The Great Gatsby: The Essential Graphic Novel

by Ted Adams (Adapter), Jorge Coelho (Illustrator)

An all-new faithful and beautifully illustrated graphic novel adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby. Adapted by Ted Adams (The Island of Doctor Moreau) and illustrated by Jorge Coelho (Loki, Rocket Raccoon). Whether you already love the book or are experiencing it for the first time, we’ve got you covered. It’s all here, the roaring ‘20s in all its glory --the decadent parties, the gangsters, the car crashes, the love triangle, and so much more. Young and old can appreciate the dedication of veteran comic creators, Adams and Coelho, as they adapt this American classic story into the classic American art form of comics. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Genres: Graphic Novels, Classics, Bande Dessinée, Comics, Fiction, Retellings

176 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Margarida Galante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como nunca tinha lido este clássico, li-o agora, complementado com a leitura desta adaptação gráfica.

Quanto à novela gráfica, estamos perante uma adaptação muito fiel do original. A edição é muito bonita e cuidada, com cores fortes e vibrantes, e a arte do português Jorge Coelho é extraordinária. Adorei o detalhe do traço, quer nas personagens, quer nos ambientes retratados. Acho que todos os momentos importantes da história estão na adaptação e arrisco a dizer que, quem ler apenas a novela gráfica ficará a conhecer muito bem este clássico.

A experiência de ler o original em simultâneo com a adaptação em novela gráfica foi muito boa. A minha classificação máxima vai para esta última.

[Maria João (A Biblioteca da João) · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 de 10*

Opinião:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a pretty faithful retelling of the book, in graphic novel form. The art and cover are simply gorgeous!

[Ale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Antes que nada, añadir que la trama no es ninguna locura. Hay novelas en las que se tratran los mismos temas y que me gustan. Pero es que esta novela gráfica está hecha de tal forma que, por lo menos a mí, más que gustarme me ha dado coraje. No sé si habré entendido mal la historia, pero de verdad que no me ha gustado nada.

Ha sido una lectura incómoda. No he aguantado a NINGÚN personaje.Los hombres muy machotes y las mujeres muy indiferentes ante todo. El secretismo alrededor de Gatsby muy mal contado (no sé si en la novela se contará mejor, en la novela gráfica ya os digo que no).

Y sí, he tenido en cuenta la época.

Me leeré la novela para ver si tengo la misma impresión.

[sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

can i count this as half a reread

[Ema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tinha-me esquecido de como a história é profundamente triste. O narrador e a amizade verdadeira e despretensiosa que ele desenvolve pelo Gatsby é, talvez, a coisa mais bonita. Nenhuma mansão, nenhuma festa, nenhuma praia privada, nenhuma conquista romântica consegue chegar à maravilha que é ter alguém que aparece e fica presente. Sobre a questão: adaptação para BD, penso que teria ganhado um pouco se houvesse mais fluidez entre o que está escrito e o que se mostra. No entanto, pequenos pormenores não estragam a beleza que é o traço e a cor do ilustrador. Grandes planos que nos fazem querem mergulhar no papel; o luxo, os excessos e a vida sem preocupações; o vestuário dos anos 20; desde o início até à última página, fiel à história original. Desta vez, consegui transpôr a barreira fútil que a Daisy apresenta ("tola e bonita", como uma mulher tem de ser para conseguir sobreviver), mas também a barreira ilusória que o Gatsby tem sobre a construção da própria vida (há coisas que nunca vamos consquistar, por mais que as queiramos e por mais que lutemos por elas). Deixo o destaque para o "fim" de Gatsby, brilhantemente desenhado numa página inteira, um soco no peito.

[Laura López · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si bien hace honor a la novela, hay pequeños detalles de la historia que quedan fuera o pasan demasiado rápido. Era difícil que llegase al nivel de la novela pero me ha gustado mucho.

[FELIX · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tenía ganas de hincarle el diente a la novela o a la película, ya fuera la primera versión del 74 (aun recuerdo el cartel anunciado la película en el Teatro Ramos Carrión, cuando pasaba por su puerta al ir al insti, siempre me intrigó esa película) o la última interpretada por Caprio. Me daba pereza leer el libro y la película por no quedar defraudado, Esperaba mucho de el, yo creo que era el cartel de la peli o también a por ser el apodo de un novio de una amiga mía, serían cosas de la juventud. Por eso decidí leer la Novela gráfica, me iba a llevar menos tiempo y si me gustaba el resultado pues a leer libro o ver peli.
En ello estoy ahora. Ver peli o libro. Aúnque el final me dejó un poco a si. Yo soy de finales felices. 😎😍😍🤩

[Joana · Rating 2 out of 5]

After being disappointed by another graphic novel adaptation, O Grande Gatsby, I thought I would see if this one was better, while it is, it still has most of the same problems as the other one!!! There's too much narration in this book, you need to cut down text when adapting to this medium, now on the bright side this one has bigger images and more colorful drawings, so the text is more broken up, which is definitely better!!! Now overall I still don't care at all for these characters, setting and world, this is not for me... I would still recommend this for fans of the novel, but I don't think this is a good introduction to the book...

