The Exploring Game, Part 1

[neuhallidae]

I got a present in the mail today! I'm not particularly sure why, since my birthday's still months off, but that's not the important part. The important part is that I'm now the proud owner of the graphic novel version of Coraline, and the lovely P. Craig Russell art it contains. Unfortunately, I had to go hunting for online scans for sharing, since our scanner's gone to crap lately.

Picking a place to post was hard, because there are so many little bits about this that I love. Ultimately, though, the exploring game won out, since my favorite part of the graphic novel spoils something that wasn't in the movie version.

Doing three posts, for a grand total of 34 pages out of 186.



A tiny recap, for those who don't know either version of the story: Coraline Jones, after moving into a new home, discovers a door that "doesn't go anywhere" because it's been bricked up. Despite cryptic warnings from eccentric neighbors, one day she tries the door again, to discover a world where everything's "better" than hers, but also disturbing in many ways. After being warned to the nature of her "Other Mother" by the Cat, Coraline attempts to stay away from the other world, only for her parents to be kidnapped as leverage by the Other Mother. Refusing to give in to the Other Mother's demands, she is locked away, where she meets the ghosts of children who'd been tricked by the Other Mother before. She agrees to save their souls and get her parents back, and remembering the Cat's advice that the Other Mother loves games, issues a challenge.

If she can find the three souls and her parents, they're all free to go. If she can't, she'll stay and be a dutiful daughter. With an unreassuring agreement from the Other Mother to uphold the rules, Coraline sets off hunting.

























Next post tomorrow!

tags: creator:neil gaiman, creator: p. craig russell

Comments

[From: joysweeper]

Huh. I was expecting the style to be more like in the movie.

This is interesting, thanks for posting!

[From: neuhallidae]

This version came out in 2008, while the movie was still in production. I'm glad it's different, though. Having varying takes on the art style turned out to be a good thing in the case of this story, especially since having Dave McKean on the novel illustrations means three separate "visions".

[From: nezchan]

You want varying takes on the art? Feast your eyes on this!

[From: neuhallidae]

Ooh, I remember seeing Shannon Tindle's when she put it up.

[From: suzene]

Oh, lovely! Thank you.

[From: kingrockwell]

You ever seen P. Craig Russel's adaptation to Gaiman's "Murder Mysteries" radio play? P. does simply gorgeous work, even if he seems to only do adaptation (at least that's all i've ever seen, what with Ring of Nibelung and all!)

[From: suzene]

I think he has some original stories in the "Isolation and Illusion" collection. Back on the topic of adaptations, he's also done lovely renditions of The Jungle Books, the Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde, O. Henry, Lovecraft, Clive Barker's "Age of Desire", and then there's the Elric stuff.

[From: sandoz_iscariot]

Russel's also collaborated with Gaiman on Sandman issues, drawing the popular "Ramadan" story and "Death in Venice."

[From: kingrockwell]

True, true. Forgot those.

[From: steve_dash_o]

He also drew a version of The Dream Hunters for Gaiman last year, and maybe three years ago adapted Conan and the Jewels of Gwahlur for Dark Horse. Both are stunning.

[From: kamino_neko]

Murder Mysteries is the only Russel adaptation of a Gaiman non-comic story I've liked, personally.

For Coraline, after seeing McKean's illustrations for the novel, and the movie, Russel's art just doesn't look right to me.

The Dream Hunters, it's part of that (Amano rules all...), part just not liking the adaptation.

I like his art a lot, normally, but...

[From: suzene]

Ha. I have this and I've seen the movie, but I still haven't gotten around to the book. Shameful of me.

[From: psychopathicus_rex]

The book is brilliant; check it out.

[From: stig]

The art in this was bafflingly mediocre, the artist several times not going the distance in terms of imaginative design, skipping backgrounds for almost entire pages, and using copy+paste over and over and over. When the lettering is absolutely the best thing you can say about it, you now there's a problem at the heart of the production.

Perhaps, as with Neverwhere, the comic should never have been made in the first place without Gaiman's involvement.

[From: nothingbutcake]

mte

[From: psychopathicus_rex]

I have to say, none of this looks even remotely like what I was envisioning when I read the book. Still, the artwork is very pretty.