Berkeley-First Publishing:
CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED
(1990 - 1991)

MARVEL

BERKELEY

FAST FICTION

ACCLAIM BOOKS

KING CLASSICS

PENDULUM

DELL JUNIOR

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED are adaptations of the world's greatest works of literature, produced by some of the world's most talented writers and artists. Each lavishly illustrated volume is an accurate representation of the original work - distinctive, fresh and innovative, yet faithful to the book and true to the intentions of the author.

There are reasons why the original works are classics: Each is unique, each has weathered the test of time, and each continues to reflect and address the undying spirit of humanity in today's world. CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED reflect those individual styles that made the original works great - not just the stories, but the nuances as well. These adaptations naturally are abridged, but care has been taken to maintain the narrative sweep and as much of the original dialogue and narration as possible.

While they stand on their own merits, CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED are not substitutes for the originals. Rather, they are artistic interpretations, perfect introductions to an exciting world of remarkable ideas and unlimited possibilities - the world of great literature.

Following the format of the highly regarded but long out of print Dell Classics Illustrated, the idea is simple: adapt literary classics for comics. It's editorially acknowledged these aren't substitutes for reading originals, particularly as a shortened text is required in most cases. The poems of Poe illustrated by Gahan Wilson, the short stories of O. Henry and Ambrose Bierce and The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner survive relatively unedited. It's with the hefty out-of-copyright 19th century novels that there are problems. With no fluctuation from the uniform 44 pages, some works are more sympathetically abridged than others, and attempts to remain faithful to the source mean that many artists do little more than illustrate a text caption. Visual impressions being paramount, Classics Illustrated stand or fall largely on the quality of the art, and artists are generally well matched with their subject matter. Particular triumphs are Rick Geary's portrayal of Victorian England for Great Expectations and Wuthering Heights, and Peter Kuper's depiction of the industrial turmoil and tragedy of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Mike Ploog's rendition of Tom Sawyer is superb. Given the restrictions, most adaptations are of a reasonable standard, and some much better than could be expected. An appallingly drawn Hamlet and lacklustre Rip Van Winkle are to be avoided, and while Bill Sienkiewicz's stunning art conveys the density of Moby Dick, it's not very accessible, surely contradicting an intention of the series.
First ceasing publication scuppered the project. Already completed adaptations of Last Of The Mohicans and 20.000 Leagues Under The Sea were published as Dark Horse Classics in 1992, but the advertised Kidnapped and Around The World In 80 Days never appeared. Although numbered in solicitations, there's no numbering on the covers of Classics Illustrated, hence recommended issues are listed by title.
Recommended: A Christmas Carol, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, The Gift Of The Magi, Great Expectations, The Jungle, Through The Looking Glass, Tom Sawyer, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Wuthering Heights.

Page showing captain Ahab from
Bill Sienkiewicz's adaption of
Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

#1 The Raven & Other Stories
by Edgar Allan Poe.
Illustrated by Gahan Wilson

#2 Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens.
Adapted by Rick Geary

#3 Through The Looking Glass
by Lewis Carroll.
Adapted by Kyle Baker

#4 Moby Dick
by Herman Melville.
Adapted by Bill Sienkiewicz

#5 Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
Adapted by Steven Grant and Tom Mandrake

#6 The Scarlet Letter 
by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Adapted by P. Craig Russell and Jill Thompson

#7 The Count Of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas.
Adapted by Steven Grant and Dan Spiegle

#8 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Adapted by John K. Snyder III

#9 Tom Sawyer 
by Mark Twain
Adapted by Mike Ploog

#10 The Call Of the Wild
by Jack London
Adapted by Charles Dixon and Ricardo Villagran

#11 Rip Van Winkle
by Washington Irwing
Adapted by Jeffrey Busch

#12 The Island Of Dr. Moreau
by H. G. Wells
Adapted by Steven Grant and Eric Vincent

#13 Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte
Adapted by Rick Geary

#14 Fall Of the House of Usher
by Edgar Allan Poe
Adapted by P. Craig Russell and Jay Geldhof

#15 The Gift Of the Magi
by O. Henry.
Adapted by Gary Gianni

#16 A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Joe Staton

#17 Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Adapted by Pat Boyette

#18 The Devil's Dictionary
by Amrose Bierce.
Adapted by Gahan Wilson

#19 The Secret Agent
by Joseph Conrad
Adapted by John K. Snyder III

#20 The Invisible Man
by H. G. Wells
Adapted by Rick Geary

#21 Cyrano de Bergerac
by Edmond Rostand
Adapted by Peter David and Kyle Baker

#22 The Jungle Books
by Rudyard Kipling
Adapted by Jeffrey Busch

#23 Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
Adapted by Sam Wray and Pat Boyette

#24 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Adapted by Dean Motter

#25 Ivanhoe
by Walter Scott
Adapted by Mark Wayne Harris og Ray Lago

#26 Aesop's Fables
Adapted by Eric Vincent

#27 The Jungle
by Upton Sinclair.
Adapted by Peter Kuper