Jungle Book: Stories - Softcover

P. Craig Russell is well on his way to being the premiere emissary of classic literary gems to the world of comics. His Arabian Nights collaboration with Neil Gaiman in The Sandman #50, comics versions of Mozart's Magic Flute, and his continuing adaptations of Oscar Wilde's fairy tales all stand as testament to his amazing graphic and narrative sensibilities. His treatment of the last three chapters of Kipling's Jungle Book ("The King's Ankus," "Red Dog," and "The Spring Running") will inspire both Kipling enthusiasts and lovers of fine illustration. Russell's composition is amazing: he has the ability to create harmony in a single page while each panel sings its melody. This collection also features enhanced colors, either reshot or reseparated, and the results are a treat.

A latter-day virtuoso of comic strip art is Craig Russell, and opening this graphic labor of love is like surrendering to a seductive and exotic magic show. Not since Winsor McCay in the early years of this century has their been so original and masterly a draftsman of the comic strip medium. Like McCay, the artist is able to manipulate the size and shape of each panel, giving the viewer the illusion of watching an animated film. The three Kipling Mowgli stories - about a boy brought up by wolves in the jungles of India are melodramatic and, on occasion, hard to follow; but the easy-to-read balloons of dialog - and, of course, the mesmerizing pictures are sure to hold a reading child in thrall. Eighty pages of graphic magic make this top-drawer comic strip well worth the price of admission. Recommended -- From Parents' Choice®