[Cecilllia]

Znam historię Wielkiego Gatsby'ego- czytałam książkę Fitzgeralda, oglądałam film z diCaprio- ale miło było ją sobie przypomnieć w formie komiksu!
Powieści graficzne nie są jednak moją ulubioną formą przekazu, choć uważam je za bardzo ciekawe! Ale i tak preferuję słowo pisane, bo bardziej działa na moją wyobraźnię i już jestem do tego przyzwyczajona i przywiązana.
Traktuję tę pozycję jako przyjemny przerywnik i przypominajkę o tym bohaterze oraz o formie komiksu.
PS Ta książka była wypożyczona z biblioteki, bo inaczej szkoda by mi było płacić tak dużo pieniędzy za jeden wieczór czytania... Niestety to kolejny duży dla mnie minus komiksów...

[Tuare Cabrales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this one for my student while we did our Gatsby unit so I decided to read it and I loved the illustrations! Some stunning detail that really helped bring the story to life.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading two Great Gatsby graphic novel adaptations and then will compare them. I really enjoyed this one!

[Litote · Rating 5 out of 5]

La bande dessinée permet une nouvelle perspective visuelle et l'approche de ce texte emblématique vers lequel je ne me serais pas dirigée sans l'attrait indéniable qu'elle m'a procurée et pour faire bonne mesure j'ai eu envie de lire l'oeuvre originale. "Gatsby le Magnifique" est un roman classique de la littérature américaine, écrit par F. Scott Fitzgerald et publié en 1925. Il est considéré comme l'un des meilleurs exemples du mouvement littéraire appelé "la Génération perdue" et est souvent loué pour sa prose élégante et sa représentation poignante de l'Amérique des années 1920. J'ai aimé les planches qui dévoilent parfaitement l'opulence américaine et la frivolité de l'ère du jazz, mettant en scène Jay Gatsby, un homme mystérieux et richissime qui organise de somptueuses fêtes dans l'espoir d'attirer l'attention de Daisy Buchanan, un amour de jeunesse qu'il a perdu des années auparavant. À travers les yeux du narrateur, Nick Carraway, le lecteur est entraîné dans un monde de désirs inassouvis, d'illusions et de désillusions, de corruption morale et de tragédie. Le déroulé de l'histoire est respecté, les planches nous montrant des personnages charismatiques, leurs traits de caractères sublimés par le talent de Jorge Coelho, renforçant ainsi l'immersion dans l'histoire. Il a su recréer l'atmosphère glamour, l'esthétique visuelle distinctive de l'époque et les décors somptueux des années 1920, tout en maintenant l'intégrité de l'intrigue.
Alors même si certaines subtilités et aspects littéraires peuvent être perdus dans le processus de transformation en images, on y gagne de nouvelles perspectives visuelles présentant l'intrigue et les personnages de manière différente.
De nombreux thèmes universels tels que l'amour, le rêve américain, la quête de l'identité et les conséquences de l'ambition démesurée sont explorés. La vacuité des valeurs matérielles et la superficialité des relations humaines dans ce contexte nous saute aux yeux. Une observation sociale qui révèle l'essence d'une époque révolue tout en abordant des thèmes intemporels, explique pourquoi "Gatsby le Magnifique" est encore largement étudié et célébré aujourd'hui. Bonne lecture.
http://latelierdelitote.canalblog.com...

[akiiKOMORI reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot to love about this book -

Let's start with the thing I didn't like.
As a big fan of the book and the adaptations, yes a lot was cut out but the core of the story was all still there, it was just minor details. However, it felt as if there were pages missing and I kept going back to see if I had skipped a page that stuck together (the paper is quite thick).
It felt sort of disjointed reading a section and all of a sudden it essentially jump cuts in a very abrupt way that doesn't seem fluid to the story, almost as if they don't know how to change the scene.

But overall I really enjoyed this adaptation.
The art was absolutely stunning as well as the colours, this they got right immensely. And there were a few things that made more sense or were addressed and expanded further than in the book or in the film adaptations. (Can't say because spoilers).

One thing that I am a bit iffy on was the narration - Nick's voice in this novel.
Obviously they can't copy lines from the book or films but the voice of it was pretty spot on.
Fitzgerald isn't an easy person to imitate in the way he writes and conveys his meaning, the way words flow. While the voice was pretty spot on there were parts where I went, "What the heck are you even saying?" But again I give absolute massive props to the attempt.

