Watership Down: The Graphic Novel

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I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read of this story by netgalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #watershipdown #clarksonpotter #tenspeedpress #tenspeedgraphic #richardadams @james_sturmish @joesutphin #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs James: Watership Down is such a beloved book for generations of fans. We tried as best we could in the space and time we had to do it justice.

Joe: Yes – James and I were really closely knit during his time writing the script. And James was very open and generous with what he was writing; allowing me to offer any insight or input along the way. We worked well together that way. Thanks to NetGalley and Clarkson/Potter/ Ten Speed Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. He just said it was a book that was written for anybody who wanted to read it, and that was anybody from those who were so small they could hardly hold the book, to those who were so old that they could hardly see the print," Mahony says. A story about the lives of rabbits turns out to have many layers He started off a story, 'Once upon a time there were two rabbits, called Hazel and Fiver,' " recalls the younger one, Rosamond Mahony, who was about 6 at the time. This beautiful graphic novel is a fine example of a great adaptation. The original award winning book written over fifty years ago captured the hearts and minds of America’s young. The story follows a group of wild rabbits as they leave an endangered warren and journey to establish a new home. Any time a book is adapted into a video or graphic novel it is a challenge to stay true to the spirit and mood of the original work. James Sturn has done a fine job of winnowing the elements to include in this adaptation. The story is told in a gentle manner and includes the basic story as well as many charming tales told by Dandelion the storyteller. The original author’s pastoral setting set in memorable prose has been captured by the enchanting muted earthtone illustrations by Joe Sutphin. He also varies his style so that Fiver’s nightmarish visions and Dandelion's brightly colored stories each appear in unique manners. Whereas the original novel was recommended for ages 12 and up, I think that this graphic adaptation can also be enjoyed by children a few years younger. I would encourage anyone in middle grade or older to spend a few hours reading this book. I think that it may lead readers to seek out the original to read more of Dandelion’s stories and Bluebell’s jokes. Anyone who remembers the original fondly will also appreciate this book.Good Things: The art was beautiful, and the pacing and framing were subtle but impactful to the reading experience. The muted, classic color choices were thematically appropriate to the classic story, setting an ‘age’ to the book, despite its brand new adaptation. I appreciate the skill that went into creating distinct visual differences and personalities for rabbits, with slight shading or size differences, shared expressions within groups, and individual voices and markings to build characters without descriptive narrative. This seems like it would be hard to do, and Sturm/Sutphin nailed it. When I expressed interest I had a few conversations with Ten Speed and then was asked to create a proposal for the estate to consider. Though I draw comics too, I knew that I was not the right artist to draw this book and I was asked to include three artists that the estate would then choose from if my proposal was selected. The first impression was that this is a story I'd probably have liked better when I was younger and more attuned to enjoying anthropomorphic stories on their own merit. That doesn't necessarily mean I disliked the anthropomorphic aspect of this story, only that I'm perhaps more desensitised to it and it doesn't appeal or speak to me the way it would have when young. I have enjoyed other anthropomorphic stories as an adult, "Maus," "Animal Farm," etc., but those had a symbolism and metaphors that were easy to spot and understand.

I felt it would be dishonest not to make the picture as I perceived it when I read it," he explained. "That's what he wrote. It was bloody. And I felt honor-bound to represent it as such." An absolute masterpiece. Whether or not you’ve read the original, you will be pulled into this visually mind-blowing story that was created with so much care and heart. Graphic novel adaptations are notoriously difficult to do, but I will point to Watership Down as a beacon for how it should be done.” —Tillie Walden, creator ofClementine It turned out the lives of those rabbits were so much more interesting than I could have imagined," says children's book author SF Said, who encountered the book when he was 8 — after his mother had read it.Could it be the fact that this is an adaptation without input from the author? Very possible. James Sturm does admit in the author's notes that there's been omissions from novel to graphic adaptation and that there are cuts in terms of characters and scenes, as well as changes he had to made to fit the visual medium. James Sturm and Joe Sutphin have managed to draw out the heart of this classic, brilliantly adapting it into the graphic novel form. A wonderful way for new readers to discover the story and for hardened fans to reconnect with Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, and the gang.” —Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2022–2024 Ever since, Watership Down has teetered on the cusp between children's fantasy and adult literature. The appearance this month of a graphic novel — a genre that itself appeals to both young and old — only deepens that discussion of who the story is for, and whether children's books were ever meant exclusively for children in the first place.

Watership Down: The Graphic Novel,based on the novel by Richard Adams and adapted and illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin, is a classic story of survival and friendship that follows a group of rabbits in search of a place to call home.James’s thumbnails were invaluable to me. He took so much of the weight off by providing the overall positioning of shapes and elements in each panel. This allowed me to skip the mentally taxing inception phase, and go right into the artistic editorial phase where I could observe the layouts being provided and make adjustments to the panel layouts as needed. This let me focus more on getting all of the details and environments correct. I understand you traveled to the actual setting of Watership Down, where you were able to take “hundreds of reference photos.” Can you tell us about the process of integrating these references into the graphic novel? Siblings Hazel and Fiver from Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm and illustrated by Joe Sutphin. The 2023 graphic novel is the latest adaptation of the 1972 children's classic. The film's director, Martin Rosen, said in a recent interview with NPR that he wasn't trying to make a film for adults, nor for children. He was making a movie for himself. Joe: Our time walking those fields and rivers and hills with Juliet, Ros, and Aldo truly was the catalyst. We didn’t have to go online and sift through the thousands of concepts and speculations that are posted regarding Watership Down. We were able to get any factual information we needed from then on, straight from the people who loved and spent time with Richard. People who’ve heard the stories and facts straight from him. Would you mind elaborating on the specific challenges you faced adapting Watership Down? Did any particular adaptive element prove especially difficult?

A graphic retelling of the iconic novel. It hits all the highlights of Richard Adams' original narrative, and my one wish is that it will drive readers to the full novel, if only so they can enjoy the deep richness of the humor in the latter James: I always assumed that would be part of it. When I read the novel I really appreciated the quotes, the map, and the glossary. Collectively it brought depth to the world and I’m glad we could include all three of those things. What went into the process of designing so many different rabbit characters? It’s hard to explain why the seemingly simple story of a ragtag bunch of rabbits setting on a dangerous odyssey through English countryside has burrowed its way into my heart ever since I was a child and not only held up but got even better on each and every one of quite a few rereads. But capture my heart it did, and I regret nothing. James: I was very impressed with Joe’s work and invited him to try out for the book. He hadn’t done a graphic novel before so going into it I thought of this collaboration as if I was looking for a session musician. Then Joe was selected by the estate and it was as if Eric Clapton showed up. High praise I know, but looking at the work he did in Watership Down it’s not hyperbole.In many ways this was better than the original—the most important things to me (relationships, dialog, action) are emphasized to great effect. I really felt like I got to know these rabbits in a way I hadn't when I was younger and struggling through such a dense book. The artwork was so beautifully conceived and executed, I loved the care that was given to each frame, with just enough detail to create depth and dynamism. At times I was still confused about who was talking, and while the rabbits all looked different, the changes were too subtle for me at the speed I was reading. Except Bigwig who was my favorite character and very recognizable. I'll probably want to read this multiple times to see all the details I missed.