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48th out of 87 books
—
46 voters
Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur
The Arthurian legend springs to life in another powerhouse graphic novel from the creators of OUTLAW: THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD.
Arthur Pendragon was raised in obscurity, but fate will not leave him to the shadows. In a moment of desperate need, he draws a legendary sword from its stonebed and commences the life he was born to lead. A series of adventures sparked by the elus...more
Arthur Pendragon was raised in obscurity, but fate will not leave him to the shadows. In a moment of desperate need, he draws a legendary sword from its stonebed and commences the life he was born to lead. A series of adventures sparked by the elus...more
Paperback, 144 pages
Published
March 8th 2011
by Candlewick Press
(first published March 1st 2011)
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Tony Lee and Sam Hart combine to bring the classic Arthurian legend to the graphic novel crowd. Beginning with a very short recap of Arthur's birth and the duel that left Ulric in charge of Briton, the book sets the stage for a very rushed interpretation of the legendary leader. Arthur is thrust into the faerie realm to prepare for his destiny, growing in prowess while eyeing the mystical Lady of the Lake, Vivianne. Upon defeating Ulric, we jump to a duel between Merlin and Morgana - the outcome...more
Really? This is what you give me for an Arthurian legend? You keep Cei from the sword in the stone, but you make him the funny, sunny foster brother? Then there's all that stuff about Avalon and you've got good fairies (I'm not going to call them Fae or Faeries, I'm going to spell like we spell now!)...I just don't buy it.
Look, we've all had a lot of fun with Arthurian legend, but until you're ready to produce a full scale, really well put together cohesive legend,* (and by well put together, I...more
Look, we've all had a lot of fun with Arthurian legend, but until you're ready to produce a full scale, really well put together cohesive legend,* (and by well put together, I...more
Both author and illustrator come to this graphic novel with an impressive portfolio of previous works. Lee has admirably compressed the story of Arthur, making it accessible to comic book aficionados and reluctant readers alike. Illustrator Hart works the narrative in shades of ambers and grays, alternating between startling closeups rife with detail and mysterious distant scenes in which there may be only a suggestion of an eye on a face. When Arthur pulls the sword Excalibur from the stone, Ha...more
May 07, 2011
Kim
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
arthurian fans, graphic novel enthusiasts
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, is a stable boy that is destined to one day be King. All he has to do is pull the sword from the stone. In doing so, he begins an adventure of betrayal, deceit, and discovery that will shape the ages.
I always was a fan of the Arthur legend. I even enjoy Monty Python’s spoof of the legend. However, I have always waited for that one version of the story to get it exactly right. After provoking up this graphic novel, I was hoping this would be it. It was not. Howe...more
I always was a fan of the Arthur legend. I even enjoy Monty Python’s spoof of the legend. However, I have always waited for that one version of the story to get it exactly right. After provoking up this graphic novel, I was hoping this would be it. It was not. Howe...more
Tony Lee and Sam Hart have crafted a nice interpretation of Arthurian legend with this graphic novel. It definitely strays a bit more into the post-Tolkien realm, what with the elf-like fae of Avalon, but it makes sense for Lee and Hart to make it this way in an age where every person who reads it will most likely have seen the Lord of the Rings movies. They also do a good job of tying together several of the tales into one singular narrative. If I have a complaint, it's that it moves from one P...more
Other than my childhood obsession with Arthur – aided by a traveling exhibit of medieval armor that my friends and I drooled over at the Seattle Center back in the early 80s, as well as one summer between eighth grade and freshman year in which I devoured both Roger Lancelyn Green’s and John Steinbeck’s books on King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table (Sir Thomas Mallory’s seminal text was still a few years away in sophomore year) – what initially drew me to this was writer Tony Lee himse...more
May 07, 2011
Matthew
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
arthurian
A fair but not amazing adaptation of the core Arthurian story.
