What do you think?
Rate this book
The Tell-Tale Heart
In this graphic novel adaptation, Edgar Allan Poes classic short story is transformed into a heart-pounding, visual experience portraying one mans journey into the dizzying depths of madness.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 7, 2025
Wonderful adaptation of this atmospherically dense tale of madness. In college I remember one of my psychology professors saying that he thought this was the most accurate literary description of schizophrenia he had ever read; that it described so many of the symptoms so well that he was amazed that Poe had such insight.
March 26, 2016
I have always loved this story. Is the man crazy? There is no doubt in my mind. This graphic novel is gorgeous. Both author and illustrator work with the comic world. Benjamin Harper works at Warner Brothers, but has worked with Lucasfilms and DC comics and Dennis Calero is the award-winning artist of Marvel Comic's. I was blown away by the pulp-fiction-esque illustrations. The story is the same, but the way the story was presented, was so clever. In the very back of the book there is a "Visual Questions" section where both author and illustrator point out certain things that might interest the reader.
I loved when the narrator was internally talking to himself the dialogue box was in blue to match the cursed eye. I loved his manic facial expressions. I am going to buy this hardcover A.S.A.P
Now if you don't know what this short story is about, written by Edgar Allen Poe, I'll tell you. It's about a man that is staying with an older gentlemen. He works for him during the day. The old man has a cataract eye that the narrator despises. The narrator is unstable and swears the eye is evil. He rationalizes the old man's murder. It's not the old man he wants to kill, just the horrible eye.
Pick up this book. It was so good!
I loved when the narrator was internally talking to himself the dialogue box was in blue to match the cursed eye. I loved his manic facial expressions. I am going to buy this hardcover A.S.A.P
Now if you don't know what this short story is about, written by Edgar Allen Poe, I'll tell you. It's about a man that is staying with an older gentlemen. He works for him during the day. The old man has a cataract eye that the narrator despises. The narrator is unstable and swears the eye is evil. He rationalizes the old man's murder. It's not the old man he wants to kill, just the horrible eye.
Pick up this book. It was so good!
November 18, 2016
That was beautiful. A very creative take on Poe's story. I wish there was one for 'The Raven.'
July 13, 2017
The whole time I'm reading this, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
June 14, 2013
This is a very good adaptation of the story into graphic form, but I'm not sure that the publisher has a good idea of the intended audience. They suggest a reading level as low as 3rd grade, with an interest level of 5th grade. The back part of the book is formatted like their other graphic novels for children, with glossary and discussion questions, but they seem out of place in this instance.
The difficulty is that it's a story about a murder committed by a rather unhinged killer, both portrayed quite successfully by a talented artist. I would hesitate to hand this to anyone still in elementary school.
Still, this would be a good introduction to Poe for teens or adults. Dennis Calero did a great job with the moody and grim artwork.
The difficulty is that it's a story about a murder committed by a rather unhinged killer, both portrayed quite successfully by a talented artist. I would hesitate to hand this to anyone still in elementary school.
Still, this would be a good introduction to Poe for teens or adults. Dennis Calero did a great job with the moody and grim artwork.
December 1, 2016
The Tell-Tale Heart is my favorite Poe story and this graphic novel is a nice retelling.
January 16, 2020
This book is a graphic novel adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story. A man plots to murder the guy he lives with because the guy has a creepy ghostly eye that he cant stand. The man eventually kills him but feels guilty for it. It would fit under Horror and maybe crime or mystery. The art style used very dark colors with the exception of a bright blue. Everything else was very brown, black, gray. There were lots of thin lines and thin short lines used for shadows. I definitely think this should count as literature. It very much so bends the boundaries of the genre and is timeless and universal. I honestly wouldn't recommend this book. I felt like it kind of rushed through the original story and skipped more than necessary. I would more likely recommend the original.
November 30, 2025
I used this to get my middle school students more involved with the story. It captures the essence and overall narrative of the story with great art and visuals but it just doesn’t beat the real thing.
November 22, 2022
kinda creepy but really good
October 13, 2017
These are enjoyable short comics that are so realistic. And anyone into mystery and suspense should read these kinds of books from Allen Poe. I wish these books were longer though because it's so interesting and I don't want the book to end so fast. This book is about a old man with a blue eye that haunts the other man that live with him.
