20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

by Carl Bowen (Adapter), Alfonso Ruiz (Illustrator), Jules Verne

Scientist Pierre Aronnax and his trusty servant set sail to hunt a sea monster. With help from the world’s greatest harpooner, the men discover that the creature is really a high-tech submarine with a mysterious leader, Captain Nemo.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Classics, Childrens, Adventure, Fantasy, Comics

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember seeing the movie with Kirk Douglas, but you know, I don't think I ever read the actual book. If I have, it was a very long time ago, so I suppose I should count this graphic novel as a second introduction to the title.

We have five action-packed chapters here, from The Hunt Begins to The Voyage Ends. The artwork is very nice, as exciting as the story itself! And at the end there are a few pages of discussion topics hoping to inspire young readers not only to explore other classic titles but to maybe begin writing their own. (If you were going on a year-long underwater voyage, and could take only three things with you, what would they be and why?)*

There is a sentence on the back cover that this book is intended for Guided Reading Level V. I have no idea what age group that would be, other than much younger than my own. lol

I would say this book is a great stepping stone to Verne's work, and I hope that some day the target audience will look for and read the original. I am going to; I found an edition at Gutenberg and I have it planned for 2021, but who knows, I might feel the need to dive in before then for another much-needed escape from reality.

*Depends on whether or not I would have to provide my own chocolate.

[Diz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne for young readers. As adaptations go, it is fairly uninspired. The dialog is wooden, and the plot is jammed into a slim 60ish pages. The art is not really at a professional level, so it is hard to imagine that any children would be inspired by this.

[Ana Lanuwe · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Quieren que sus hijos pequeños lean al gran Julio Verne? Ésta es una excelente opción versión novela gráfica para que los más chicos se enamoren de este autor y de sus historias. La adaptación es fácil de leer, entretenida y las viñetas son hermosas. Al fin logré encarretar a mi hijo con Julio Verne y quedó fascinado con la ciencia ficción, al darse cuenta de que estos relatos hoy tan reales alguna vez fueron planteamientos que parecían descabellados e imposibles de realizar. Ahora sí podré seguir con "de la tierra a la luna" mi favorito de la infancia a ver si mi hijo lo ama igual!.

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok Reading experience

[Adam Marquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story a french biologist has set out to sea. He is on a voyage to find the creatures that's been mysteriously destroying ships. Surprisingly to them it has nothing to do with a creature but is a submarine. Pierre and his crew was taken by the people on the submarine. The crew on this mysterious ship was large and led by captain Nemo. The longer they we're help captive the more they found out about the ship. "The Nautilus" would make travel across the whole world on the sea bed. Many would probably like this book because of the Scifi it shows, and all the sea it shows with its wonders.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done graphic novel adaptation for young people. Indeed an enjoyable read! As someone quite familiar with the original I found this a good representation of the story. Of course, the themes were not covered to any depth but all the main plot points were covered and we come away from it feeling the wonder of the ocean world and a certain sadness for Captain Nemo himself. The illustration is excellent and this will make a perfect introduction to the novel as well as a must for the school library.

[Tom Malinowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a digestible version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, this is for you. Read it in 20 minutes or so. I've never read the book which I should, and maybe this is going to inspire me. Dialogue and pictures crisp and clear.

[Andres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estuve buscando adaptaciones gráficas y me encontré esta sobre el clásico de Julio Verne. Ponerle rostros, colores, texturas a los personajes de una novela como esta no debe ser sencillo. En ilustraciones tenemos un estilo consistente en formato comic que puede enganchar rápido a nuestros niños en edad de aventuras (5 - 10 años).

La historia (que algunos ya conocemos), es el recorrido en la nave del capitán Nemo por los lugares inexplorados del basto mar que esta en nuestro planeta. ¿En que tipo de nave viajamos? ¿Qué motiva al capitán Nemo y cual es la razón de su rencor contra el mundo? ¿Qué clase de especies habitan en la profundidad del mar escondidos de la curiosidad del hombre moderno?

