Review Time: Emma (Marvel Illustrated)

Okay, so I've been on a bit of an Austen kick lately. As you can see, I reviewed the Marvel Illustrated edition of Sense and Sensibility just yesterday. I also re-watched "Lost in Austen" and have been listening to the soundtrack for the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice on repeat. Somehow, though, I still haven't gotten sick of the late great Miss Austen. Maybe it's because she's so different from the dark, dystopian novels I've been flooded with lately. Without a doubt, my favorite Austen novel has always been Emma so I was delighted to review Nancy Butler's graphic novel adaptation of it, illustrated by Janet Lee.

So here's a quick synopsis for those of you who've never read the book or seen "Clueless":

(Like, never seen "Clueless"? As if!)

Emma is kind of spoiled but she's so good-hearted and well-meaning that most people in her life (and the reader, for that matter) will forgive her anything. That includes her nasty habit of match-making, which almost always goes awry. Witness to these misadventures is Mr. George Knightley, Emma's good friend and brother-in-law (those Victorians and their morphed Brady Bunch families). Knightley is also one of the only people in Emma's life who doesn't let her get away with anything, calling her out when she's being an idiot. Of course, since very few people do that, she doesn't always like being called an idiot (no one really does, after all) so she and Knightley fight and make up time and again. And all the while, Emma is making the one match she never thought to make--her own.

See why I love this one so much? It's by far the funniest of Austen's novels and it translates so well to modern times, which is why "Clueless" was such a hit. Well, that and the clothes and awesome 90's makeover montage. Butler again remained faithful to the original text in this adaptation. Seeing as this is the third Austen adaptation she's done (the first two were Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility), she's got it down to an art, trimming very little. I particularly enjoyed her use if italics in this volume, since you all know I'm a big fan of italicizing my thoughts. The italic text helps convey some of Austen's trademark sarcasm, which is all too easily hidden in the King's English.

Janet Lee's illustrations, which accompanied Butler/Austen's text, weren't my absolute favorite, truth be told. The panels were painted in gentle watercolors and mostly in pastels. I would have preferred something a little more vibrant for such a clever and lively heroine but Lee did capture the staid and elegant beauty we associate with the Victorians. She also managed to give Emma an incredibly expressive face, which often said more than corresponding text. She pouts, flirts, broods, and preens. In particular, she has one self-satisfied smile that is exactly how I would picture the real Emma smiling. Her depiction of Knightley, an unsentimental and straightforward hero, is also spot-on, right down to the thick eyebrows. He glowers like it's his job. Since the slightly-crotchety and totally pragmatic Knightley is my favorite Austen hero, I'm thrilled about that--I love a man with good glower.

Final Grade: B+