Until I saw the name Tim Conrad on the cover of this book, I had forgotten the man even existed. But as soon as I saw the name, the memories came flooding back…..memories of his exquisite artwork from the early 1980’s, in the pages of Epic Illustrated, Almuric, Thrillogy, Twisted Tales, Savage Sword of Conan, and many others. I don’t remember any new work from Conrad after Piranha Press’ ETC. and his adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Worms of The Earth in the 1990’s, and to say I was excited about having a new book from him would be an understatement.
First a disclaimer: Conrad’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame may not, in fact, BE new……Although the copyright page says 2012, I found a few references online that lead me to believe that it may have been published as a volume of Classics Illustrated in the early 1990’s, or at least intended for publication as part of that series….I seem to remember the line being canceled around that time. So I can’t say for certain that this is a new graphic novel……That said, it’s a beautiful little book. I really love Dark Horse’s small hardcovers….They always pull out all the stops, production-wise, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. Surely everyone on Earth is familiar with the story of Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer, and his unrequited love for the Gypsy Esmeralda, so I won’t get into plot details. I didn’t find Corben’s art as detailed as I remembered it, but his new (?) style is beautiful in it’s own right. The color palette is lush and lovely, and his panel layout is as innovative as I remember it being. The book functions nicely as a CliffsNotes/Readers Digest version of Hugo’s classic tale, but I found it lacking a bit in characterization. Fans of Conrad will find a lot to like here, as will diehard Hunchback readers……casual readers who are already familiar with Hugo’s novel, or it’s umpteen movie and TV adaptations, will probably want to take a pass.
- The Scarlet Gospels - March 9, 2015
- Inspector of the Dead - February 23, 2015
- The Boneyard - February 23, 2015
- The Deep - February 2, 2015
- Pumpkin Cinema: The Best Movies For Halloween - November 20, 2014
- The Wake - November 20, 2014
- Dark Screams, Volume One - November 20, 2014
- Horror Library, Volume 5 - September 16, 2014
- Ghost Heart - September 16, 2014
- Monster & Madman - August 6, 2014