Bueno, si ya conocen la respuesta a estás preguntas los invito a repasarlas acompañados de esta re-imaginación gráfica. Sino has tenido el placer te recomiendo este libro como introducción a las exquisitas novelas de Verne, eso si, con la condición que más adelante quizás navegues en las profundices de su prosa leyendo el libro completo.

[Gene Macy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had heard about this story quite a but, and it sounded really interesting, but when I read it, I was realky disappointed. I thought that the story was about characters going down 20,000 leagues, but I learned that it was more about traveling. I also felt like everything that was supposed to seem amazing, or unique to the characters, turned out to just be an average thing that we see, it just appeared differently. I also felt like a few of the characters roles were also a tad bit confusing. I feel like at the time the story was written, it was probably something really unique, and not heard of a ton, but today, I feel like it would just be an average undersea story. If you like nist undersea stories, I might recommend it, if you like classic stories, I might recommed it as well. Also if you’re younger, like graphic novels, or would like to read the story, but don’t have a lot of time on your hands I might recommend this particular one.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Reverse readathon book)

Having not read the original classic, I think I have a general understanding of it that *just* might make me want to go back and read it.

Particularly enamored with the coloring and even the simplicity of the panels and the action is easy to understand but still adventurous enough to be fast-paced. I also liked that the narrative or dialogue didn't overwhelm the images- it balanced out to be easy on the eyes. Bowen didn't try to cram too much of the original story in to be overwhelming. It felt like a dose of medicine (but the good kind!)

[Pen&Quill Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ Quill's thoughts...

As with Peter pan this book is written so younger readers can understand but does come with quotes from the actual book itself, and while that's helpful and still gets the point of the story across it just feels lacking to me, like they could have worked better on the flow instead of just giving a bullet point presentation feel. But that's just my opinion. And the art work was fantastic with this one.

[SaraKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel adaptation of the novel by Jules Verne in Spanish. I thought the illustrations were beautiful and it really brought the monsters and characters alive. The shortened story still included the major points and allowed the reader to feel the emotions of the characters well. I felt so sorry for Ned Land. He definitely wasn't made for being cooped up.

[Matheus Pires · Rating 5 out of 5]

- The thrilling story of three men trapped in a submarine and the adventures they face, from fighting giant octopuses to discovering underwater cities. In my opinion, the book was very complete and easily written for people who don't have good English, the book caught me a lot and I finished very quickly.

[Joelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm definitely going to show this to my kids and check out other books in the Graphic Revolve series. It seems like a great way to introduce classics to kids who aren't quite ready (or just don't want to) read them yet.

[Shajie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember watching this in the theatre as a child with my mum. I’ll have to read the full story. I’m not sure if the graphic novel misses out key parts or provides more context to Nemo’s character but this was a little short lived.

[Marie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful retelling of a classic Jules Verne novel

An interesting retelling of the classic novel. Interesting and fast to read with beautiful illustrations. Another way to enjoy the story.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this

To read the book in its original format was a little intimidating. But I enjoyed this medium. It was thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. I may have to read the original.

[Allie Valder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3 stars only because it made me want to read the actual book. This adaptation was incredible short and largely had no emotion or character build. It was cute, but definitely read as a synopsis of the story.

[Mila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, I enjoyed the art style, it reminds of TinTin a little. I've been trying to read the OG book in both English and the original language, French, for years - who knew a graphic novel might push me to it in the end?

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done graphic novel format of a classic tale.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading different versions of classics like this one.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome graphics. A simple interpretation but a few holes left open for more mature readers. Would be good for kids to access the original story.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read the original, so I don't know how it compares, but I can definitely see my students reading this.

[VoiceinYourHead · Rating 3 out of 5]

It covered all the basic points of the novel

[Michael McPherson III · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick 15 minute read

[Cecilia C · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good but

[Karri Hoopes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the classic novel by Jules Verne for the early or struggling reader 10-13. Perhaps it would work well for an adult reader who is beginning to read.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough to read the original version.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Carl Bowen, Alfonso Ruiz, Jules Verne
Fun brief graphic novel version. "But the Nautilus was no place for us. I finally understood that." ***

[Shreya · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this as a child many years ago, loved it!!