Rob Roy

by Classics Illustrated (Adaptor), Walter Scott (Creator)

Classics Illustrated is a comic book series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as Moby Dick, Hamlet, and The Iliad. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1971, producing 169 issues. Following the series' demise, various companies reprinted its titles.

The first five titles were published irregularly under the banner "Classic Comics Presents" while issues six and seven were published under the banner "Classic Comics Library" with a ten-cent cover price. Arabian Nights (issue 8), illustrated by Lillian Chestney, is the first issue to use the "Classics Comics" banner.

With the fourth issue, The Last of the Mohicans, in 1942, Kanter moved the operation to different offices and the corporate identity was changed to the Gilberton Company, Inc.. Reprints of previous titles began in 1943. Wartime paper shortages forced Kanter to reduce the 64-page format to 56 pages.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Scotland, Graphic Novels

52 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 1954

About the author

Classics Illustrated is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as Les Miserables, Moby-Dick, Hamlet, and The Iliad. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1969, producing 169 issues. Following the series' demise, various companies reprinted its titles. Since then, the Classics Illustrated brand has been used to create new comic book adaptations.

Reviews

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is barely functional but the story is great, representative of the classic novel I must be sure. I haven't read Rob Roy the original book or any other work by Sir Walter Scott, I've always meant to and picking up this copy relatively cheap at mycomicshop.com was a good starting point. The art is lousy, it's sometimes hard to even tell the characters apart there is so little effort put into it, but the story itself is quite easy to follow even w/it's convolutions which is representative of other classic novels I have read. The antiquated language of the characters and the writing is probably true to the original although I'm sure dummied down a little. I like how Scott used an Englishman as a witness and protagonist of the main action but with Rob Roy as the hero even though the Scotsman main enemy was the English. It sugarcoats a bit the hard feelings of the real centuries long conflict between Scots and the English. Plus after all the fighting and betraying and horse riding and general roaming around the forests and moors of Scotland is over, the Englishman, Obladistone gets the girl, a bonny Scottish lass at that. Great stuff. If only the art was any good, this would've been a stone cold five star book.