March 20, 2021
Another cool graphic novel of the classics. Pretty good writing. Freaky story, freaky artwork. Although this took some liberties with the original, it was an interesting twist and a fun read.
April 5, 2018
No one knows what it's like / to be the bad man / to be the sad man / behind blue eyes
Farol HQ é um selo da Editora Farol Literário. Em 2014, a editora lançou uma mini-coleção com quatro contos de Edgar Allan Poe em versões para HQ. São vários artistas fazendo as adaptações e ilustrações, sempre com a tradução de Cassius Medauar. Cada edição conta com 72 páginas, com ótimo acabamento, papel de excelente gramatura e uma impressão de altíssima qualidade que ganha destaque num projeto gráfico em que as cores são quase como personagens das histórias. Aliás, essa é uma característica digna de nota. Em “A Queda da Casa de Usher” (verde), “O Poço e o Pêndulo” (amarelo), “Assassinatos na Rua Morgue” (vermelho) e “O Coração Delator” (azul), as cores são exploradas de forma estratégica, carregando informações, alterando o clima e acrescentando elementos que dão suporte à narrativa. Os contos são, em geral, foram hiper-resumidos, deixando lacunas importantes, o que compromete bastante a profundidade do suspense, característica fortemente presente no estilo clássico de Poe.
Com uma trama muito similar ao conto “O Gato Preto”, em “O Coração Delator” (ou “Revelador” ou “Denunciador”, dependendo da versão), Poe conta a história de um homem que mata o velho com quem vive por não suportar olhar para seu olho cego. Em um angustiante monólogo, apesar de alegar sanidade o tempo todo, o narrador oscila entre a loucura e a lucidez. Após enterrá-lo sob o assoalho, recebe a visita de dois policiais que revistam a casa sem encontrar nada. Mas a consciência às vezes pode não ser tão silenciosa... O conto foi originalmente publicado em 1843. Divirta-se com várias animações que podem ser encontradas no YouTube, procurando por “The Tell Tale Heart”.
Estranhamente, essa edição da coleção possui um acabamento mais pobre, trazendo páginas com fundo branco (as outras três têm fundo preto) e papel com gramatura muito mais leve. Segundo consta, Poe baseou-se num caso real, ocorrido em Massachusetts (não peçam para o Moro falar!), em 1831, para escrever sua história. Benjamin Harper e Dennis Calero fizeram uma ótima adaptação para a linguagem dos quadrinhos. Apesar de resumida, a adaptação consegue recriar o clima de suspense e transformar o leitor num cúmplice silencioso do crime.
Nota do livro: 6,75 (3 estrelas).
Farol HQ é um selo da Editora Farol Literário. Em 2014, a editora lançou uma mini-coleção com quatro contos de Edgar Allan Poe em versões para HQ. São vários artistas fazendo as adaptações e ilustrações, sempre com a tradução de Cassius Medauar. Cada edição conta com 72 páginas, com ótimo acabamento, papel de excelente gramatura e uma impressão de altíssima qualidade que ganha destaque num projeto gráfico em que as cores são quase como personagens das histórias. Aliás, essa é uma característica digna de nota. Em “A Queda da Casa de Usher” (verde), “O Poço e o Pêndulo” (amarelo), “Assassinatos na Rua Morgue” (vermelho) e “O Coração Delator” (azul), as cores são exploradas de forma estratégica, carregando informações, alterando o clima e acrescentando elementos que dão suporte à narrativa. Os contos são, em geral, foram hiper-resumidos, deixando lacunas importantes, o que compromete bastante a profundidade do suspense, característica fortemente presente no estilo clássico de Poe.
Com uma trama muito similar ao conto “O Gato Preto”, em “O Coração Delator” (ou “Revelador” ou “Denunciador”, dependendo da versão), Poe conta a história de um homem que mata o velho com quem vive por não suportar olhar para seu olho cego. Em um angustiante monólogo, apesar de alegar sanidade o tempo todo, o narrador oscila entre a loucura e a lucidez. Após enterrá-lo sob o assoalho, recebe a visita de dois policiais que revistam a casa sem encontrar nada. Mas a consciência às vezes pode não ser tão silenciosa... O conto foi originalmente publicado em 1843. Divirta-se com várias animações que podem ser encontradas no YouTube, procurando por “The Tell Tale Heart”.
