Review by E. R. Bird for Redwall: The Graphic Novel
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And about time too! When the Warriors novels started coming out in graphic novel forms, I didn’t think much of it. Author Erin Hunter has always written books that seem similar to the “Redwall” titles, but with a narrower focus. Then Mouse Guard was published earlier in 2007 and I thought it a lovely work, if less complex and multi-faceted than “Redwall” too. About the time Mice Templar hit the shelves, though, I started to get angry. What. The. Heck? First of all, I’m sure there are some nice sociological theories you could put into play regarding the state of the United States today and our odd fixation on mice going to war, but above and beyond all that, where in the world was the Redwall graphic novel? I mean, Brian Jacques essentially took that old The Wind in the Willows animals-wearing-clothes idea, gave it some armor, and defined the very idea of contemporary children’s books where animals war against one another. I’m sure that you could find others, but Jacques was the fellow that made animals in armies profitable. Finally, at long last, we’ve a graphic novelization of the very first “Redwall” book. Adapted by Stuart Moore and illustrated by Bret Blevins, the book is a faithful retelling of the original text, offering some advantages and disadvantages in its new format.

Once there may have been a need for warrior mice to guard Redwall Abbey, but those days have long since passed. Now the most that young Matthias can hope for is to someday become an abbot himself. As they say, the days of the warrior are past. Or rather, they would be if Cluny the Scourge and his crew of blood-thirsty rats weren’t travelling straight for the Abbey with murder on their minds. Now the good animals must band together to fight this terrible invader. For Matthias, that means going on a quest of his own to recover and use the word of the legendary Martin the Warrior. In his own small way, Matthias is the only hope for a land now torn asunder by war.

I had forgotten the sheer amount of story Jacques worked into the first book in the “Redwall” series, something this book was quick to remind me of. I’ll admit right now that I haven’t reread it since I picked up this new version, but as far as my foggy memory serves this seems to be the whole kit and caboodle (at least in terms of big scenes). Readers unfamiliar with the original book but who love graphic novels may even find themselves surprised at the sheer number of women warriors that crop up. One of the things I’ve always loved about Jacques and his characters is that he isn’t afraid to create strong women. Over and over again the important people in this book surprise the reader by turning out to be female. Illustratior Blevins, to his credit, doesn’t go the standard animation route of just slapping eyelashes on anything faintly feminine either, and the result is a more interesting narrative in terms of character and expectations.

In the essence of space, much has been lost in terms of descriptions and smells. Jacques ranks right up there with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Grace Lin when it comes to writing about the true glories of delicious abundant food. Tasty morsels get short shrift in Moore’s version though, and that’s a true pity. I’m sure that with the right text, illustrator Bret Blevins could whip up delicious baked goods and succulent soups if the need arose. At 148 pages this work is faithful, but I can’t help but imagine what would have happened if Philomel had gone all the way and produced a 200+ lush full-color edition with time spent on character and scope. Nothing against the black and white pages, mind you. In this age of flashy computer-drawn hues and tones it was kind of a relief to see the events of this story playing out in good old-fashioned gritty grays and blacks. Still, you get the sense that the 148-page limit should have been pushed a little farther. As I am given to understand it, this adaptation was originally published overseas, so there was little the American publisher Philomel could do once they brought it over. Perhaps if it is successful they’ll consider future installments at a more extensive length.

Illustrator Bret Blevins is primarily known for his work with big comic book powerhouses like Marvel and DC Comics, but his style takes many of its cues from real life. For this particular book he would have had to create a rat worthy of Cluny’s grotesque evil. Certainly Blevins’ work with musculature and action serves him particularly well in the massive battle and action sequences. At the same time, the good guys in this book had to look at least a little tough. It’s all well and good to read a story about adorable woodland creatures going to war, but if your characters are too adorable then there isn’t any life in them. Blevins does a good job at balancing this all out. So much so, in fact, that I was a little surprised that characters like Silent Sam, the silent baby squirrel, weren’t even more adorable. I appreciated the grittiness of the book as well. There really isn’t a lot of blood (the death of Asmodeus being an unavoidable exception) but there is a plenty of grit, claws, teeth, and spittle. Blevins never forgets that these are animals, not little people in animal clothing, and the result is a visually stimulating series of panels and full-page spreads.

Plus there’s size and proportion to take into account as well. When you have badgers interacting with mice, or foxes alongside shrews then you need to remember how large one animal would be in comparison to another. In Jacques’ world, animals wear clothes and walk on their hind legs. That’s all well and good, but that would mean that characters like the foxes Sela and Chickenhound would be significantly taller than the rats and mice around them. Blevins then has to fudge the proportions a bit here and there, but the effect is never too distracting.

I noticed that an Amazon reviewer figured that for people unfamiliar with the original book, this graphic novel would be impossible to figure out on one’s own. They thought the images here to be difficult to follow. I admit to not having that problem, but I have read the book before so maybe that helped me. Looking at it, the black and white images on the slick shiny paper could be confusing to kids that haven’t read graphic novels before. I definitely wouldn’t consider this to be a starter GN. Still, for those kids who know their comics and are well-acquainted with following detailed panels and a myriad of different forms and angles, this shouldn’t prove to be a difficult read. Blevins does a fine job of distinguishing between one mouse and another, even with this massive cast of characters. In the end, this new “Redwall” is a fun graphic novel and well worth a look to anyone unfamiliar with the very first story. Read the comic, then read the book. There is much to be gained from both.

Review by Scott Morris for Redwall: The Graphic Novel
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As a fan of the Redwall series for ten years, I must say I enjoyed this adaptation of the book that started them all. The quality of the work was excellent, and you can really see the characters coming to life from the pencil sketches of Bret Blevins.

That being said, this book is not without its flaws. As the Book Review had mentioned, I fear some of the magic of reading the novel is lost in this translation. Many scenes are omitted from the book, such as the feast for example. It is mentioned briefly in the cart ride back to St. Ninian’s. As some may know, it is a point of pride that Brian Jacques includes depictions of food in each of his novels. The story seems to advance a little quicker than it did in the book as well, which was a point of minor annoyance. Still, it is the first attempt at translating these stories into a graphic novel format, and I very much look forward to more in the future, if there are any planned. I have favorite stories I’d like to see translated myself.

So, overall..art style is great, which was a surprise, considering the artist’s background work in Marvel comics. Instead of buffed-up super heroes, we have plain, simple mice. Who’da thunk it?

Story adaptation is pretty well conceived, though some beloved scenes may have been sacrificed.

I still recommend it, though. To both fans of the book and to those new to the series.

I hope this review is helpful.

Review by S. White for Redwall: The Graphic Novel
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I never read the novel version, but I read this and loved the story. I got this as a present to my sister who read and loved the Redwall series. She love the graphic novel version and was happy to say it only slightly abridged the story. A worthwhile read and great buy whether you’re new to Redwall or not. I highly recommend it.