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Corpse Talk
Corpse Talk: Dead Good Storytellers
The greatest writers of all time are dug up for a chat in the latest incredible Corpse Talk!
Adam and Lisa Murphy's Award-winning series of graphic novels continues, interviewing with the most ground-breaking writers from history - with adaptations of their most famous stories!
Adam and Lisa Murphy's Award-winning series of graphic novels continues, interviewing with the most ground-breaking writers from history - with adaptations of their most famous stories!
128 pages, Paperback
Published February 4, 2021
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Adam Murphy
24 books6 followersAdam Murphy is an award-winning comics artist, writer and illustrator.
He brings history and folklore to life for readers of all ages through humour, extensive research and an ongoing curiosity about what makes people tick.
He is the co-creator (with wife and creative partner Lisa Murphy) of the comics series CorpseTalk, which originally appeared in The Phoenix, a weekly kids' comics magazine in the UK. CorpseTalk has since been collected and published as an ongoing series of books which have twice been nominated for the Blue Peter Book Awards (the first comic book ever to do so).
His other co-created comics series Lost Tales (also with Lisa) has also been nominated for a Blue Peter Book Award, and was the winner of the British Comics Awards Young People's category in 2016.
He holds a graduate degree in Computer Graphics from DePaul University, and a bachelors in Human Sciences from Oxford.
He lives and works in Glasgow, UK with his wife Lisa and their son.
He brings history and folklore to life for readers of all ages through humour, extensive research and an ongoing curiosity about what makes people tick.
He is the co-creator (with wife and creative partner Lisa Murphy) of the comics series CorpseTalk, which originally appeared in The Phoenix, a weekly kids' comics magazine in the UK. CorpseTalk has since been collected and published as an ongoing series of books which have twice been nominated for the Blue Peter Book Awards (the first comic book ever to do so).
His other co-created comics series Lost Tales (also with Lisa) has also been nominated for a Blue Peter Book Award, and was the winner of the British Comics Awards Young People's category in 2016.
He holds a graduate degree in Computer Graphics from DePaul University, and a bachelors in Human Sciences from Oxford.
He lives and works in Glasgow, UK with his wife Lisa and their son.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 24, 2021
This is my first Corpse Talk book and I am really impressed! After feeling underwhelmed when re-reading Horrible Histories: Stormin' Normans, I wasn't sure if I would like this style of book, but this blows the Horrible Histories series out of the water!
The graphic novel features a cartoon version of the author interviewing the dead versions of 15 famous authors, poets and playwrights. The interviews cover the inspiration for said authors and also tells the readers about their life. I learnt some really interesting things from these interviews that I didn't know, but I won't spoil it for you - you'll have to read for yourself!
The interviews are then followed by a short, graphic-novel version of one of their famous works which sums them up really well. I really enjoyed the Corpse Talk version of Macbeth as I really struggle with Shakespeare and never understood the play even though I studied it at school.
The only downside might be that the summaries spoil the stories of the novels/plays/poems if you wish to read them, but you can easily skip these if necessary.
The graphic novel features a cartoon version of the author interviewing the dead versions of 15 famous authors, poets and playwrights. The interviews cover the inspiration for said authors and also tells the readers about their life. I learnt some really interesting things from these interviews that I didn't know, but I won't spoil it for you - you'll have to read for yourself!
The interviews are then followed by a short, graphic-novel version of one of their famous works which sums them up really well. I really enjoyed the Corpse Talk version of Macbeth as I really struggle with Shakespeare and never understood the play even though I studied it at school.
The only downside might be that the summaries spoil the stories of the novels/plays/poems if you wish to read them, but you can easily skip these if necessary.
April 14, 2021
There are a lot of great books to come out of the David Fickling stable, but for me the best is Corpse Talk. Adam Murphy had the idea of drawing himself interviewing historical figures, but because they’re all dead, the interview involves him interviewing the corpses. Somehow, this is pitched perfectly, and works each and every time. The initial collections were a mixed bundle of famous names, but the latter books have focused more on themes, with this particular book concentrating on storytellers. And it’s great.
And it’s not just great because of how Adam and Lisa Murphy handle the subject matter. The interview tends to take place across four densely drawn pages to give you a broad understanding of the character’s life, how they lived it, and why we remember them now. But also included in this book is an additional spread that introduces the reader to one of the storyteller’s most famous tales. Told with typical Corpse Talk humour, it rattles through the story giving you a taster of all the major beats, making the stories much more accessible and hopefully tempting some readers to read more. There’s some John Keats, Mary Shelley, and, perhaps most impressively, Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace.
So not only does the book manage to make history easier to connect with, but with some works of literature too. Never does it feel dull, dreary, or boring, and that’s a credit to the Murphy’s skill. I should also add that this book is not aimed at me, and yet as an adult, I’ve learned loads, and enjoyed every page.
An excellent book in a series of excellent books. Buy it for someone now.
And it’s not just great because of how Adam and Lisa Murphy handle the subject matter. The interview tends to take place across four densely drawn pages to give you a broad understanding of the character’s life, how they lived it, and why we remember them now. But also included in this book is an additional spread that introduces the reader to one of the storyteller’s most famous tales. Told with typical Corpse Talk humour, it rattles through the story giving you a taster of all the major beats, making the stories much more accessible and hopefully tempting some readers to read more. There’s some John Keats, Mary Shelley, and, perhaps most impressively, Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace.
So not only does the book manage to make history easier to connect with, but with some works of literature too. Never does it feel dull, dreary, or boring, and that’s a credit to the Murphy’s skill. I should also add that this book is not aimed at me, and yet as an adult, I’ve learned loads, and enjoyed every page.
An excellent book in a series of excellent books. Buy it for someone now.
February 8, 2021
A fun and educational graphic novel aimed at children. Told in a series of interviews with famous writers from history, Corpse Talk is a well written graphic novel and the illustrations are great.
The historical writers interviewed were a nice mix from various times in history from Homer to Beatrix Potter.
At times I felt that the wall of text in some of the dialogue may be a little offputting for children, but overall this was a fun, educational read and I think this would be perfect for fans of the Horrible Histories series.
*Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
The historical writers interviewed were a nice mix from various times in history from Homer to Beatrix Potter.
At times I felt that the wall of text in some of the dialogue may be a little offputting for children, but overall this was a fun, educational read and I think this would be perfect for fans of the Horrible Histories series.
*Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
June 5, 2025
best non-fiction book I've read!
4.8 Stars
4.8 Stars
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews