Orgullo y Prejuicio y Zombis: Novela gráfica

by Seth Grahame-Smith

Se la conoce como "la extraña plaga", y a sus desafortunadas víctimas se las llama "los innombrables" o "los abominables". Por toda Inglaterra los muertos se levantan de nuevo, y ahora incluso las hijas de las mejores familias inglesas deben dedicar su vida a perfeccionar las artes marciales. Elizabeth Bennet es una guerrera valiente cuya habilidad con la espada solo es equiparable a su agudo ingenio y afilada lengua. Pero deberá enfrentarse a su más formidable enemigo, el altivo, engreído y atractivo señor Darcy. Cuando los dos enamorados se encuentren en el salón de baile o en el campo de batalla, aprenderán que nada, ni siquiera las bandas de ninjas, las hordas de zombis caníbales o las tías que desaprueban su unión, podrán impedir el amor verdadero. Adaptación de Tony Lee e ilustrada por Cliff Richards.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Zombies, Fiction, Fantasy, Comics, Classics

170 pages, Hardcover

First published April 23, 2010

About the author

Seth grew up in Connecticut reading Stephen King from a way-too-early age and forcing his friends to be in homemade horror movies. He’s written three New York Times Bestselling novels (and another one that kind’ve flopped but got good reviews). He occasionally writes or produces movies. The ones you like the most are probably THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE and IT. Right now he’s working on a GREEN LANTERN series for HBO Max. Please stop asking him when it comes out. He’s a partner in Katzsmith Productions, a film and television company based in Los Angeles. He has a lovely wife, two fine sons, and two comically dumb dogs.

Reviews

[Paloma orejuda (Pevima) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pues... hay historias que no deberían existir y esta es una de ellas. Destroza y ridiculiza al verdadero "Orgullo y prejuicio"

**Alerta Spoiler!!

Decir que es malo con ganas es quedarse corto. Es un copia y pega del original metiéndole unas escasas y ridículas escenas de zombies. Desvirtúa a los personajes y los hace incoherentes. No hay por donde cogerlo y tiene escenas que son para arrancarse los ojos.

Jane le pregunta a Lizzy desde cuando ama a Darcy y esta le viene a decir (voy a permitirme resumirlo con vulgaridad), que desde que se fijó en su paquete. WTF!!?? Jane Austen debe estar revolviéndose en su tumba y ni le hace falta ser un zombie!!

En fin, 1 estrellas sobre 5, porque se merece todas las negativas que no existen. Se aprovecha de un clásico y lo despedaza sin piedad ni miramientos. Esto si es un atentado a la cultura!!

[Emi.acg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ps nada haré de cuenta que nunca leí esto 🤦🏻‍♀️ que manera de destruir un clásico.

[Sara Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Nildene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have yet to read the original PPZ, my luck having meant that I can never find a copy myself so this review is much less a comparative one than it is a grasping at straws to find something enjoyable about it.

Of course, I have to begin with what was this graphic novel’s most redeeming quality; the small parts of quick wit and humour. This essentially meant that I would make this rating 3 stars rather than 2.

I emphasise small parts, as I found sometimes this fell flat due to the formatting of the graphic novel itself. I didn’t understand a lot of the random use of bold within dialogue. Of course, I understood it for dramatic effect but when it is used for one word within a sentence but has no direct correlation with a form of wit or humourous quality, it only led me to confusion.

But overall, the graphic novel was tolerable.

I was not a fan of the artwork most of the time. Some pages were fully sketched out and sections of art seemed unfinished, with little detail applied to them. This unfinished quality was understandable when figures were “in the distance” within a frame, but also led to confusion because those distant figures resembled the faint figures of zombies.

And the fact that the entire book was set in black and white also meant hat it took forever to finally understand who was who. Darcy and Bingely are drawn with similarities that confused me, as did Jane and Elizabeth’s characters – the only defining feature with those two sisters were their hair!

With the popularity of this PP parody, you would assume that there’d be a budget for a coloured graphic novel? Or at least, completed drawings? The artist did wonderful work on close ups and with the select detailed drawings throughout the graphic novel, but those are outweighed entirely by the sketch/unfinished drawings.

It was a fairly quick read, once you got your brain around all the black and white and greys, and figured out who was who.

Maybe my ideas will change if I ever reread this graphic novel, but I doubt it will be any time soon.

[Jeane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan. The art work was not that great, and with all the hype that Pride and Prejudice and Zombie the novel is getting, you would think that you could pay someone enough money to color the graphic novel. I am not saying that I am against black and white comics, but this art work looks literally like I am looking at someone's sketchbook. It is rather poorly done, and everyone looks the same. I can barely tell Lizzy and Jane apart except for that Jane has dark hair. I could barely tell Lydia and Kitty and Mrs. Bennet apart, and Mr. Bingely and Mr. Darcey looked the same also. I think that this would have been much improved by coloring it, but that is not to say that the story wasn't also horrible. I thought I would love it because I love Pride and Prejudice and I love zombies, but no. I hated the way they made Lizzy. First of all she was yelling like Xena in one scene, I mean seriously?!? In another scene she kills (who I thought was Kitty, but I guess it wasn't since she is in the book later, so I don't know who it was) a innocent "alive," not a zombie girl, just because she annoyed her. This could have certainly been better. If you absolutely have to read this book choose the novel form, not the graphic novel, like I said I am certainly not a fan.

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh... as much as I love the undead, I just can't do classics/zombie mashups. Really I should have DNF'd this.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

for sure superficial but nevertheless fun adaptation of our magnificent classic to spend time with!! :))

[Bekka · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really, really did not work for me at all. The artwork made it incredibly difficult to tell the characters apart, so I was constantly confused as to who anyone was meant to be. Also, and this is going to sound stupid, but it focused too much on the romance and not the zombie killing. Obviously, this is a P&P retelling, so the romance was going to be a big part of this, but I wanted more zombie action and the women of this novel kicking zombie ass.
To be honest, I was just bored, for the entire book, it just did not work for me at all.

[Andreia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so ridiculous.
My friends gave it to me as a joke, since I love Pride and Prejudice.
But little did they know that the first time I discovered Pride and Prejudice was with the movie Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016).
And when I commented that with my friend, she immediately told me how my cultural education was all wrong 😅😂
A few weeks after, we did a sleepover where I watched the BBC series (1995) first, and then the movie (2005). And I fell completely in love. Only in 2022 did I actually read the book, and I fell in love all over again. And I rewatched everything as well.

So, about the comics, they were hilarious, although the story with the zombies was weak (as in the movie ahaha even though it’s not the same as the movie lol). So yeah… ridiculous ahahah

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an early birthday present from a friend--I gave her the novel of the same name for Christmas. Despite rumors to the contrary started by an unnamed party, I enjoyed reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice when I was in high school, mainly because I always liked smart-assed women--god help me--and the sarcastic Mr. Bennet.

Having already read Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, I was curious as to how he would mix zombies with the time-honored classic. It seems today's recipe for writing success is "just add zombies," kind of like cilantro.

Well, if you like kick-ass, Shaolin-trained, sword-playing, zombie-hunting ladies who also serve a mean afternoon tea and can waltz with the best of them, then you will thoroughly enjoy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

The premise for the story is that England is overrun with "unmentionables"--zombies--and that it is almost standard practice for anyone of social standing to train in the martial arts in the Far East to combat these brain-gnawing hordes. The Bennet sisters are no exception, who are more warriors than ladies, according to Mr. Bennet.

Darcy retains most of his aloof charm in this adaptation and he only beats one servant or so, but he deserved it. LOL

Perhaps my one criticism for this graphic novel was the artwork. While Cliff Richards' skills are obvious--nicely drawn characters and solid layouts--I would have enjoyed a splash a color here and there instead a strict black and white interpretation.

[Alba Turunen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Estrellas. En una palabra, una "Salvajada", eso es lo que he es el comic. No leí la novela en su momento, aunque si vi la película (bastante mala, por cierto). ¿Por qué las 4 Estrellas? Porque no deja de ser "Orgullo y Prejuicio" y los dibujos están chulos, pero los zombis me sobran, sí, a pesar de que sé que ése es su atractivo.

En el fondo es la misma historia de "Orgullo y Prejuicio" pero con la invasión de muertos vivientes asolando Inglaterra. Tenemos a todos nuestros protagonistas como unos grandes luchadores que repelen la invasión. Las hermanas Bennet en vez de hacer punto con las agujas se dedican a clavárselas a los zombis y mucho más. Así que la estrella que le he quitado ha sido por los zombis.

En esencia es lo mismo, pero con algunos cambios, creo que el cambio que más me ha gustado es el final que le dan a Wickham, el que realmente debió tener en la verdadera novela, siempre pensé que salió bien parado y no lo merecía.

Así que el esfuerzo de la historia tiene mis respetos, pero tampoco se acerca a la perfección de libro que tengo en mi recuerdo.

