From Classic to Graphic: SelfMadeHeroes discuss adaptations at BD & Comics Passion

In SelfMadeHero’s most popular blog post ever, Rob Davis discussed how he approached the adaptation of Don Quixote into a graphic novel. When he told people he was going to adapt Cervantes’ 1,000-page classic into graphic form, most people questioned his sanity: ‘You must be mad,’ they said. His blog post revealed why he felt compelled to adapt it, and how he went about doing it.

On Sunday 2nd June, the world of adaption is the focus of a panel discussion at the Institut Français’ BD & Comics Passion event in London.  Creators Mark Stafford, I. N. J. Culbard and David Zane Mairowitz will discuss the process of turning a literary classic into a graphic novel. What are the difficulties involved in adaptations?  How can the graphic format enhance the original text? How does an artist or writer capture the spirit of the original? The three creators will reveal their approach to adapting a trio of very different stories.

Artist Mark Stafford has tackled Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs (with David Hine), a satirical tale of 18th century Britain that also inspired the creation of The Joker; I. N. J. Culbard has taken on the challenge of H.P Lovecraft’s weird fiction, including The Shadow Out of Time; and writer David Zane Mairowitz has explored the Kafkaesque with adaptations of The Trial and The Castle.

The discussion will be chaired by Resonance FM’s graphic novel expert, Alex Fitch.

‘From Classic to Graphic’ takes place on Sunday 2nd June at the Institut Français in London, 3.30-4.30pm.