“Moby Dick” Retold by Lew Sayre Schwartz. Based on the novel by Herman Melville. Illustrated by Dick Giordano, historical text by Steve Urbon. Colorist by Daniel Vozzo. A great adaptation!
“Killing a sixty-ton sperm whale that could destroy a boat with a flick of its massive tail was no easy talk. Whalemen of the early nineteenth century were not just hunters; they were also explorers—sailing on the uncharted sea in search of some of the largest creatures on earth.
The most famous whale of all?
Moby Dick.”
The book is divided into 4 sections:
1. Herman Melville: A biography
2. The illustrated Moby Dick Story
3. About Whales
4. A note about New Bedford
Interesting fact: “Ship, Acushnet, upon which Herman Melville sailed. The famed author of Moby Dick, shipped from New Bedford, Dec 30, 1840, for whaling data. Built in Mattapoisette, 1840. Similar to the ‘Charles W Morgan, in design, length: 104ft, beam about 27ft, 359 tons.”
“..1850, Herman told his publisher that at last he was halfway through writing a book about whaling voyage, based on his trip aboard the Acushnet, the book that was to become Moby Dick.”
“Moby Dick was published in 1851.”
I started reading the original book by Melville, it’s quite slow and heavy going. To have a better overview of it, why not try a short story version.
Main characters:
Ishmael and his friend Queequeg
The story starts in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They go on an adventure to Nantucket Harbour, to find a ship. They board the ship called the Pequod.
Captain Ahab is nowhere to be seen..
The owners of the ship likes Ishmael, but as Queequeg isn’t Christian, they object having him aboard.
“Queequeg takes aim and demonstrates his harpooning skills with swift precision, the main point sinks DEAD CENTER in the whale carved in the mainmast several yards away…A BULL’S EYE.”
“Did ye know that Ahab lost his leg to the Great White Whale called ‘Moby Dick’ and Ahab’s vowed for VENGEANCE?”
“Beware, lads, you ain’t just agoin’ whaling.. Ahab wants only ONE whale.. the great white they call MOBY DICK! Remember well.. some say Ahab’s a madman and the Pequod will never see Nantucket Harbor ever again.”
Pequod’s crew: brave men from all over the world.
Chief mate, Starbuck,
Second mate, Mr Stubb,
Third mate, Little Flask,
Harpooned: Tashtego, Gay Head Indian; Daggo, African of Gigantic size, Queequeg, Ishmael’s shipmate.
The mysterious Ahab “appears on the deck in the light of a full moon”.
Lookout for massive icebergs as well as whales…
“..the Pequod enters the southern latitudes to warm and clear waters…. a whale is spotted..”
Starbuck speaks his mind “I kill for oil, not vengeance..”
“There she blows!!”
“..lower boats into the water. 18 men..”
“The Sperm Whale, a mammal..not fish. Streamlined body, 60 feet in length. 40,000 times as large as that big bass you caught last summer. 500 gallons of liquid oil in top of head. Brain largest of any mammal. Could eat sardines by millions and still be hungry, Flukes, or tail, lie flat. Teeth under jaw only. Could swallow a horse in one gulp. Sometimes travels in schools of four or five hundred. Oil used in making soap. Dives half mile, or more, below surface of ocean for meals, like giant squid. Skin so thin it can be scrapped off with fingernail.”
Queequeg “selects his prey” and thrusts the harpoon “sharp blade goes deep and wounded creature quickly responds.. down it goes carrying the harpoon and its line into the deep.”
“..the whale runs for its life, carrying the boat miles from the ship. Talk about thrills… whalemen called this awesome experience a Nantucket Sleigh Ride.”
They look for their ship.. their boat has pulled… gallant giant performs its last rites…
“First is the crimson SPOUT indicating the battle is over. Head held high…the mighty whale spins in a circle. Fin out… it is dead.”
Whaling process:
1. “..stripping the whale blubber from the carcass..”
2. “With a sperm, they first extract the jawbone and teeth… the huge store of oil bailed from the whale’s hollow head. It will bring a fine price in the New Bedford market..”
3. “Blubber is stripped, cut into pieces..”
4. “Then into tryworks, boiled down into oil.”
5. “Dozens and dozens of barrels are filled with the oil and finally lowered and stored in the Pequod’s hold..”
6. “The bones are theirs overboard and the jaw saved for the huge teeth used to make scrimshaw.”
7. “…Ahab cuts into the whale’s digestives tract and finds AMBERGRIS.”
“Ambergris was once used to make fine perfumed and cost twice as much as its weight in gold.”
Queequeg falls very sick, fully recovers..
Sighting of a great white whale… “Ahab and Queequeg sink their harpoons deep into the vital spots…the whale circles the boat… Ahab’s line tangles and he’s yanked out of the boat like a puppet on a string.”
“Moby proceeds to destroy everything in his sight with either his huge tail or giant jaws, Moby takes his toll on the two boats. Once boats are smashed, Moby turns on the men in the water…making sure there are no survivors. Now he turns to the Pequod.”
Everyone dies except for one survivor, Ishmael.
“It is the whaler Rachel out of New Bedford, and they pull the lone Pequod survivor out of the sea and give Ishmael a working berth until the ship’s journey is completed.”
I enjoyed this story more than the original classic piece, it was straight to the point.