Monster walter dean myers graphic novel5/22/2023 Though this graphic adaptation requires close and focused attention to unpack at times, the superbly rewarding format serves to powerfully emphasize Myers’ themes of perspective and the quest to see one’s self clearly. Using panels like a filmstrip, Sims and Anyabwile achieve several remarkably cinematic effects: alternating grids and splash pages captures the tension between close-up and long shots the use of jittery lettering and uneven word balloons injects deeper anxiety into the “sound design” having a jury view the events recounted in testimony as a movie audience creates incisive visual metaphors. Told as a trial with flashbacks to the robbery and moments in the lives of those affected, Sims’ adaptation, aided by Anyabwile’s ingenious black-and-white comic-book-style sequential art, perfectly captures the natural suspense of a courtroom drama. Steve’s story would be dramatic in any format, but this graphic adaptation is particularly well suited to the tale. African American teen Steve Harmon is a burgeoning filmmaker, and his interest in cinema shapes his account of being on trial for his role in a robbery that resulted in murder. Myers’ award-winning 1999 novel was a bold experiment in form, telling portions of the story in, among other things, a screenplay.
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