I have never really had an interest in reading J. R. R. Tolkien, simply because if you can make as many movies from one series (Lord of the Rings) as it has had, and I know that a lot of what is in the novel is taken out, I am thinking they are not for me. However, I do know that The Hobbit is a bit shorter, and since it is just one novel, I thought maybe I could tackle it. It wasn’t until I was looking for another book so radically different from a science-fiction/fantasy novel that you wouldn’t think I would want to read either, that I came across The Hobbit in a graphic novel.
This adapted graphic novel by Chuck Dixon is crowded. The text and images are so smooshed on the page it makes reading difficult. Not to mention the color scheme of the art by David Wenzel is so dark that it is hard to see the text to start with. However, it seems true to the story (I am going by other sources, not least of which is the animated movie adaptation)) and is entertaining but not for as casual reader. I am thinking that it could be a nice addition to read with the novel, or if you are a fan of Tolkien or the series.
I am sure most of us are familiar with the prequel to the Lord of the Rings, but a quick rundown: Bilbo Baggins (the uncle of Frodo of LOTR) starts his adventures a little reluctantly. He is a respectable Hobbit and not taken to silliness. But of course, he is pushed into taking at least a year long trip to find dwarf gold, and meets along the way goblins, elves and of course, dragons. There is adventure, magic, one Golem and more. If you are not familiar with it, these next thoughts are spoilers: I was not a fan of Gandalf in this. He is selfish, arrogant and a basically condescending. And to be blunt, Bilbo was for all accounts a nice guy and is made into a thief. Dwarfs are jerky and I was kinda routing for the dragon. And honestly, it sometimes felt as if I was on this year long journey considering how slow the pace was at time.
Still, this was a good experience and though it took me awhile to get through it and the art was not easy, (though was lovely created and to help separate things, different voices are shown in different font but not necessarily the characters themselves, but more the characters vs the narrator) I am glad I picked up this beat up library copy.
