When I returned home from the San Diego Comic Con I took a quick look through the daily editions of the Seattle Times newspaper that had accrued, to get reacquainted with what I had missed while being gone. I keep up as best I can on world and local affairs, but am truly partial to the Life section where the articles and discussions on books, music and local cultural events are placed.
As I flipped through, I stopped on a very cool article. It was about the libraries of our area and what people were mostly checking out. Seattle is a bookie city, and its libraries are some of the best used—and loved—in the country. The article writer did a bit of research and posted the top-five books in Fiction and Non-Fiction people were checking out and how many holds were in place.
It was really neat to see what people were reading—new books by Janet Evanovich, Lisa See, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, James Rollins, Malcolm Gladwell and several others.
One shocked me though, mostly for its cover.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
Yes, it is the classic Regency romance—now with ultra violent zombie mayhem!
Since Seattle holds the Guinness World Record for largest zombie walk in the world at 4200+ stumbling, brain-eating dead, I read a bit deeper into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to learn exactly what it is.
And if you haven’t done so, do so. Sounds awesome!
Then imagine my surprise yesterday when Del Rey announced this!
Del Rey Books will publish PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, based on the New York Times bestselling book by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. One of the biggest pop culture sensations of this year, the critically acclaimed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, originally published by Quirk Books, takes Jane Austen's classic novel and brings it to gory, new life with zombie mayhem.Del Rey editor Tricia Narwani says, "Not only is it exciting for Del Rey to be a part of this year's most remarkable publishing phenomenon, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL is just flat-out one of the coolest books on our list ever."
The graphic novel will be adapted by Tony Lee, a writer for over twenty years in television, radio and magazines. For the last six years Tony has worked extensively in comics, writing for such licenses as X-Men, Spider Man, Starship Troopers, Wallace & Gromit, Shrek and Doctor Who. His critically acclaimed graphic novel Outlaw: The Legend Of Robin Hood has been announced as a Junior Library Guild Selection for 2009.
Cliff Richards, a veteran artist best known for his five-year run on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics series, will illustrate the graphic novel. He has also worked on several projects for other comics publishers, including Birds of Prey, the Huntress: Year One mini-series, and Wonder Woman for DC Comics, and Rogue and New Thunderbolts for Marvel Comics.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL will be published in January 2010.
So, how cool is that?
I guess the phenomena that is zombies has grown and grown and grown until they are taking over all genres! Whether it be Max Brooks or Jane Austen or Michael Jackson, zombies are not going away!
Can't wait to see the first pages from the graphic novel though.
Gonna be fun!
Braaaaainnzzz!
Sweet, a graphic novel! Of course, it all depends on who they pick to do the art. My favorite part of the book was unfortunate Charlotte in her increasingly poor health and fading condition. The fact that she would just start eating dry leaves off the ground had me in stitches.
Here is a link to some artwork by Cliff Richards:
http://artandcomics.stores.yahoo.net/orartclifric.html
Seems like a good fit. He's done Buffy, so he's done horror-type artwork. I can't wait to see one of his zombies for this project though. Like you said, Charlotte eating dry leaves is a hoot!
Well alright, then! I think I can dig it!
My daughter bought this book the day it was released and had it read before she went to bed. Pride and Prejudice was the only book she read in high school English classes that she did not hate - also the only one that reflected positively on people. Anyway, she loved the book, as did I. It's almost completely Jane Austen's words with a few add-ins.
The comic ought to be a great cross between a Classics Illustrated and a Buffy comic.
Can't wait.