Artist Steve Cuzor‘s graphic novel adaptation of THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE hits your local comic book store today, but thanks to Abrams ComicArts, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive six-page preview for you!
About the book:
Written by Stephen Crane when he was just 24, The Red Badge of Courage is a Civil War story that captured the imaginations of readers worldwide and made its author an overnight literary icon. Now artist Steve Cuzor and Abrams ComicArts are publishing a powerful graphic novel adaptation of the classic and genre-defining war novel. Cuzor’s stark yet detailed artwork in The Red Badge of Courage perfectly captures the realistic prose of the original novel, presenting a lushly illustrated, unflinching depiction of war through the eyes of a young, inexperienced soldier.
A groundbreaking and realistic examination of the psychological effects of war, The Red Badge of Courage draws from firsthand accounts and research and has been continuously in print since its publication in 1894. Crane’s depiction of his main character, Henry Fleming, and his internal monologue, ring so true that many readers mistook Crane for a veteran himself. The realistic prose and visceral descriptions of battle that Crane used marked the first shift away from uncritical patriotism in war literature. It would take until at least the 1920s and the wake of the horror of the First World War for the rest of the genre to catch up. In the years following its publication, The Red Badge of Courage was hailed by Crane scholar Henry Wertheim as “unquestionably the most realistic novel about the American Civil War,” while Ernest Hemingway called the novel an “American classic.”
Hear what Cuzor himself had to say about the preview pages below:
“The wide shots help us understand how the battle unfolds. Who wins, who loses, which side advances, which side retreats… Close-shots convey emotions, as the reader runs with the men and dies with them. This large image with the wide shot on page 115 [the first preview page] doesn’t exist in the novel. I wanted to create this sequence because, until now, Henry and Wilson thought their regiment was winning over the enemy from the ground. Seen from above in the undergrowth, they realize that the opposite is true. They’re being slaughtered, and the two comrades know they’ll have to go back inside the battlefield. This creates a dynamic of suspense for the rest of the story.”
And check out our exclusive RED BADGE OF COURAGE preview below:
Are you a fan of The Red Badge of Courage? Are you excited to pick up Cuzor’s graphic novel adaptation? Sound off in the comments!
