Q: The main aim of Classical Comics is to "make classical literature appealing to all." Is there a personal connection with this mission?
A: Appealing and accessible. It was the idea of Clive Bryant, who founded Classical Comics. He wanted to make Shakespeare as energetic and colourful as Spider-man. Teachers told us they were desperate for something exciting to use in the classroom; if you asked a child about Shakespeare the word they usually came back with was ‘boring’. We were trying to break down the obstacles of reading classic literature so that everyone could have access to and be excited by these wonderful stories.
Q: Your website states that you have three different versions of text in your comics: Original, Plain, and Quick. Is one text style more popular than the others? What audience(s) are you targeting with each style?
A: We have Lexile measures for many of our titles so it’s easy to choose the right book for your reading level.
Our target audience has always been schools, colleges and libraries where students might need that initial help in understanding the old-fashioned words or to gain a deeper understanding of the story and characters. Plain Text Shakespeare plays are popular with those not so familiar with Shakespeare’s language while Quick Text offers a fantastic introduction to classic literature. Our Original Text books remain the most sought after. This may be because we stay true to the author’s intentions. We make the characters as authentic as we can. We set the scenes during the correct time period, keeping the style and dress of the time. The beauty of the three versions is that teachers could get pupils of different abilities all reading the same book in class and parents could read along with their children at home.
Q: Some people have the attitute that comic books are not "real books." How do you respond to this sort of push back in the industry?
A: Haters gonna hate! Any adaptation of a Shakespeare title is frowned upon as his work is so well-loved. But classic literature can appear a little elitist. We didn’t want to patronise readers when we produced these books and we were very mindful of the sanctity of the original work. Our adapters stayed true to the novels/plays as much as possible and our books can be read alongside the more traditional books too. Our books help emergent and reluctant readers and this opens up a world of literature to those who may never have taken the time to try it.
Q: Can you share a little bit about one of Classical Comics' bestselling backlist titles?
A: One of best selling titles at the moment is Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein which still remains popular and relevant more than 200 years after it was written. It’s a complex dialogue about our relationship to innovation, we desire it but we also fear the changes it brings and that is probably even more relative today.