The ending of course, as the book ends, the modern film adaptation and this, all left me with this hauntingly chilling feeling of understanding. Fitzgerald had a way with words that really resonates, at least with me, something which few authors have been able to do, and I'm glad this graphic novel adaptation did absolute justice to the original work.

Nothing beats the real book but this is a great visual representation - and would be nice if Adams adapted more classic lit novels this way.

[Del Feeny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel that keeps all the original text from Fitzgerald's novel, in an abridged version. But the essential is all there, as the title says, and I think someone who never read the novel will get everything necessary from it.

The artwork is obviously the point, and it's gorgeous.
It's as good on characters as it is with scenery. Every panel is detailed and has vibrant colors. Even the party scenes with a big crowd avoid looking like a mess.
Each chapter is also nicely separated, making it easy to go back to any favorite part. And I love the full panels at the end.
I was surprised by some hair color switches between characters, but otherwise it's extremely faithful.

This graphic novel is a perfect compromise between reading the novel and watching a movie adaptation: it provides visual help while keeping the original text.
And it's also a beautiful object with foil on the cover and a gold ribbon bookmark.
A great addition into anyone's collection of The Great Gatsby.

[lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

impressively well-made, but feels unnecessary. lots of lines are modified but no details are really cut? wish a lot of the description and dialogue was shorter, or just commit and use the actual text more… in the end it felt more like i was just reading and the visuals weren’t really working

some of the visual choices were underwhelming (gatsbys death, the story’s framing and him and nicks final conversation stuck out to me most as flat). otherwise the art is really vibrant and fluid! designs got a little muddled together though

rounded up to four stars because of the quality, but im probably never revisiting this

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of The Great Gatsby and I've enjoyed other adaptations of it. This one was a miss for me. There was some beautiful artwork, but some of it just did not feel like the characters that I know. One style choice that didn't sit well with me was hair colors on main characters. Changes to these from what I'm used to had be questioning who was speaking at various times. I also felt like there were pieces missing to the story, so it felt disjointed. I really wanted to like it because it has a beautiful presentation, but it missed the mark for me.

[Phil Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful work of art.

[Kara Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool graphic novel adaptation. A couple transitions are a little confusing.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here I am in my early-elder years (whatever that means - ) and had never read the book ¨The Great Gatsby¨ nor even seen the famous film in its entirety (other than viewed snippets of it here and there on TV) and thus was unfamiliar with the plot/story of the book (other than it was set on LI, the affluent North Shore, around the 1920s) until I picked up this graphic novel interpretation of the famous novel. I must say that now having read the graphic novel by Ted Adams I was impressed with the crystalline symmetry of the plot, which would probably be favorably regarded by an ancient Greek tragic playwright - with blind love, aspiration to wealth/power, hubris/nemesis - all playing a part, and perhaps in an ¨anti-moral¨ or ¨immoral¨ way telling a ¨moral¨ tale. I had to weep as no doubt many readers of the story end up, reading those last few sentences of the book, which neatly sum up the hopelessness of the world of the Buchanans and their ilk, a world that more or less consumed Gatsby, the Wilsons, and ended up changing/embittering Jordan and Nick (who is shown throughout the book remembering the fateful summer as he sits ruefully or perhaps numbly drinking at a dive bar). As in a number of Greek tragedies, the chink in the hero´s armor (in this case, the literal war hero Gatsby) was falling in love with the unattainable Daisy, who was from a more exalted, richer class than he. He never got over his obsession with Daisy, and his efforts to win her back after her marriage to Tom Buchanan, eventually lead to horrific multi-tragedies.

Is the book a metaphor symbolically playing out the excesses of the wild pre-Depression 1920s - before the Crash of 1929 as embodied by the carefree, rich characters who are consumed with boredom that compels them to drink too much, drive too fast, and endlessly party? The Crash of 1929 ¨embodied¨ in the literal climactic crash in the novel, which leads to the subsequent fall of the striving romantic Gatsby himself?

From a more or less feminist perspective, there are no women in the book that emerge as heroines although both Daisy and Jordan are at least superficially likeable. This tendency seems to reinforce the casual racism expressed by the characters, perhaps in order to reassure themselves that the world as ordered, with white males as the dominant sociopolitical group, is ¨eternal.¨ In this world, women are either ornaments or relegated to the drudgery of the servant-nanny-worker class - with no way to socially improve themselves, unless lucky enough to be born into a ¨good¨ that is, wealthy or least respectably middle-class, family.

So the book could be read as anti-establishment perhaps - a protest against the prevailing order of things namely or especially in the post-WWI boom years, the Roaring 20s, when drinking to excess was the order of the day - despite Prohibition. Does the above review make sense? I don´t know - perhaps I read too much into the book, and it is just a novel with a tragic love story at its core.

