black, white and blue) takes some getting used to, as does Larson’s cartoonish style. In fact, although Larson’s artistic style is quite good, the slightly cartoonish nature of it removes any real sense of danger from the pages. Only the scene with the boy’s bouncing ball presented any real dread.

Despite these limitations, Larson has constructed an adaptation worthy of the source material. Occasionally, the reduced nature of the novel makes Meg out to be a little too whiny and Charles Wallace out to be a little too much of a know-it-all, but overall the portrayal of each character is very true to the original novel. Larson’s panels flow consistently and speed up the enjoyment of the book, while her characters are drawn with a charm that children and young adult readers will love.

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“A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel”
Written by Madeline L’Engle
Illustrated and adapted by Hope Larson
(Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012)
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For several generations of readers, Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle In Time” has been a kid’s lit-young adult touchstone, a delicate yet strident defense of individual will, creativity, scientific method and free thinking, it is perhaps one of the best-known and most widely read science fiction novels in the American canon. It obviously has countless devoted fans, and the task of adapting it into comicbook form was a bold, audacious move — would fans accept it, or recognize the characters on the page as the same characters they had pictured in their mind, lo, those many years ago?

Like many, I was excited to hear of the graphic novel’s publication, but wary of how it might play out. When the book arrived, I was thrilled to see that the artist adapting L’Engle’s prose is Hope Larson, one of my favorite contemporary comic book creators. Her original books, Mercury and Chiggers are compelling works (highly recommended) I like her artwork and the subtle female perspective she brings to the medium is assertive and fresh, a perfect match in my opinion for an iconic heroine like Meg Murry. Larson’s spare graphic style is clear and uncluttered, capturing action and emotions with a minimum of distraction, and in many ways allowing readers to fill in the blanks with their imaginations, much the same as when reading a novel. Indeed, there were several passages that were more powerful and more disturbing in Larson’s realization than in the original book, particularly the scenes on the totalitarian planet Camazotz. There will doubtless be some purists who will find this version lacking in this way or that, but I think many fans will be pleased, and happy to offer this vibrant adaptation to a new generation of readers. Recommended! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain childrens’ book reviews)

I have loved “A Wrinkle in Time”A Wrinkle in Time: 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition since I first discovered many years ago. I was a little hesitant to see a graphic novel of the book. (I absolutely hated the Disney version.) So as soon as I opened the box to see the graphic novel, I had to reread it right at that moment.

And here it is, in all it’s glory, illustrated by Hope Larson Salamander Dreamwith the text by Madeline L’Engle. M’s Larson did a good job drawing the various characters. They “fit” into their descriptions very well. Meg’s not a beauty queen, Calvin’s not the hunk of the month. Aunt Beast looks almost exactly the way I thought she should look. The drawings complement the words and the words complement the illustrations. I applaud Hope Larson for all the time and care she put into making this graphic novel.

I am presuming most people that are reading this book because they already read the original “A Wrinkle in Time” and they know the plot backwards and forwards. The Wrinkle in Time Quintet Boxed Set (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time)- that’s the quintet and “A Wrinkle in Time” is the first part. That is why I have chosen not to go into the plot line. It’s basically very simple yet very complex – a girl is looking for her father. The fact that her father is not on the planet earth adds the complexity to this novel.

_enjoy _

I bought this for my son. We are tag teaming reading the book. I get it at night and he gets it after school. How often can you say that about a book.