American publishers have figured out that Young Adult (YA) novel readers and manga fans have one thing in common: they're teens who read (and buy!) books. So like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, they figured, why not see if these two great tastes can taste great together? From this insight, we've gotten several YA-lit / graphic novel crossovers, including some that have hit the bestseller lists: Erin Hunter's Warriors and Ellen Schreiber's Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives from TokyoPop, and Dean Koontz' In Odd We Trust from Del Rey Manga.
Some adaptations have worked better than others, but most of them are weighed down with poorly-executed artwork and cliché-ridden, overly-expository stories. The result is disposable comics that reek of 'let's cash in on this manga thing that all the kids are so nuts about' sentiment without much thought toward creating great graphic novels that live up to manga readers' expectations.
Now Yen Press is jumping into the fray. Frankly, given what has come before, the bar was set pretty low even before they announced their entry into this race for readers. But Yen Press' manga adaptation of Maximum Ride does something kind of amazing -- it somehow manages to stay faithful to the spirit and tone of Patterson's bestselling novels while re-telling the tale with some very polished, clear and compelling manhwa-style storytelling. It still hits some turbulence, but this series about a group of winged teens on the run from evil scientists manages to soar over a pack of very low-trajectory competitors.
Check out my review of Maximum Ride Volume 1 by James Patterson and NaRae Lee from Yen Press and see if it lives up to its hype as one of the 20 Most Anticipated Manga of 2009 or if it's weighed down by great expectations that it just couldn't meet.
Also, check out an online preview of Maximum Ride, available as a PDF download, or visit the official Maximum Ride website for more about this bestselling YA action-adventure series, including news about the upcoming live-action feature film that's in the works.
Image credit: © James Patterson, NaRae Lee
Comments