Campfire Comics adapts another classic story into a graphic novel with Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Mischievous Tom Sawyer is always causing trouble, whether he's tricking kids into painting a fence or running away to become a pirate. One night Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn witnesses a murder, and when he reveals the killer as Inun Joe to save an innocent man Tom begins to fear for his own life. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was adapted by Matt Josdal and illustrated by Brian Shearer, with coloring by Surya Muduli. The graphic novel was released Ocober 5, 2010.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Adapted by Matt Josdal and Illustrated by Brian Shearer
Matt Josdal works Mark Twain's dialogue in with the illustrations well. Unfortunately, Josdal also falls into one of the problems many Campfire wordsmiths seem to have, which is an overuse of the narration. There are many instances, like when Tom is painting the fence, where the narration is telling us something ("Tom's brush continued to move.") that could easily be shown through illustrations.
The cover is illustrated by Naresh Kumar, and it is a far cry from the look of the illustrations inside the graphic novel. Tom and Huck are wearing overly baggy clothes, and their hair sticks up as if they'd been electrified. One benefit is that Injun Joe looks pleasingly menacing, more sinister than he appears in the comic.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer graphic novel has a cartoony look that matches the more lighthearted feel of the story. Sometimes Brian Shearer draws his faces strangely (Aunt Polly looks almost like the Crypt Keeper in some panels) and colors are too pale, leaving people sallow looking.
Campfire Comics Educational Information in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The extra educational information in the back of Tom Sawyer takes a look at some "Intriguing Islands", such as Easter Island and the Palm Islands. This likely relates to Jackson Island, the place the boys hid out on when they were pretending to be pirates, and it brings up some interesting facts. But I also think that relating this information to Mark Twain's book is a bit of a stretch, and that it would have been more appropriate to provide some facts on the area or time period instead.
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Graphic Novel Adaptation from Campfire Comics
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was always a fun novel, despite some of the scarier parts with Injun Joe. Shearer's cartoony style will definitely attract younger readers, and even if the narration is unnecessary in some panels Josdal generally relies more on dialogue, making Tom Sawyer easier to read. A few strangely drawn faces and a lack of any truly bright and attractive colors are the biggest things holding the graphic novel back.
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer gets 3.5/5.
- ISBN: 9789380028347
- MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN
- Release Date: October 5, 2010
- 72 Pages
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