Rip Van Winkle

by Classics Illustrated (Adapter)

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: Comics

64 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2020

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

[Osama Siddique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not come across this volume as a child and only read it much later. It has two favorite tales of mine from Washington Irving - Rip Van Winkle and The Headless Horseman. The illustrations are fine at times but not as good as in some of the others books in this series. The narrative also sacrifices the mystery and a certain sense of dread and foreboding created by the stories set in the beautiful Hudson Valley and Catskill mountains (which I have explored with joy) for mirth. Hence the characters come across as somewhat like caricatures.

[Anchit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this in 15 mins. Great story! I liked this story because I read about it's background. When you're reading classics it's very imp to read WHY something was written, or what the was situation/time/events when it was written.

This is a very memorable tale which brings out how some men had to suffer a bad marriage even in the 1800s. All our complaining for things going bad in this millenium has no grounds because even men (and women) in the 1800s were suffering in marriage. So this book is about a man who sleeps through the "painful years" of his life and directly wakes up to a time when the work-hard-age is over.

Although the idea of having no responsibilities is dream-like and then to be taken care of by your children I feel that it's not practical. You can't just live like a child and then expect other people to take care of you. Nevertheless, this story is haunting and stays in mind even after finishing the book.

I've got the full 169 classics illustrated (like comics) collection on my hard disk! Will pick up some other book sometime.