ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
Did you spend a summer reading the original Dante's Inferno? (Well as original as you can get to something that has been translated into English). My mother had a family copy of the book, with the Doré illustrations. It was quite impressive, and quite confusing. And Actually, I read the whole Devine Comedy, that summer, but the Inferno, the journey to hell, was the most interesting, and the most confusing. Dante used his novel to poke at people he didn't like, casting them into hell.
Fun, summer-time reading to be sure.
So, when I saw the there was a Parody, using Mickey Mouse, I thought it might be fun to give it a try.
Now, granted, I read Dante over 35 years ago, or so. Some bits still stand out, but most is a soft blur, so I am not going to rate this book on how good a parody it was, but rather on how easy it is to read and understand this at all.
This story was written in 1949, in Italy. Most things refer to things that were perhaps happening in the world at that time. Some are timeless. (although there was one "joke" about a cell phone. I have no idea what it was before.)
The ending of the graphic novel says that reading this will inspire kids to read the real thing. Perhaps. For me, it was all a jumble and confusing, and not funny or fun. :(
I commend Papercutz for bringing this out, and republishing it, but not sure who it would be for. If it a sort of cliff notes for kids, it doesn't appear to stick close enough to the original story to be much help. Perhaps kids will enjoy it. It feels a bit dated to me, using characters from, of course, cartoons from the 30s and 40s.
Thanks to NetGalley and PaperCutz for making this book available for an honest review.
Fun, summer-time reading to be sure.
So, when I saw the there was a Parody, using Mickey Mouse, I thought it might be fun to give it a try.
Now, granted, I read Dante over 35 years ago, or so. Some bits still stand out, but most is a soft blur, so I am not going to rate this book on how good a parody it was, but rather on how easy it is to read and understand this at all.
This story was written in 1949, in Italy. Most things refer to things that were perhaps happening in the world at that time. Some are timeless. (although there was one "joke" about a cell phone. I have no idea what it was before.)
The ending of the graphic novel says that reading this will inspire kids to read the real thing. Perhaps. For me, it was all a jumble and confusing, and not funny or fun. :(
I commend Papercutz for bringing this out, and republishing it, but not sure who it would be for. If it a sort of cliff notes for kids, it doesn't appear to stick close enough to the original story to be much help. Perhaps kids will enjoy it. It feels a bit dated to me, using characters from, of course, cartoons from the 30s and 40s.
Thanks to NetGalley and PaperCutz for making this book available for an honest review.
joshrskinner's review
3.0
Interesting and cute. I feel that if I was a bigger Disney or Dante fan I would have enjoyed it more. I see the appeal of this sort of work, even if this one did not quite hot the mark with me.
Worth a look if you are big Disney fans.
Review copy.
Worth a look if you are big Disney fans.
Review copy.
hobbes199's review
2.0
What could be a great concept is hampered by truly appalling rhyming schemes that are all over the place, and ultimately distract the reader away from the comic as a whole.
The art style is loyal to the 40s/50s Disney comics, with bright colouring and a heavy dependence on the red palette to give the comic a dark look without relying too much on greys and blacks. Lettering is strong, and placement adds to it's retro feel.
Obviously, given the content, this isn't a child's comic -merely a new way of telling an old tale.
Such a shame that the re-written version of Dante's most famous section of the Divine Comedy 'trilogy' is such a mess -especially when you consider the translations and versions that have gone before.
The art style is loyal to the 40s/50s Disney comics, with bright colouring and a heavy dependence on the red palette to give the comic a dark look without relying too much on greys and blacks. Lettering is strong, and placement adds to it's retro feel.
Obviously, given the content, this isn't a child's comic -merely a new way of telling an old tale.
Such a shame that the re-written version of Dante's most famous section of the Divine Comedy 'trilogy' is such a mess -especially when you consider the translations and versions that have gone before.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
3.0
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
Mickey Mouse meets Dante, how can this work? Strangely, it actually does. This is a reissue of a parody produced in the 1960s. In many ways, it is a good way to introduce a Disney fan of any age to Dante, though some of the funnier bits a child would not fully understand. The set-up works, and it is great fun to see Disney characters in place of Dante’s people. As with most parodies, however, it does seem to go a tad too long.
However, the best part of the graphic novel is the closing panels. Absolutely great! Worth reading for that alone, to be honest. At least, if you like Dante.
Mickey Mouse meets Dante, how can this work? Strangely, it actually does. This is a reissue of a parody produced in the 1960s. In many ways, it is a good way to introduce a Disney fan of any age to Dante, though some of the funnier bits a child would not fully understand. The set-up works, and it is great fun to see Disney characters in place of Dante’s people. As with most parodies, however, it does seem to go a tad too long.
However, the best part of the graphic novel is the closing panels. Absolutely great! Worth reading for that alone, to be honest. At least, if you like Dante.
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