The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Tim Conrad

 

Summary:

 

Tim Conrad adapts Victor Hugo's classic romance about a beautiful gypsy girl, Esmeralda, who is framed for murder by the infatuated archdeacon of Notre Dame. Only Quasimodo, the hideously deformed bell ringer of the cathedral, can save her. Religious extremism, class distinction, fate, destiny, and sexual dynamics are played out in a rousing yarn of intrigue within the walls of the Parisian Cathedral of Notre Dame. This is Tim Conrad's first foray back into comics in twenty years. Beautifully illustrated. Packed with emotion. Not to be missed!

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 48 pages

Source: NetGalley ARC

Publication Date: July 18th 2012 by Dark Horse Comics

 

I suppose I should admit that my only experience with The Hunchback of Notre Dame is with the Disney film of the same name. I've been carting around the novel by Victor Hugo for the past 2 times that I've moved but still have not brought myself to read it. It's an intimidating novel, and since I've started blogging a lot of the longer novels on my TBR pile have fallen to the wayside. Which is why when I had the opportunity to request this one from NetGalley I was over the moon especially since Tim Conrad was illustrating it.

 

However all my hopes were dashed as soon as I started reading this graphic novel. I'd seen some of the artists other works and thought that they were utterly fantastic. When it came to his adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame I thought he really dropped the ball. The illustrations were to me, poorly drawn and horribly executed. His technique while it may appeal to some people it didn't for me.

 

I also didn't like how the classic novel was adapted to graphic novel. It fell very flat for me as you could tell MAJOR parts of the novel were not included. True, the graphic novel is only 48 pages long but it was as if the one liners were the only things being implemented and used as a story line so the flow of the story was broken up tremendously.

 

For those reasons, I had a difficult time wanting to stay reading this graphic novel. I would not recommend this to anyone except maybe kids to perhaps get them interested in the classics but even then I would be hard pressed to recommend it. If you do want to read it despite my misgivings (I encourage you to try it for yourself) then I would suggest you borrow it from your local library.

 

Not for me!
★

 

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