[Bry · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know I really enjoyed the written version of this work. I thought it was witty, humorous, and so completely absurd. And even though there was very little original additions to the text I still found myself laughing out loud at the idea of the Bennett girls fighting zombies in their empire waist dresses and stockings, all while still following the incredibly strict rules of modesty and decorum. Yet this graphic novelization completely fell flat of the original PPZ which was so disappointing especially as I loved the book and graphic novels in general. So I thought this would be a perfectly enjoyable read for me, but sadly no.

At first I liked the penciled and sketchy graphics that make up the art of this novel, but the closer I looked I realized how incomplete the images were. Lines of an object that were behind another and thus should not be visible were not erased, details on the characters such as hair and clothing were inconsistent, and even the characters motions were inconsistent and disjointed. What was most annoying is that even the characters positions around a table for example were inconsistent making it extremely hard to determine who was speaking. At one point Mr. Darcy, Caroline Bingley, Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Hurst are sitting around a table playing cards. And in every panel over the course of 2 pages Mr. Darcy and Caroline continuously switched seats at the table. Talk about major continuity issues. That is just lazy on the part of the editor to notice something like that.

Also the inked lines throughout the art were awful. They were usually just around the entire figure of the character but not around defining characteristics such as the eyes. Also the lines were horribly inconsistent in terms of thickness making the characters features seem different from page to page and even panel to panel. In the beginning, the penciled style seemed to push the tension and fast pace of the story, and then it just felt as if the publisher wanted to strike while the iron was hot and churn out this puppy quick enough to cash in that they didn't mind cutting corners and sacrificing the art.

The characters themselves did not even seem the same from the written work, and I am not referring to the original Jane Austen version, but the PPZ version. When reading the novel the characters did seem more harsh in their interactions but overall still kept their original Austen humor. In the graphic version though it was if the characters had no sense of humor and rarely smiled. Lines that were humorous and sarcastic in the written version just came off as blunt and mean in this conception.

The flow of the story was also hard to follow throughout the entire book. For instance, Caroline Bingley is never introduced in the work by herself, so when she approaches Darcy at the Long's house and is confronted with the knowledge that he admires Lizzy's fine eyes, you wouldn't even know that that was Caroline who had spoken with Darcy if you did not know the original story fairly well. And yes, most people who are reading this probably know both the Austen and Grahame-Smith versions, but even still, previous knowledge on the readers part should not equal laziness on the adapter Tony Lee's part.

I will say that the cover art is just as awesome as the written version. I love the zombie emerging from the ground while still holding onto her parasol! Totally reminds my of Alexia from the Soulless books and her ever present parasol. Sadly though the cover art was the best part of the entire work. And honestly just based on art, style, adaptation of the original story, etc this work deserves only 1 star, but since I a such a Janite and really did love the original PPZ writen version I am cutting this work just a bit of slack.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a Jane Austen fan, I really did try to like this book. Surely any exposure to Jane Austen's books would be good for our generation. This book has a great opening line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." It is a wonderful play on the original words. Unfortunately the graphic novel continues downhill form here. I could not connect to any of the characters because they all looked so similar. One can blame the artist for that. But the travesty does not stop merely at the shoddy, seemingly hastily sketched art. The writing itself is dull and soon it becomes too ridiculous almost to carry on. The writer does not stay true to the characters, especially to that of Elizabeth's character. She is so cutthroat in this rendition that she seems one-dimensional, and loses the personality of the original. I cannot in good conscience recommend this graphic novel, even if it means millions of people will know Jane Austen's name because of it. I do not believe Jane Austen herself would not appreciate this kind of fame.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only 4.7 because I think it would be awesome if this has been in color. Liked the artwork, reminiscent of the actual mash-up book with it's pencil and shading techniques, and the story is just an abridged version of the book. If you didn't like the book, you may not really like this and if you are complete and utter Jane Austen purist just skip this book completely.

I on the other hand got a kick out of seeing Jane, Lizzy, Darcy and Lady De Bourgh drawn out. You know what this book and this graphic novel made me realize? What about Mary? Poor quite, bookish, slightly prudish Mary?

If you like graphic novels and Jane Austen but aren't ready for the Zombie Mash-Up, Marvel released a graphic novel of P&P

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustration style chosen for this graphic novel was very strange. The panels do not appear completed; instead, they are rough pencil outlines that appear to be far from finished. I once saw a documentary that indicated that Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was so labor-intensive for the artists, they actually had to show part of the film to critics in animated black and white pencil sketches. Well, that’s what P&P&Z is like. Imagine a cartoonist’s comic layout before it is shaded, inked and colored and you have this book. Needless to say, backgrounds are little more than hints of shapes and characters (especially the young women) are very hard to tell apart. Was the artist just lazy or did he run out of time? Whose idea was this?