While there are many, many ways to spin this story Lee takes the tactic that Arthur and his kingdom are tied up in a competition with Faerie folk, good vs. bad, or Seelie vs. Unseelie. Not bad in concept, but surprisingly little action. I kept wanting to see Arthur really take charge or Merlin really outsmart Morgana or whiny Lancelot really do something more heroic than pine for old Guenevere. As it is I came away feeling like I rea...more
While there are many, many ways to spin this story Lee takes the tactic that Arthur and his kingdom are tied up in a competition with Faerie folk, good vs. bad, or Seelie vs. Unseelie. Not bad in concept, but surprisingly little action. I kept wanting to see Arthur really take charge or Merlin really outsmart Morgana or whiny Lancelot really do something more heroic than pine for old Guenevere. As it is I came away feeling like I rea...more
In this graphic novel author Tony Lee tackles the very complicated tale of King Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, Morgana and the kingdom of Camelot, and does it well. It’s a nice introduction to how Arthur pulls the sword Excalibur from the stone and becomes king, marries Guinevere and amasses his knights of the round table, and has to save his kingdom from the external forces of Morgana and the internal conflict of Guinevere and Lancelot’s growing love for each other. Not to mention his own...more
Reason for Reading: I had read Lee's earlier book Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood and was anxious to read this one.
This book, surprisingly, takes very different angles of the King Arthur legend to focus on than the usual run-of-them mill retelling aimed at children/teens. The story of Camelot and the knights' adventures is not a focus here. Camelot is briefly in the story but the main focus is on Arthur's early years, obtaining the sword in the stone and his early years as king. All the major p...more
This book, surprisingly, takes very different angles of the King Arthur legend to focus on than the usual run-of-them mill retelling aimed at children/teens. The story of Camelot and the knights' adventures is not a focus here. Camelot is briefly in the story but the main focus is on Arthur's early years, obtaining the sword in the stone and his early years as king. All the major p...more
Star 1: It's a remake of a story that has honestly been remade...oh..so many times. But since this was my first Arthurian Graphic Novel, it's unique in that way. I give it props for being different and actually telling a very wonderful story through the pictures. Sometimes the words didn't say it all.
Star 2: The drawings weren't my favorite...so only one star out of two again. I do think however, that the coloring and shading was gorgeous, even if the drawings themselves looked a little too ske...more
Star 2: The drawings weren't my favorite...so only one star out of two again. I do think however, that the coloring and shading was gorgeous, even if the drawings themselves looked a little too ske...more
Here is another graphic novel on the reading list of my YA book club: Excalibur by Lee and Hart. I don't think I need to justify why I picked this one. It's a King Arthur legend. 'Nuff said.
I really liked the overview of the legend of King Arthur that this graphic novel gave. Some of the finer elements of the legend were missing, but a novice wouldn't notice. All of my favorites were in the story: Morgana, Merlin, the Lady of the Lake, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The way everything fit tog...more
I really liked the overview of the legend of King Arthur that this graphic novel gave. Some of the finer elements of the legend were missing, but a novice wouldn't notice. All of my favorites were in the story: Morgana, Merlin, the Lady of the Lake, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The way everything fit tog...more
Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur
Excalibur, who doesn't know the story? Even if you know the story, this graphic novel will give you a new outlook on the original legend, but will still maintain the key elements of the magnificent story.
Arthur is a young boy who is destined to pull Calibur (a magical sword) out of a mossy stone. By doing so he would be rightful king of the land. Urlic, the present tyrant of the land, challenges Arthur to a duel. To train for the duel, Arthur goes to the myst...more
Excalibur, who doesn't know the story? Even if you know the story, this graphic novel will give you a new outlook on the original legend, but will still maintain the key elements of the magnificent story.
Arthur is a young boy who is destined to pull Calibur (a magical sword) out of a mossy stone. By doing so he would be rightful king of the land. Urlic, the present tyrant of the land, challenges Arthur to a duel. To train for the duel, Arthur goes to the myst...more
in a sentence or so: Albion is at war and Arthur knows he is destined to unite the land. the problem is, there are many who stand in his way - purposefully or unintentionally.
Uther Pendragon makes a deal with the fae of the Unseelie Court that results in the kidnapping of Arthur (for his own safety) and the abduction of Morgana (not for her own safety). Albion is in turmoil as they wait for the once and future king to return and rescue them from craptastic King Ulrich. just when Arthur starts to...more
Uther Pendragon makes a deal with the fae of the Unseelie Court that results in the kidnapping of Arthur (for his own safety) and the abduction of Morgana (not for her own safety). Albion is in turmoil as they wait for the once and future king to return and rescue them from craptastic King Ulrich. just when Arthur starts to...more
I liked the art, and I didn't mind too much that they took a different sort of aproach to the legends of King Arthur. Some will hate the liberties taken with the story, but I guess that's the way legends work.
What I really didn't like in the end was the fact that the entire cycle of Arthurian legend was jam packed into such a short book. None of the elements was explored too its fullest and characters were underdeveloped, and I just felt a little short changed.
What I really didn't like in the end was the fact that the entire cycle of Arthurian legend was jam packed into such a short book. None of the elements was explored too its fullest and characters were underdeveloped, and I just felt a little short changed.
It could have been alot better, but still slightly enjoyable. I thought the Seelie and Unseelie were a nice new twist, even if they were hardly in the book. And I thought it annoying that they like almost everyone else had Morgana Le Fay as an evil sorcerer, can we have her good for once?, or even better yet from her point of view and not stupid Arthur.
I hope someone else will write a better King Arthur graphic novel soon.
I hope someone else will write a better King Arthur graphic novel soon.
This graphic novel tells one of the many versions of the King Arthur tale. Arthur's time in Avalon, his relationship with the Lady of the Lake and Merlin and the betrayal of Lancelot and Guinevere.
This was a version of the King Arthur tale that seemed to pull from lots of different versions of the story. I thought it was an interesting version of the tale. I loved the art style, I thought it fit the story very well.
This was a version of the King Arthur tale that seemed to pull from lots of different versions of the story. I thought it was an interesting version of the tale. I loved the art style, I thought it fit the story very well.
What makes this comic particularly interesting is that it has a version of Arthur's legend that is far different from most other versions, including having him visit Avalon while he is still a child, a visit which eventually leads to the downfall of Camelot. On the other hand, everything ends happier than many other versions.
A really solid and engaging telling of the Arthurian legend from Candlewick. Great for those who know little about the myths, this has action, adventure, romance, and a really interesting modern take on some elements of the legend without become too cheeky or rewriting it entirely.
I read Tony Lee's graphic adaptation of Robin Hood and loved it, so I decided to check this one out too. I've always been a fan of King Arthur stories, but I didn't know all the fairy connections until reading this one. I love how the author stays true to the original legends, rather than the sanitized versions we often read.
Very true to the original Le Morte D'Arthur, I enjoyed this retelling in graphic novel form. I'm still not wholly converted to GN, but I thought this one was well done. (And I already have four boys asking when it's available for check-out!)
I have discovered that one of the best ways to get kids interested in the classics is to lure them in with graphic novels. This graphic adaptation will do a great job of whetting the appetites of war hungry boys. As the Odyssey gn flies off the shelves at the library, I imagine this will do the same. And hopefully, they will ask for more books about the eternally fascinating Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere and Merlin.
Pretty good. Once you get past the elves having pointy ears that is. Why do the elves always have to have point ears?! This is mort d'arthur made fun. Blood, sex, revenge. Someone tell Mick Lasalle about this one.
I never did read the original classic, Le Morte d'Arthur and, like a lot of people, I really didn't know the connection and relationship of the characters to each other and how much magic and fantasy played in the story. The graphic form of classics is an excellent way to understand the story line and, if you or your teen/child is really interested, they'll reach for the original text.
My older sister knows all things King Arthur, but I don't. So it was fun to read this graphic novel about Arthur and Excalibur. I actually learned things I hadn't know beforehand.
A wonderful retelling of the legend of King Arthur. The drawings of many of the characters' faces were a little awkward and off-putting, but on the whole, a great graphic novel.
At first, I didn't think I liked the way it was drawn--finished product looking like half-done, but it has its charms. To quote Len Goodman, I was entertained.
Well-done retelling of the Arthur mythos with a lot more faerie involvement than usual (at least among the adaptations I've read).
There really is no reason for this book to be boring, and yet.
The artwork was okay, minus the lack of detail for the faces.
The artwork was okay, minus the lack of detail for the faces.
Love, Betrayal, Magic, Mystery...what a complicated and heartbreaking saga! Really well-done in graphic novel form.
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A New York Times Best-selling Graphic Novelist, Tony Lee was born in West London, UK in 1970. Informed by a teacher that he had a comic book style of writing, (a comment meant more as an insult), Tony decided that one day he would write for comics.
Tony has written for a variety of mediums including Radio 4, The BBC, commerical television in both the UK and US, magazines and both local and national...more
More about Tony Lee...
Tony has written for a variety of mediums including Radio 4, The BBC, commerical television in both the UK and US, magazines and both local and national...more
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