Moby Dick

by Roy Thomas (Adapter), Pascal Alixe, Herman Melville (Text)

Melville's seafaring masterpiece Moby Dick is brought to stirring life in the pages of the Marvel Illustrated line! Young sailor Ishmael signs onto the whaling ship, Pequod. Soon, he comes to question his judgment as the vessel sets sail and he meets the strange crew sailing with him. Strangest of all is the mysterious Captain Ahab, whose obsession with the great white whale who once bit off his leg may lead them all to a watery doom. Collects Marvel Illustrated: Moby Dick #1-6.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Classics, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone knows the story of Moby Dick is a classic, but that has never encouraged me to read it. So when I saw it in a graphic novel I thought --- Why not? Flawed logic, perhaps; but at least now I know the story. I guess I'm not a 'classics' kind of girl. Sure, there were lessons to learn from this: basically don't risk the lives of others just because you're a selfish prick.

Blah.

[Jedidiah Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Condensing a 500+ page novel, particularly one as dense as Moby Dick, into 6 20-30 page comic books is a difficult task, but overall I think they did it well. I hadn't read this since it first came out but Pip leaping into the sea in fear and the moment when Tashtego falls into the whale head which then falls into the sea stuck with me this whole time. It told the story well and at the same time, made me really want to re-read the actual novel (and I haven't read that since...2002?)

[samet]

kinda liked it ngl

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst the graphic novel definitely helped make this beast of a novel more accessible in places I'm still not sure I could explain the plot, although that may have more to do with the source material than anything else...

[Prapti Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic adaptation of the classic! Did not want to read the whole tome again but did not want to read summaries of it either, so this was a great middle-ground approach. The visuals are amazing and they did not leave out any significant events in the original book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used this as a bridge — an appetizer — to see if I want to read the whole 600 page book and the answer is: I think so, one day.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read Moby Dick, and though I'm a history girl, I've just never been big on any classic literature. I figured this would give me a decent background into the story of Moby Dick since I was never really familiar with any of it (besides that he was a whale and that the first line of the book starts with "Call me Ishmael" which I only know thanks to playing too many games of Trivial Pursuit Junior as a child). I think it definitely gave me a grasp on the characters and the story, as I had hoped. I also liked the art. I can't say it was 100% excellent, nor 100% god awful. It was pretty decent and I'd recommend it for anyone in the same position as me - an illustrated, graphic novel that breaks down a massive classic book into something more attainable? What is there to lose, right? I can't say it makes me want to read the main book any more, but I do also think I have more appreciation for the original work now.

[Molly Lazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this to read with my seven-year-olds after finishing Jeff Smith's BONE, which heavily references Moby Dick. Imagine my surprise to find out how much of Melville's original language Thomas retains in this adaptation. Needless to say, it was slow going and took a lot of explanation about what was going on for two kids who had just turned seven to understand the story. But they did! Pascal Alixe's stunning visuals absolutely helped with this, and Thomas manages to distill the story down to its essential moments. The ending, in particular, was thrilling. This is a really successful adaptation of a a very dense novel that, admittedly, I haven't read--my own exposure to Moby Dick as a child was limited to the Illustrated Classics version (the 200-something page one with a picture on every other page) that rewrote most of the story in language digestible for kids.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine graphic novel treatment. Of course most of the complexity of the book is lost, but the central plot is there and the artwork is fine.

[Carolina Barraliteraria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me gustó la versión ilustrada, pensé que iba a ser más difícil para mí leer en este formato pero fue una buena experiencia.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I really liked this comic because Ishmael is cute, and Queequeg's a hunk.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This almost convinced me to read the book.

[Tavian Sim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel was exceptionally well for being so shortly written. The pictures in this book were very action packed and had a ton of detail for having a picture on every page and help you understand and know the book that much more. This book is a very well written almost "summarized" version of the actual novel. It does hit the major parts of the book to make it make sense and give you a good idea of how things were written in the original. The book gives you just enough information about each characters life and their background to know what they are like. The main idea of a terrible revenge seeking character getting triumphed once again does indeed cross the readers mind. Although the original story probably manages to give much more indepth detailing of the overall story along with more detail of the characters. This book is very much so reccommended to the lazy kids who want to know the just of the book without spending hours on reading the original. The combination of text and pictures lets you know exactly whats going on at all times. The story of Ahab, Ishmael, and Queequeg all setting out to find the legendary whale is a legendary tale. It's a must read if you've never read it.

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those 3 1/2 star books that you need to fake a 3 or a 4 star rating. I thought the first half was very well done: moody, compelling, and far less one dimensional than other retellings, and worthy of four stars. The action begins in the second half. Without Melville's dull digressions, the narrative here is one man vs. whale action scene after another. The sense of metaphor and greater meaning is lost, and to some extent so is the style. One must credit Pascal Alixe for visualizing the dangers in an extraordinary and surprisingly varied way. He makes it easy to identify with the terror these characters feel, ably abetted by Anerew Crossley's colors. This book is much better than I expected (sorry, Roy), but it does not live up to the promise of its early chapters.

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the Comic Book Store Guy tells me that these graphic novel versions of classics are all the rage among lazy schoolchildren, replacing the lemon yellow Cliff's Notes of my youth with full color illustrated retellings of the story. The comic manages to capture the action well, but I suspect (without, embarrassingly enough, having read the actual Melville novel) that the original has a much more nuanced and developed characterization of Ahab, Ishmael, and Queequeg. Still, it was a riveting comic depiction and a passable introduction to this classic story of the mean omnivore who got what he deserved.

[Scott Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been looking at the classics in graphic novel format as a way to get the students interested in reading while still getting the plot lines down for some of the classics. This is one classic which is not read very often, but allusions are made to this text in many different pieces of literature and other media. I found the graphic novelist kept close to the story as written by Herman Melville and the illustrations are incredible. I will be trying this out in the classroom with some of my students. I am happy enough with this graphic novel to look at others produced by Marvel.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things about graphic novels is that they can make accessible classical tomes or impenetrable pieces of literature. This adaptation of Herman Melville's famous novel about Ahab and his quest to kill the White Whale named in the title is such a contribution. A great version and one that makes me realise Marvel are not just about capes and superpowers. .

[Khaled · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really awesome. They got most of the best lines in here, as far as I can tell, reads like a Marvel comic, and is FREAKING MOBY DICK. Saved me a lot of time, too.
I think I'll still read the original novel, or just pass over it quickly. At least it won't be as intimidating now.

[Ann Reynoso]

Pretty much had a so-and-so idea of what the classic is about. Lack of creativity on my part, though, since the drawings did the visualizing for me. Regardless, an epic story about willpower, determination, and courage.

[Darin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see the graphic novel appeal for some, but I don't think I'll make it a regular thing for me. I actually enjoyed listening to the full audiobook of Moby-Dick, and thought it would be interesting to read the graphic novel. It WAS interesting, but not my cup of tea so to say.

[Randal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. OK, I still haven't read Melville's novel, so this is kind of cheating. But, this adaptation is done really well, with believable dialogue and excellent artwork. Some day, I'll get to the real deal.

[Heron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather bland adaptation.

[Pturingan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read the original novel and I thought I'd use this version to help me decide whether or not I want to read the original. And my decision is... maybe