Until Free Comic Book Day I had no idea that Stephen King’s “The Stand†had been put into illustrated form. Yet as I wandered around the comic-filled boxes on the sidewalk tables I saw one particular comic on a table marked “Free†that I couldn’t resist picking up.
It was an issue from the “Soul Survivors†chapter of “The Stand†graphic novel.
Needless to say I was entranced and had to flip through it. I’m extremely picky about the art in the comics that I read and even if I love a story or set of characters, if I don’t like the art I won’t read the comic. Luckily the art in “The Stand†is quite wonderful and I found myself wondering how much of the book had been put into comic form. According to the folks at the comic shop, ALL OF IT.
Sure enough, there were hardbacks of the entire first chapter “Captain Trips†sitting on a table, taunting me and as I went through the boxes of comics when my willpower failed I found several more floppy issues. Needless to say, they ended up coming home with me.
While nothing can ever quite compare to the original novel, the comic adaptation caught my attention and held it surprisingly well. Many things are changed or adjusted to fit better with the flow of an illustrated retelling but I felt the changes we well done. Certain bits of the story were interspersed with others that, while they occurred at the same time according to the novel, were told one after the other to keep the reader from becoming confused. in the comic, they were able to cut the scenes together and it made for a nice change that still remained true to the novel.
Though I don’t have all the issues yet I fully intend to make this one of the series I will be collecting as soon as I have the funds available. It’s well worth the cost of each issue or hardback to enjoy a well done adaptation of “The Standâ€.
Have you picked up a copy yet? What did you think of it? If not, are you tempted now? C’mon, admit it…you know you are….