Estranhamente, essa edição da coleção possui um acabamento mais pobre, trazendo páginas com fundo branco (as outras três têm fundo preto) e papel com gramatura muito mais leve. Segundo consta, Poe baseou-se num caso real, ocorrido em Massachusetts (não peçam para o Moro falar!), em 1831, para escrever sua história. Benjamin Harper e Dennis Calero fizeram uma ótima adaptação para a linguagem dos quadrinhos. Apesar de resumida, a adaptação consegue recriar o clima de suspense e transformar o leitor num cúmplice silencioso do crime.
Nota do livro: 6,75 (3 estrelas).
March 17, 2017
*Spoil Alert*
I like reading about the book was everything because I like reading graphic novels.The tale-tale heart is about a man who works for a old guy and the man did not liked him.He was very kind to him and did anything the old man wanted and the old man was very nice. The man was keep on saying that he is not crazy but smart.The man hated the old man because of his eye.
The young man was planning to kill the old man but had to be very cautions of the way he was going to do it.The man was keep saying that he is not crazy because he was very polite to the old man. The young man liked the old man but the eye made him get night mares.That night the young man was dreaming and then the eye scared him and that's why he wants to kill the old man because he does not want to be scared.
The next day the man was doing anything to the old man.The young man waited till the old man fell asleep so he could figure out how to kill him.He open the old man door very quiet and and he was taking to hours to get in the young guy said i'm not crazy but smart with a smart plan.That night he left the room and waited till tomorrow.
The next night he went back in and did the same thing but the old man had been awake and said "Who goes there".And then he fell back asleep he had enough of the eye and then he through the old man out of his bed and started to kill him.The old man had past away and then he decide to put the dead corpse in the floor to get rid of the dead old man.Then the cops came and said that the neighbors heard something fell or screaming.
The cops said where is the old man and the young man said that he went to his family.He told the cops to sit down and have a drink for their hard work. All of sudden he heard the floor to pound and started to freak out and the cops said sir our you okay. The young man admitted he killed the old guy and showed them were was the corpse was and then they arrested.
I like reading about the book was everything because I like reading graphic novels.The tale-tale heart is about a man who works for a old guy and the man did not liked him.He was very kind to him and did anything the old man wanted and the old man was very nice. The man was keep on saying that he is not crazy but smart.The man hated the old man because of his eye.
The young man was planning to kill the old man but had to be very cautions of the way he was going to do it.The man was keep saying that he is not crazy because he was very polite to the old man. The young man liked the old man but the eye made him get night mares.That night the young man was dreaming and then the eye scared him and that's why he wants to kill the old man because he does not want to be scared.
The next day the man was doing anything to the old man.The young man waited till the old man fell asleep so he could figure out how to kill him.He open the old man door very quiet and and he was taking to hours to get in the young guy said i'm not crazy but smart with a smart plan.That night he left the room and waited till tomorrow.
The next night he went back in and did the same thing but the old man had been awake and said "Who goes there".And then he fell back asleep he had enough of the eye and then he through the old man out of his bed and started to kill him.The old man had past away and then he decide to put the dead corpse in the floor to get rid of the dead old man.Then the cops came and said that the neighbors heard something fell or screaming.
The cops said where is the old man and the young man said that he went to his family.He told the cops to sit down and have a drink for their hard work. All of sudden he heard the floor to pound and started to freak out and the cops said sir our you okay. The young man admitted he killed the old guy and showed them were was the corpse was and then they arrested.
October 16, 2014
Have you ever seen someone with a hideous mole or a wen or unsightly hairs sticking out of their nose or ears and thought, “Geez, that’s so disgusting. Why don’t they get that fixed? Laser therapy and corrective surgery are so cheap these days.”
Stray thoughts like that will travel across the mind of even the most easygoing person. Imagine how such sights might affect someone more…sensitive.
One of Poe’s most famous works is here given the graphic treatment by a truly talented illustrator. In accurately drawn illustrations, we get to peer into the mind of a man suffering from a form of misophonia. (He constantly claims he isn’t mad but his assertion is doubtful at best.) Descriptive pictures accompany the text, highlighting changes of expression and punctuating speech. The burnt sienna of narrative gives way to stark black, white and blue images like a foggy veil is being drawn across the narrator’s mind.
