The Hobbit Graphic Novel

by J.R.R. Tolkien, David Wenzel (Illustrator)

The Hobbit - Graphic Novel

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy

300 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.

Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.

Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.

Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.

Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.

Reviews

[Savannah Teves]

low key boring had to read it for school good if u like fantasy

[Lydia Batchelor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually don't like The Hobbit, but I like pictures.

[Alesha Cary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have once again confirmed that the Lord of the Rings is just not my thing. :). I have been trying to add more graphic novels to my shelf in my classroom, and specifically to add some classics to the mix. Since I have long struggled to love Tolkein's fantasy novels, I thought I'd give this a try. And to its credit, I didn't hate it. I just didn't like it either. As much as friends and acquaintances have loved ol' Bilbo over the years, I just can't seem to get involved in the story. That said, this is a good adaptation, and the artwork is lovely.

I only have one gripe about the graphic novel itself, and that has to do with age. The print in this thing was TINY. I really struggled to read it in places, which is why it took so long to read during my classes' independent reading times. There needs to be a large print version for us old folks. :)

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork was incredible. The storyline is, of course, a 10/10. The readability made it an easy sit and read experience. My only qualm is that there was a blaring typo in one of the speech bubbles. Other than that, this was great. It was modern but reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings animated movies from the late 1970s and 1980s.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I was disappointed on how long it took me to get through it. I know the story: I’ve read the book and seen the movies. But this it felt like it took hours just to get through a few pages. For me it was hard to lose myself in the story like I normally can. I really wanted to like it, and maybe that’s why I gave it 3 stars, but it was difficult to read.

[Diane E. Navratil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this Graphic Novel version of The Hobbit. The artwork was amazing and the story kept my interest

[Antony Kuzmicich · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a few different graphic novels of the Hobbit. I really enjoyed the artwork in this one.