I think this graphic novel interpretation of the novel is superior to the movie (although as I wrote above, I never saw the movie in its entirety) because the reader gets to savor and absorb more of the novelist´s utterly enchanting writing style, which cannot be conveyed by motion pictures no matter how wonderful the photographic images are. The drawing was superb, and the color palette suitably evocative of the muted tones of the early 20th Century prior to the later more color-saturated clothing styles. The muted colors also suggested the fading of color over 100 years - the era residing in the past but also in an eternal conceptual present, as long as the book or the memory of the book, lasts.

I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone who wants to dive into a justly famous novel, perhaps as an intro to the novel, a tantalizing appetizer as it were.. which might tempt many readers to actually seek out and read the original novel by Fitzgerald.

[Rachael ༊·˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: Read this immediately after reading the original novel, which I wanted to pick after falling in love with the 2013 version of the movie. Sue me if you wish but yes, this shall serve as all my explanation for why the review isn't much of a review, just like the one I made for the novel.)

First off, the art is actually really really pretty. And HAHA I absolutely adore seeing the eyes of the characters during scenes like... well, first one that comes to mind is when Daisy straight-up flirted with Gatsby in front of Tom, and the poor guy just looks flabbergasted like "did I actually see/hear that??"

I think I also preferred this over the novel not just because it has pictures but... okay yeah, it's partly due to that. It was actually a really decent adaptation of the novel, keeping the same lines and details identical (although I was confused for a moment when Tom and Daisy were suddenly eating their fried chicken ;-; it lacked a build-up because it suddenly cut to them eating with little context unless you read the book). I definitely enjoyed reading this more because... well, sue me but I had a hard time envisioning every little thing that Fitzgerald brought up, and seeing it (while still reading the exact same text from the novel alongside it) helped greatly.

So yes, I did like this adaptation quite a bit. A little heavy to get through because... well, its comic book-style means there are large chunks of texts bombarding the images, but you get used to it after a while.

(I'll probably update more on my dad's thoughts when reading this, given he is someone who knows nothing about The Great Gatsby. Probably would be less biased than me, at the very least.)

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publié en 1925, Gatsby le Magnifique est sans conteste l’œuvre la plus célèbre de F. Scott Fitzgerald et un des piliers de la littérature américaine du XXe siècle. Située dans la décennie prospère et éclatante des années 20, durant l'ère du Jazz et de la prohibition, Gatsby le Magnifique est bien plus qu’une histoire d’amour impossible ; c’est une critique acerbe et élégante du matérialisme, de l’hypocrisie sociale et des rêves brisés. Un roman puissant, toujours d’une grande actualité grâce à son regard perçant sur la condition humaine, les excès et les contradictions du fameux « rêve américain ».

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

While nothing compares to the original novel version this is a masterpiece of its own kind. While staying true to the story and it's characters the artwork that is given to this adaptation is incredible in its own right. Rather than going back and rereading something from junior English this is the best way to dive back into Gatsby and be reminded of all the feelings I had the first time around. Possibly the best thing I've picked up this year.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

La adaptación gráfica es bastante bonita y está bien cuidada.

Es un clásico de la novela norteamericana y muestra muy bien la sociedad de los años 20 en EEUU, aunque la trama es muy plana.

Aún así, la novela en esta edición se lee muy rápido y si prestas atención, te das cuenta que se puede extraer ideas interesantes de la historia.

Es una bonita forma de leer un clásico del gran Fitzgerald.

[Mariette · Rating 4 out of 5]

C’est vraiment comme d’avoir relu le texte parce la quantité de détails et de texte, je pense qu’il y a au moins 75% du texte original. Ça m’a permis de retrouver l’œuvre que j’ai aimé par le film, et de renouer avec le texte de Fitzgerald qui avait été trop subit comme un exercice à cause de l’anglais la dernière fois. Magnifique

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me parece una adaptación bastante buena y acertada de la novela (pude ir comparando algunos tramos). El dibujo es muy elegante, perfecto para ese estilo jazz de los años 20. Los diálogos, las expresiones, las reflexiones… todo queda muy bien reflejado en esta novela gráfica que adapta uno de los mayores éxitos de la literatura.

[Joana Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read The Great Gatsby, but I think starting with this book was a great introduction to the story, which seems really great (I will read the book one day!). This book is beautiful, the drawings are really amazing, and it was a pleasure reading it.

[Noelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5⭐️

[Jenelle Chidester · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband bought it for me at Midtown Comics in New York. Beautifully illustrated. Such a fun way to experience one of my favorites.

[Brian S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well done adaptation. Graphics are very nice.