It’s once more into the breach with this week’s “So You Want To Read Comics”. This is our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic or genre, then give you two comic book recommendations, perfect for new readers, based on that topic or genre.  This week, we’re revisiting comics based on the works of William Shakespeare.

A while back, we took a look at some works inspired by or based on the works of William Shakespeare, but it seems as if we only managed to scratch the surface of what’s out there.  Most of us have probably experienced  Shakespeare through the lens of required reading in high school.  Now, while there is definitely value in approaching the plays of The Bard as literature, remember, they were plays.  This means that on their most basic level, they were designed to have some sort of visual element.  Stage performances and movies are the typical go-to, but they have their own limitations as well. This makes comic books unique in their ability to adapt one of Ole’ Billy’s works.  Comics can mix the usage of text that you’d find in a script or textbook, and combine it with art to provide that visual flair that lacks some of the physical limitations that come with the stage or cinema.

Here are two comic book recommendations, for those who love Shakespeare and works inspired by him.

SANDMAN #19

Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Charles Vess
Publisher: DC Comics

I don’t make a habit out of recommending single issues of comic book series.  Due to their serialized nature, there’s a good chance that some important detail will be missed, or a reference will be made that the reader has no way of understanding.  But, I’m going to make an exception here.  All you need to know is that Sandman is a series centered around the character Morpheus, who commands the realm of dreams.  In this issue, he has become the patron of Shakespeare and has asked him to write a new play, which so happens to be Midsummer Night’s Dream.  The playwright and his trope then set out to perform the play, unaware that their audience is none other than the fae, hobgoblins, and other fairy folk the very play is based on, and they have their own motivations.  It’s an interesting look on the timelessness of Shakespeare’s work and what effects that would have on the man, while also touching on the life of a tale, how it goes from event, to story, to myth.  This issue also does something impressive in that it gives not only a glimpse at what it might have looked like when shows were put on in the 1500s, but also an imaginative take on what those actors were actually trying to mimic.

ROMEO AND/OR JULIET: A CHOOSEABLE PATH ADVENTURE

Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Ryan North
Publisher: Riverhead Books

So I’ll admit, this is one of those situations where I have to stretch the definition of comic book.  Don’t fret, there’s certainly plenty of art to be seen in this one, but it’s not explicitly used to help tell the story.  What we have here is a “choose your own adventure” book, that allows the reader to take the events of one of the most well-known tales in history, and play them out how they see fit.  Maybe things end the way they did in the play, maybe ninjas.  But, like any good choose your own adventure book there are paths the reader will follow that will lead only to an untimely ending (which of course is all relative when the original’s conclusion is taken into account). Each ending is paired with an illustration, humorously showing what that ending looks like.  It takes a lot to breathe new life into a story that’s been told a million times in a thousand different ways, but somehow Ryan North pulls it off, while somehow not trivializing the original, this definitely comes off more as an expression of appreciation of Shakespeare rather than a parody.

What did you think of these recommendations?  What are some of your favorite Shakespeare plays and adaptations?  Let us know in the comment section below.

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