The Phantom of the Opera

by Varga Tomi

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Phantom of the Opera in exchange for a fair and honest review.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is really happening. There's a graphic novel adaptation of the classic novel, The Phantom of the Opera. Honestly, I almost find it more surprising that it's taken this long!

As a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera, I knew that I had to give the graphic novel adaptation a try. Going into it, I obviously knew that some changes would arise, as is the case with any adaptation. There simply isn't enough time or space in a graphic novel to fit everything from a complete novel, especially not one such as The Phantom of the Opera.

On the whole, this gothic retelling is everything that I could have ever hoped for. The artwork is beautiful, the changes were made with precision and care. It kept true to the story, and to the core premise. Though with a twist here and there. The most notable twist being the decision to focus more on the horror elements of The Phantom of the Opera.

Oh, and that artwork! It's simply stunning. Every little detail, from the character designs to the backdrops, and everything in between. It all looked so rich and detailed, while leaning towards darker hues of reds. It all was a perfect fit for the time period and theme.

I'll admit some surprise on stylistic decisions made around the Phantom himself. He looks more like a ghoul in this telling...yet that also fits, in it's own way. Honestly, my only critique of the artwork is that I had trouble reading everything. That could just as likely have been a formatting issue for my ARC though, so I would be interested in hearing how it reads in printed format.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks