The Island of Dr. Moreau
During his real spurt of genius, when he was turning out classics like The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds all within the space of about three years, H. G. Wells showed himself to be a master at blending heady philosophical themes and scientific speculation with stirring action in a way that few writers have matched since. Now condensing The Island of Dr. Moreau into a 58-page graphic novel meant that something was going to be cut, and given the nature of the medium that something was likely going to be the more intellectual discussions that take place. Which is what happens here, throwing Wells’s balance of thought and action out of whack and leaving us with what is basically a straightforward adventure story.
You might have suspected as much just from the cover, with a heroic-looking Edward Prendick posing with machete while a muscular Beast Man looks down from the trees. Artist Fabrizio Fiorentino has a background in superhero comics, working for both DC and Marvel, and that’s really the style he’s working in here. Montgomery goes from being a pathetic, gay-coded alcoholic to a rough cowboy, while Moreau is Kingpin, or Marlon Brando. All of the big action scenes are included, and embellished, but the philosophical debates and moral of the story are dropped. While a more thrilling and better looking comic than the Classics Illustrated version, that book did preserve more of Wells’s ideas, kept the dark ending, and had I think a more credible Moreau. Or at least a hairier Moreau.
In other words, this is a comic that stands well on its own but is very limited if taken as an adaptation of Wells’s story. In fact, as a crib I think it could be quite misleading and get students who are looking for a shortcut into trouble. If you’re just here for the adventure part though it’s pretty good.
Alex Good 
Students who read comics instead of the book deserve all the ‘F’ grades they get!
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I agree, but nobody fails so they’re safe.
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Nobody fails 😳 bliddy did when I was a student!
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Ah but you’re old skool. You probably had chalkboards at the front of the class, and no tablets!
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Yep, and learned to write in copperplate with an ink pen!
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Lucky you were to have ink! I remember writing in cuneiform on clay tablets was murder!
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Hah!
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While I disagree with Wells’ philosophy, at least he had a coherent enough of one to actually disagree with.
Books today are all about feelings. I even saw some blogger the other day put up a picture of some bodice ripper. Not an ounce of “thinking” in those books, just all the feelz.
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I know this other blogger who not only posts pictures of bodice-rippers, but actually reads them! Oh, the times we live in.
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Heaven forfend! Do we truly live in such decadent times?
Won’t SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?!?
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I’m not the world’s biggest Time Machine fan, but Moreau and The Invisible Man are certainly quite good. War of the Worlds is, for me, the best of all, though. So I’m curious why you haven’t reviewed that one.
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I actually thought I had, but when I went looking for the review I realized I hadn’t. I know I re-read it relatively recently (as in last five years). I’m not sure which I’d rate highest. They all did so much to establish iconic tropes (time travel, mad scientist, alien invasion).
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That sounds like wise advice for anyone looking for a CliffsNotes edge to understanding the whole story. Still, it does sound interesting to just embrace the adventure aspect of the tale as this one obviously does.
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Yes, this is a straight-up adventure story. Doesn’t get into the ideas in play. But maybe it’s the sort of thing that would make young people curious to dig deeper.
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