Porcellino writes about his Thoreau graphic novel

Over at Containing Multitudes, a blog run by the School of Amercan Studies at the University of East Anglia, John Porcellino talks about his forthcoming graphic novel about Henry David Thoreau, titled Thoreau at Walden, coming soon from the Center for Cartoon Studies. I've seen an advanced readers copy, and I can't think of a better cartoonist to depict the iconic American writer and philosopher.

If you've seen either the Houdini or Satchel Paige graphic novels from the Center for Cartoon Studies, then you know what a cool, informative, and out-of-the-ordinary series of biographies these books are. They tackle the material in ways that break out of the typical "life story" box to bring something new to the table, and really open up the lives and times of the subjects.

What's fascinating here is to see how a writer and artist approaches adapting someone elses words and ideas:

"Thoreau has been a major inspiration to me since my High School days, and to get the chance to immerse myself in his work and life, and then to try to bring that out in a way that would be accessible to contemporary readers was really a dream come true for me, pardon the cliché."

More at the link!