New Famous Five Graphic Novel - Feb 2022

[pete9012S]

Great stuff Jomo!

Using your calculations I am about 8 and a half which sounds about right!!

[Anita Bensoussane]

The children do look rather old but I quite like the artwork, which is somewhat reminiscent of Tintin. It's a pity the English covers have plain backgrounds instead of the detailed backgrounds of the French covers. The sign around Timmy's neck in Five Go Adventuring Again appears to say 'Free the Sled Dogs', which doesn't sound like anything from the original story.

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... ure+Island

https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... ring+Again

[Wolfgang]

Actually it is the original cover - of the papberback edition. The French paberback edition has 64 pages and two rows of drawings per page.

[timv]

The artwork looks to me as if it has a definite influence from the Herge comic-strip 'Tintin' adventure stories which I read as a teenager - possibly due to a common artistic background in French/ Belgian (Herge was a Belgian magazine cartoonist ) art schools? The Tintin books were mostly written in the 1930s to 1960s, with Herge based in Brussels. The quiffs of some of the children's hair, eg Julian's, and the style of trousers seem distinct from usual British art school cartoonists' work in particular and more Continental in inspiration; Tintin the 'teenage newspaper reporter' had a similar and distinctive quiff. The trousers seem to have a 'cut' close to the sort of baggy 1930s-40s 'plus-fours' which Tintin usually wore.

[Lucky Star]

Interesting artwork. I too can see the Tintin influence. If I was rich I'd buy them but at the moment I have no interest.

[Anita Bensoussane]

We've received the following email from Dr Sophie Heywood (Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing, University of Reading) so we thought we'd post it here in case anyone is interested in joining in with the online discussion on Thursday 10th March:

Hello,

I think the event below may be of interest to your members, and I would be very grateful if you could circulate this advert to them please?

Many thanks,

Sophie Heywood



Dear all,

We are delighted to invite you to join this free online panel discussion organised by the Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing. Please do share widely!


Five go to France

…and are translated back again


An online panel event with the editor and translator to mark the publication of Hachette’s new Famous Five graphic novel series

Thursday 10 March @ 5pm UK time


Speakers:

Alexandra Antscherl (Editorial Director, Enid Blyton Entertainment and Fiction Brands at Hachette Children's Group)

Emma D. Page (Translator, PhD student at the Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing, University of Reading)

Chair:

Sophie Heywood (Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing, University of Reading)



The panel will explore the new Famous Five series retold as graphic novels for the first time ever. The series translates back into English the French adaptation of Blyton’s novels by Béja and Nataël, a talented father-and-son team of graphic novel experts. Together the speakers will discuss the French and English books, the translation process, and publishing Blyton in the 21st century. This will be followed by a Q&A.


This event is free and open to all. Please register your interest to receive the Zoom link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/276589967037

[IceMaiden]

I understand your points IceMaiden. I agree with you too.

However, I don't know how you feel about the annuals.

I received the very first 1970's one in 1977.
I hadn't yet read Hike in book form and the 1970's tv show hadn't yet come out.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this annual.
I hadn't read the story. It was all fresh and new and exciting.


https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/boo ... e+Together


The 1977 annual (above) follows the story quite well and is miles closer to the book than this later 1985 magazine:


https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/bly ... perid=4330

Thank you Pete, I'm glad someone understands what I'm trying to say.

I don't mind the annuals, indeed I've got a couple of FF annuals and the Mystery & Suspense magazines which feature a cartoon animation format, and although I really only like Eileen Soper's depiction of the five, I do quite like these illustrations. I also have no problem with the writing being condensed to fit a couple of pages and the reason is simple. It's tastefully done. The annuals look like proper care and actual thought had gone into them, despite being in jeans they look like the FF (the 70s TV series) and are recognisable as children. Also nowhere is it splashed about that it's 'retelling' the story, rather than it's an accompaniment to the story.

The graphic comic book on the other hand just looks crass and tacky. It doesn't look like it has anything to do with the Famous Five beyond having EB's name on it, the figures on the front resemble none of the characters whatsoever. Infact they look like a bunch of heavies - four surly men with a pitbull - absolutely nothing like the idyllic, picturesque wonderful world Enid created. I bet dollars to donuts the writing isn't either. Make a comic book of the Famous Five if you want, make one of all 21 books but do it with style, taste and put some thought in it so that it looks like you've done it in tribute to the author you admire deeply not because Enid Blyton = £££.

[Moonraker]

I understand your points IceMaiden. I agree with you too.

Yes, I'm with you too, IceMaiden. I've no objection to say, a film of Romeo & Juliet being modernised and based on the original theme, but not to "update" an original book and pretend it is what the author had written.