The kindly old man does indeed look nearly saintly; the reader can’t help but suffer anxiety at his impending doom. The mild, inoffensive cataract that afflicts him comes to assume monstrous proportions through Poe’s prose and the careful juxtaposition of angle, chiaroscuro and color.
The murder, its description by the gleeful killer and the subsequent investigation create a psychological terror that is just as great as the preceding act itself and the pictures illustrate this beautifully as the murderer is surrounded by blasts of white, as if a spotlight is being shone upon him (a reflection of the spotlight at the beginning of the book).
This is a grand illustration of Poe and a must-have for any aficionado of his work.
Stray thoughts like that will travel across the mind of even the most easygoing person. Imagine how such sights might affect someone more…sensitive.
One of Poe’s most famous works is here given the graphic treatment by a truly talented illustrator. In accurately drawn illustrations, we get to peer into the mind of a man suffering from a form of misophonia. (He constantly claims he isn’t mad but his assertion is doubtful at best.) Descriptive pictures accompany the text, highlighting changes of expression and punctuating speech. The burnt sienna of narrative gives way to stark black, white and blue images like a foggy veil is being drawn across the narrator’s mind.
The kindly old man does indeed look nearly saintly; the reader can’t help but suffer anxiety at his impending doom. The mild, inoffensive cataract that afflicts him comes to assume monstrous proportions through Poe’s prose and the careful juxtaposition of angle, chiaroscuro and color.
The murder, its description by the gleeful killer and the subsequent investigation create a psychological terror that is just as great as the preceding act itself and the pictures illustrate this beautifully as the murderer is surrounded by blasts of white, as if a spotlight is being shone upon him (a reflection of the spotlight at the beginning of the book).
This is a grand illustration of Poe and a must-have for any aficionado of his work.
November 22, 2013
While reading the short story "The Tell Tale Heart", I enjoyed reading the inner thoughts of the narrator. Being inside of a murderers mind was exciting. I liked the way he thought. The old man's eye to me was just a mere aspect of himself, but the narrator had a feeling deep in his gut that it was the right decision to kill him. I think that the narrator should have thought more before harshly killing the man. When he confessed in the end, I was disappointed. I really wanted him to get away with the crime he had committed. Some stories just make me want to take the antagonists side. I really enjoyed reading "The Tell Tale Heart".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2016
1. I loved the black and blue juxtaposition of the colors in this graphic novel.
2. Love the symbol of the beetle. They are wood beetles and represent death.
3. The heart thumping was his own guilt and the heartbeat in his ears. The blood rushing to his head. His insanity.
4. Blue is a symbol of loyalty. I think the old man is his dad. The son said he didn't want his money, he's always been kind to him, and never wronged him. He's always been loyal to his dad, but his dad may have always been looking at him with the eye because he knew his son was insane.
5. Love this suspense. So scary.
2. Love the symbol of the beetle. They are wood beetles and represent death.
3. The heart thumping was his own guilt and the heartbeat in his ears. The blood rushing to his head. His insanity.
4. Blue is a symbol of loyalty. I think the old man is his dad. The son said he didn't want his money, he's always been kind to him, and never wronged him. He's always been loyal to his dad, but his dad may have always been looking at him with the eye because he knew his son was insane.
5. Love this suspense. So scary.
December 20, 2013
"The Tell-Tale Heart", a short story, originally by "Poe", made into a graphic novel, and may I say to the creators... Bravo! This story was 62 pages long andis easily one of my favorite stories ever, the dark,moody artwork only made it 10X better. I got this book from the library and will definetely be buying it soon. A book I could read over, and over again: took me 20 minutes tops to read. Loved it. 5 stars. :D
October 20, 2017
So, after reading Murder in The Rue, I had to go back to the shelf and grab the other three. To tell the truth, this one used to chill me all the time as a kid - never mind I would whip this out at sleep overs and scare my friends.
Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed the graphic novel adaption! Well done on the story translation and the art was top notch.
Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed the graphic novel adaption! Well done on the story translation and the art was top notch.
July 8, 2015
Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart is one of my favorite pieces. The use of first person narration is well executed and creates a connection to the main character. The use of color in this book is perfection; the mood is created and maintained throughout and the movement from full color to blue hues is done beautifully.
This is a beautiful graphic novel version of Poe's story. The artwork is magnificent. I highly recommend this piece and plan to pick up more in this collection.
