Pride & Prejudice

My Great Books Book Club is reading the original “Pride and Prejudice” for June 2018' discussion. Since I'm leading the discussion, I decided to mix in several adaptations (in an very non Great Books way) to consider additional perspectives on Jane Austen's classic novel.

While I applaud Marvel's support of bringing classic works to unfamiliar audiences, I found this iteration very strange.

Let's begin with the cover art, which I immediately liked, both from the cute magazine presentation to the charming style. But, one opens the book to find illustrations that appear to be depicting 90s soap opera denizens with excessive makeup, who might be wearing robes and definitely not hairstyles of 1812ish. I am not familiar with the artists's other work, but this output does not match the content. However, should the characters be dressed in period dress if the intent is to attract new fans?

Which brings me to the narrative. We are brought some of the book's greatest hits. Some other reviewers felt there was too much text, which could be the case compared to traditional comics. It's a tricky proposition to attempt to retain some of Austen's fine writing and keep words to a minimum. Would it have been better to rephrase the narrative blocks to more updated language? It would be interesting to hear the reaction of someone who had never read the source novel and is a comic book fan.

Like the 2005 Keira Knightley film adaptation, this version moved too quickly to establish Elizabeth and Darcy's release of their prides and prejudices and fall in love.

Ultimately, I cannot recommend picking up this version, but appreciate the attempt.