In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe

Rating:
Summary: Not quite Poe, but good nonetheless
Review: "In The Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" is a superb graphic novel, certainly unique in its style. The photographic art is a great concept and it works very well with this "real" story of Edgar Poe. Unfortunately, as an avid scholar of Poe, I still cringe when reading this story, which is great despite its inaccuracies.

First and foremost, the perverted love triangle between Edgar, his wife Virginia, and aunt "Muddy" was a rumor created in passing after Poe's death by his sort of arch-nemesis Rufus Griswold, and there has never been any record to prove it as truth. Additionally, the story continues a variety of false truths of Edgar's life, including his moody character. Readers should be aware that an artist's work is not necessarily a reflection of the artist's life. If that were the case, perhaps it is Jonathon Scott Fuqua, and not Poe, that is plagued by demons.

Overall, this is a great read with a highly innovative art style. Just don't use it as source material for your studies of Poe.

Rating:
Summary: Dark, Brooding Art; Fictional Story
Review: "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" is a very interesting work. Not exactly a 'graphic novel', since it is not drawn but photographed. The work was done in Baltimore, where Poe spent his last years and is buried. The photography is amazing, with a very dark atmosphere like Poe's writing, great scenery and amazing costume.
The story is a bit speculative, and not a dead-on historical representation of Poe's life. An interesting take on how he got to write the way he did (the authors tell the tale by his being harassed by demons).
If anything, if you are a Poe fan, buy this for the pictures. You will feel like you are seeing photographs of him in his life, even if you don't buy the story.

Rating:
Summary: Dark, Brooding Art; Fictional Story
Review: "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" is a very interesting work. Not exactly a 'graphic novel', since it is not drawn but photographed. The work was done in Baltimore, where Poe spent his last years and is buried. The photography is amazing, with a very dark atmosphere like Poe's writing, great scenery and amazing costume.
The story is a bit speculative, and not a dead-on historical representation of Poe's life. An interesting take on how he got to write the way he did (the authors tell the tale by his being harassed by demons).
If anything, if you are a Poe fan, buy this for the pictures. You will feel like you are seeing photographs of him in his life, even if you don't buy the story.

Rating:
Summary: Great story, listless models
Review: Graphic novels, like comics, have to stand on the three legs of story, writing, and art. If any leg fails, the book fails. I found the story to be great and the writing to be above average. I found the photography to be lacking, though. It is not for a lack of technique, as one look at the cover image demonstrates (it is actually what drew me to the book--stunning). What bothered me about many of the pictures is the posing of the models. The models come off, well, posed. So much so that they look like mannequins when they should be expressing movement or emotion. Whether this is the fault of the models or the photographer I can't say but the responsibility ultimately lies with the photographer. It detracts from the work as a whole and keeps the book from being completely satisfying.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly-realized meditation on horror's original genius
Review: I am new to the world of the graphic novel, but if "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" is the standard, I want more. After their strong debut with "I, Paparazzi," the trio-con-brio of Parke-Fuqua-Phillips have realized their potential with this offering. Although it will predictably irritate Poe purists, it shouldn't - because this is just the type of informed speculation that even has a chance of plumbing the source of Poe's sort of mad genius. In the end, the question of Poe's literal demons is left open to debate - a masterstroke, given the ever-enigmatic Poe's legend.
The display of individual talent here is alone worth the cost of the book: Phillips photos are beautifully composed and lit.
Fuqua's writing is altogether spooky as he seems to channel the master himself. When Fuqua/Poe writes, "I laid bare the inner-world of haunted men, of people seeking revenge, of those doomed to die lonely," it's as if Poe is in the room with you. Steve Parke, whom I've been privileged to watch illustrate and photo-restore my own books, is at his apogee this time. Not only is every frame turned into a piece of art, but his casting of Damon Norko as Poe is inspired. If someone doesn't license some of his panels from Poe for posters I'll be shocked. As Joe Bob Briggs would say, "Check it out."

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly-realized meditation on horror's original genius
Review: I am new to the world of the graphic novel, but if "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" is the standard, I want more. After their strong debut with "I, Paparazzi," the trio-con-brio of Parke-Fuqua-Phillips have realized their potential with this offering. Although it will predictably irritate Poe purists, it shouldn't - because this is just the type of informed speculation that even has a chance of plumbing the source of Poe's sort of mad genius. In the end, the question of Poe's literal demons is left open to debate - a masterstroke, given the ever-enigmatic Poe's legend.
The display of individual talent here is alone worth the cost of the book: Phillips photos are beautifully composed and lit.
Fuqua's writing is altogether spooky as he seems to channel the master himself. When Fuqua/Poe writes, "I laid bare the inner-world of haunted men, of people seeking revenge, of those doomed to die lonely," it's as if Poe is in the room with you. Steve Parke, whom I've been privileged to watch illustrate and photo-restore my own books, is at his apogee this time. Not only is every frame turned into a piece of art, but his casting of Damon Norko as Poe is inspired. If someone doesn't license some of his panels from Poe for posters I'll be shocked. As Joe Bob Briggs would say, "Check it out."