4.5 stars.
This is a beautiful graphic novel version of Poe's story. The artwork is magnificent. I highly recommend this piece and plan to pick up more in this collection.
4.5 stars.
February 9, 2013
This graphic novel adaption of Poe's Tell- Tale Heart, is well done and a great selections for a young reader not ready for the true horror of Poe. The illustrations were well done and there is even an visual question guide for those who are interested in creating their own graphic novels. A great way to learn how the illustrator Dennis Calero thought about creating this work.
April 2, 2014
I was extremely excited when I saw The Tell-Tale Heart had been adapted into a graphic novel. I want to introduce my students to Edgar Allan Poe, but his language can be difficult to understand. This book is perfect for an introduction to Poe and will keep students engaged and wanting more. Love!!
Read
November 22, 2013I love this book because it asks you how some people think. Why will someone kill another person because of there eye. THe fact that the deep disturbing parts of the book are actually in his mind. Throughout reading it i kept asking why to all of his thoughts and actions.
October 14, 2015
Graphic adaptation of a classic, explore one mans plunge into madness. Illustrations do a good job of portraying a slow descent into loss of mind and paranoia. The classic by Poe is interpreted for a young adult audience, complete with questions at the end to provoke reflection.
January 11, 2016
This is a fantastic graphic novel adaptation of one of Edgar Allan Poe's most twisted tales of terror and dementia. The afterward had many literary questions both about the text and also the artists use of color and emotions in the illustrations to visually bring this story to life.
May 18, 2015
Absolutely outstanding way to capture the atmosphere of Poe!
April 8, 2016
Has beautiful art. It is exactly how i imagined the characters in the Tell-Tale Heart to be.
Even better in fact. The dialogue and the mood went perfectly together.
Even better in fact. The dialogue and the mood went perfectly together.
September 15, 2016
Amazing graphic representations of Poe's the Tell-Tale Heart.
February 26, 2019
The Tell-Tale Heart is about a young man (our narrator) who lives with an older man which we aren't told if its his father or not, but he lives with him. The older man is kind to our narrator, but has something odd about him. He has a glowing blue eye. Our narrator can't stand it. He can't stand it staring at him- so the best solution? Killing the old man.
(STORY)
I think the story has a lot of potential. It is really nice! I like it. I wish there was more pages instead of being left on a cliffhanger. I wish I could've found out why the old man has a blue eye. Maybe there is a longer version of this graphic novel- I mean, I did get this from the library. And maybe there is a longer version- I did only read the recreation of the original novel.
If there is a longer version, please comment here! I'd love to know.
(ART)
The art is amazing. There is no flaw. The illustrator shows emotion and can change your mood just by drawing his expressions or changing the colors.
(STORY)
I think the story has a lot of potential. It is really nice! I like it. I wish there was more pages instead of being left on a cliffhanger. I wish I could've found out why the old man has a blue eye. Maybe there is a longer version of this graphic novel- I mean, I did get this from the library. And maybe there is a longer version- I did only read the recreation of the original novel.
If there is a longer version, please comment here! I'd love to know.
(ART)
The art is amazing. There is no flaw. The illustrator shows emotion and can change your mood just by drawing his expressions or changing the colors.
January 4, 2019
I chose to read the graphic novel of the Tell-Tale Heart for a reread of this one. Now I feel like I have to find the read short story and read it. I need to think about this a bit. The graphic novel was retold by Benjamin Harper and used black and blue and spot lights for effects. It is the story of one man’s decent into madness. I felt like the old man might be the father to the younger because it stated, “The old man had been kind to me my whole life”. If not the father he certainly must have been a caretaker of the younger. So I did compare it to the original. The graphic novel is less graphic of the violence that is in the actual short story. The short story is only 4 pages long so the graphic novel does cover it all very well though there were no death watch beetles. In the original there is a mention of a vulture and the comparison to the old man’s blue eye to a vulture.
February 16, 2018
This graphic novel was a really great adaptation of the original story. The colors were vivid & the texts were easily differentiated for dialogue, inner thought, and sound words. This is one of my favorite Poe stories so I really enjoyed this. The ending was so abrupt, I was left wanting more!
This book was read for my comic & graphic novel narrative class.
This book was read for my comic & graphic novel narrative class.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews