Long Story Short: 100 Classic Books in Three Panels
by Lisa Brown
I enjoyed that slim volume and would carry it around, quoting it to anyone who would listen.
Long Story Short has gone one better. Actually, it's one hundred better with pithy summaries of classic literature ranging from Dante's The Inferno and Beowulf to contemporary classics such as Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Hinton's The Outsiders, a groundbreaking YA novel for young adults. Lisa Brown also skewers beloved children's books: Harriet the Spy, Charlotte's Web, and *gasp* Harry Potter. Here's what stands out: Brown condenses the larger works into a comic format, with about three jaw-dropping panels for each title. Think newspaper comic strip/Cliffs Notes mash-ups. It's amazing. |
The abridged comics are organized into thematic sections: "Big Thoughts," "Epic," "Female Trouble," "War is Hell," "(Un)Happy Families," "The Horror," "Jeepers! Creepers!" "Friends and Frenemies," "Love," "Sex," and "Death." Back matter includes a one-page guide on How to Write Your Own Three-Panel Book, index listing by title, and index listings by subject. | |