Rating:
Summary: Truly Breathtaking
Review: I have two simple words for this book... MIND BLOWING!

Rating:
Summary: Does a Disservice to the Author it Intends to Honor
Review: I should preface this review by saying that I've loved Poe since I was a kid. I think Poe appeals to the young and romantics (and the two are not dissimilar - there is an admirable innocence in both), and why not? He was obviously a genius, who applied his incredible talents to the women he loved and idolized, and his own tortured, almost perpetually-adolescent soul is the definition of angst. Therefore, my connection with Poe is sentimental as much as it is "fun" and scholarly.

Which is all to say that I picked up a copy of "In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe" as soon as it became available. An unusual graphic novel - in the same style as "I, Paparazzi" which Stephen John Phillips also photographed - "Shadow" purports to be a "diary" left by Poe, rediscovered by a literary scholar teetering on the edge of decay. Poe's diary lays out in graphic detail that the man was not simply haunted by the "demons" of bipolar disorder and alcoholism, but actual demonic spirits that granted Poe his abilities at the cost of his health, his loved ones, and eventually his life.

On one hand, this makes a great addition to the Poe pantheon. What better explanation for a genius' macabre work than to explain it away by true supernatural forces? On the other hand, it sells Poe and that very genius short - what way to better insult one of the English languages finest authors than to claim that he wasn't responsible for his own work - that strange creatures from another dimension wrote it instead. Something about that doesn't sit well with me; one of the things take makes genius, literary and otherwise, so amazing is that people can sit and say, "he (or she) is one of US. A person, another human being, did THAT." If you explain it away with divine (or profane, as the case might be) inspiration, much of the effect is lost.

Not that "Shadow" is a bad book - far from it. Fuqua nailed Poe's writing style exactly, and the photography and graphic manipulation give it an otherworldly feel so familiar to those who "know Poe." There was obviously more than a little research involved in "Shadow," and both the story and the illustrations reflect a sincere desire to honor the author. Unfortunately - and maybe it's my own personal bias - "Shadow" ends up discrediting the very author to whom it pays tribute.

That being said, read at your own risk. Whether you agree with their premise or not, it's still worth a look.

Final Grade: C+

Rating:
Summary: Very expensive printing and lots of drivel
Review: I was drawn to In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe by the nice cover art and nice printing. These held out, and the entire book is very nicely manufactured and printed. And for me the very nice manufacturing (and hefty price to match) was the only thing I got from this book.

The story concerns a scholar who has been loaned a memoir which may or may not have been written by Poe just prior to his death. This memoir starts with Poe agreeing with several demons that they may accompany him through his life. From there on Poe's talents and relationships are stolen or corrupted and destroyed by the demons. He starts off talented in his own right but ends up drinking and not doing much else. Really, the story could be about a fictitious author of the past. It isn't about Poe, so why title it Poe except to drop a name.

The graphics inside were very nicely printed. Pictures were photographed and models were named in the credits section similar to a movie. The art itself didn't appeal to me. It was more of the same when I turned a page and not breath taking. Nothing really grabbed me, and art matters in a graphic novel. The photography thing is more a conceptual thing that could work than something that works here.

I wouldn't recommend buying this or even reading it. High quality printing would be better used on just about any other type of graphics - from art boks to a different comic book - and the high quality printing is the only memorable thing about this book.

Rating:
Summary: Totally hip
Review: Okay, if you want to see the demise of intelligence in America, the sectional thinking, the special interests with their idiotic little hyper-concerns, read some of the reviews below. Just some. I mean, a few people seem to think that this is actually supposed to be a scholarly bio on Poe. Come on! They seem to think that the diary that's been found is somehow real and that the authors are doing Poe a great injustice, that they're arguing that Poe's enemy of the time probably cranked the thing out. So I have to ask, "What's going on in your heads?" This is a graphic novel boys and girls. It's a piece of fiction. Don't go writing your masters disertation and rely on this story, because you'll look foolish. And if you do, fellas, you should.
So here's my take. This is a full-throttle bit of fantasy writing combined with great, cinemagraphic art (manipulated photography that is absolutely cool) that is a miraculous little bundle of creepiness, literary deevolution, and gripping story telling, and you should buy it for no other reason than that. Don't go getting it if what you're looking for is a history text, buy it for the entertainment value. Don't go getting it and feel like it's some sideways dig at Poe and Poe's ability, because you'll look foolish. Get it cause it's good and entertaining as all get out. Don't go special-intresting this thing with your little nitch-Poe-hobby. You're missing the point. Instead, let Fuqua's perfect-pitch writing entertain, Phillips' photography work blow your mind, and Parke's magic rope it all together. Enjoy the thing in an easy chair with a lot of cushion. You'll read to the end and back again.