Masterpiece Comics |  | Author: R. Sikoryak
Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $13.99
as of 11/24/2009 22:11 CST details
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Seller: a1books
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 8254
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 64
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 12.1 x 9.2 x 0.5
ISBN: 1897299842
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781897299845
ASIN: 1897299842
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
HILARIOUS PARODIES OF CLASSIC LITERATURE REIMAGINED WITH CLASSIC COMICS
Masterpiece Comics adapts a variety of classic literary works with the most iconic visual idioms of twentieth-century comics. Dense with exclamation marks and lurid colors, R. Sikoryak’s parodies remind us of the sensational excesses of the canon, or, if you prefer, of the economical expressiveness of classic comics from Batman to Garfield. In "Blond Eve,” Dagwood and Blondie are ejected from the Garden of Eden into their archetypal suburban home; Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray is reimagined as a foppish Little Nemo; and Camus’s Stranger becomes a brooding, chain-smoking Golden Age Superman. Other source material includes Dante, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, bubblegum wrappers, superhero comics, kid cartoons, and more.
Sikoryak’s classics have appeared in landmark anthologies such as RAW and Drawn & Quarterly, all of which are collected in Masterpiece Comics, along with brilliant new graphic literary satires. His drawings have appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as well as in The New Yorker, The Onion, Mad, and Nickelodeon Magazine.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 Not what I expected November 11, 2009
Arlene Johnson (northwest Illinois)
0 out of 7 found this review helpful
For years I have been searching for comic versions of classic books for a school library. The idea was to use the comic version as an introduction to the real version. I thought this would be a good choice. NOT. I tried reading several of the actual "classic" stories and if I was not so familiar with the origional, I would not have had a clue as to what was going on. I also resent the bastardization of genuine old comic characters. Again, I was under the impression this was geared to young readers. High school, ok. Not younger. Definitely not "classic" comics.
 Pretty funny, but... October 30, 2009
Lichanos
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was a little disappointed in this. I love the classic novels, and I love comics. Satire is great too, and this book combines all three.
The artwork IS fantastic. I was amazed at how well Sikoryak copies the styles of the various comic strips he parodies...or is it the novels he's parodying?
Yes, a great idea, great execution, very clever, and I was really looking forward to it. When I did, I found it a little flat, not nearly as funny as I'd hoped. Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic?
 Worth buying. October 29, 2009
Daniel Burke (Orlando, Florida)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a 50 year comic collector I was blown away at the how great this book is. Great printing and top notch artwork.
Really good stuff. If you like classic comics, you will like this book.
The art was off the hook.
 Style More Than Substance October 23, 2009
Aaron McPherson (Newton, MA)
There is no question that R. Sikoryak has done a brilliant job with this book - the parodies of famous comic strips using plots from famous works of fiction and drama are pitch-perfect. It is hard to believe that one artist could so effectively emulate so many disparate styles. There are even informative Q&A sections where the artist explains why he made certain decisions, or what the source material was, for those who are not familiar with it.
The only thing that keeps me from giving this five stars is that I did not come away with any new ideas, despite the enjoyment I had at the execution of the concept. Does simply mixing "Batman" with "Crime and Punishment" really give us new insights into either work? It could, but there would need to be less strict adherence to the plot lines of the literary source, and more creative input, asking questions like, "what would the Batman character do in this sort of situation?"
Despite these reservations, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes the concept - it is very entertaining, and really has to be seen to be believed. There is a lot of potential here.
A Brilliant Conceit, Splendidly Realized October 10, 2009
Chris Ward (Costa Rica)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Good God, this is funny stuff. Remember when MAD magazine was really funny, about 55 years ago? (No? Go look up the first four years' worth, you'll see what I mean.) The MAD comics satires were perfectly done, and Sikoryak's book is like a whole smorgasbord of the best of those days. A mix of Dada, deadpan satire, and savage parody for English majors, it really hits the old spot. The idea-- classic lit rendered as classic comics-- would flop if it weren't rendered with a fidelity to/love of the originals. Sikoryak gets it just right. It's laugh-out-loud funny, and wickedly caustic stuff.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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