Graphic Classics Volume 16: Oscar Wilde (GRAPHIC CLASSICS GN) - Softcover

This comic anthology of adaptations of Oscar Wilde’s writings gives readers an overview of the darkness and humor that were both a part of Wilde’s writing, though the effectiveness of the adaptations varies. All the stories are slow to start, but “The Canterville Ghost” and “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime” overcome this and end strongly. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” reads as if necessary text had been edited out, weakening it irreparably, and “Salome” is incomprehensible to readers without in-depth knowledge of the biblical story of John the Baptist, though its creepy title character will send shivers down readers’ backs. The varied illustrators have unique enough visions to expose readers to new art but aren’t so avant-garde as to be inaccessible. This collection from the Graphic Classics series will never be a first choice for browsers, but teachers and school librarians could easily use it as a nice companion to the study of Wilde’s works. Grades 10-12. --Snow Wildsmith

Alex Burrows and Lisa K. Weber's take on The Picture Of Dorian Gray plays up the tale's gothic horror elements and demimonde decadence. Burrows streamlines the novel to fit it into 45 comics pages, but the results never feel rushed or cramped, largely because Weber conveys Dorian Gray's despicable behavior with a light touch that serves Wilde's sense of irony. --Noel Murray, AV Club

The sixteenth volume in this series does a bang-up job capturing the Victorian author's distinct voice. In this, it is perhaps one of the most successful entries in Graphic Classics series to date. --Bill Sherman, BlogCritics