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

“So the first thing I dislike about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies—” I said, and Jonathan pretended to pop popcorn—

I like a good mashup, but this one just doesn’t WORK. The characters and plot are both incoherent. You can’t really have a formal comedy of manners, the plot of P&P, Regency norms, and an Eastern-inspired bold and bloodthirsty warrior culture. Continuity just melts down. I even think there might be a way to pull this concept off, but this wasn’t it.

Other things I disliked:

This Elizabeth is cruel and bloodthirsty. She happily fights and even kills healthy people for minor annoyances, as well as zombies. Surely society would frown on such behavior? It’s certainly not attractive.

This society as a whole is cruel. Nobody mourns the dead—they just complain when they make a stain—and more powerful people beating less powerful people with rods is commonplace. It was a major plot point, in fact.

Most of the characters are mean to each other. This makes it hard to discern why Wickham is really that bad. Okay, so… casual killing is fine, but racking up debt and sleeping around isn’t? I am also confused how one can be a Bride of Death, sworn to the crown to defend against zombies, but also they can get married whenever. Okay then.

The art. I just really didn’t care for it. All the characters looked alike and they all looked skeletal, so it was confusing *and* ugly.

The risqué jokes.

[Zainab Bint Younus · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is a cult classic - a hilarious, clever, tongue-in-cheek adaption of the Jane Austen classic.

Here, the Bennet sisters are Shaolin-trained warrior women who fend off the ever-present of the Undead who prowl across England in search of brains to consume. The plague of "Unmentionables," however, will never deter Mrs. Bennet from fretting about her daughters and the search for single men in possession of good fortune, and the universal truth regarding their desire for wives.

Available as both a novel, graphic novel, and movie, P&P&Z is nothing less than (to my not-particularly-refined-tastes) sheer genius. Regency dresses, razor-sharp weapons, zombie gore, and iconic lines - what more could a girl ask for? And yes - the tension between Darcy and Lizzy remains as deliciously halal and electric as ever!

4.8/5 🌟 (for the graphic novel - only bc it's not in colour and bc, out of understandable necessity, certain bits and pieces of the original story had to be omitted or tweaked)

[Chloe Reads Books]

Um, this wasn't great. I didn't like the fact there were basically no changes to the storyline, just some zombies thrown in... and one more ball joke and I would have thrown it across the room. But then I feel harsh to the artist if I rate this low... so I just won't rate it at all!

[Sylvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

La verdad no sé qué me dió por leer este libro, si soy sincera no me gustó.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read for me because I don't usually go for zombie stories. But I must say that I enjoyed this. The artwork was nicely done and despite watching the movie first, I was still surprised. All in all, this was a very interesting and entertaining read.

[Sari · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a huge stash of comic books that belonged to my father and I developed a life-long love for comics. When I heard that one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, was turned into a graphic novel, I was excited to get my hands on it.

I have to tell you how great it is. Yes, sometimes graphic novels are a little hard to follow. My kids love to read The Legend of Zelda graphic novels and since they’re Japanese-style, they read from back to front. I swear I get lost trying to figure out which panel to read first, but this book is fairly straightforward.

Maybe the drawings aren’t as detailed as you’re used to, or they’re not in color. However, there are hidden benefits to everything. This particular book is perfect, because it combines three things I love: reading, comics and the opportunity to color.



Yes, color. I still love to color. I’m in my 40’s, but I’ll admit it. When I was a kid, I had some amazing art coloring books and this book totally takes me back. The paper is perfect for colored pencils. We recently went on a trip to the beach and I took PP&Z with me and it was entertaining and made for hours of enjoyment. Which color should I use for Elizabeth’s dress today? How many streaks of coral can I put in her hair? Should she be blonde or brunette? Brunette, of course!. Should I make the zombies green or purple? How about green with purple guts?



The possibilities are endless.

I love to pack the book and my pencils in my purse, for when I’m waiting in the car at pickup after school or if I have to wait in the dentist’s office. It’s good to get out your aggressions coloring a little zombie mayhem.

I’m sure Quirk never intended to publish a coloring book, but this graphic novel is a must have for anyone who loves to find the quirkiness in everyday things.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the original mash-up novel, so when I heard of the graphic novel adaptation, I was quite excited. However, I was also leery, which is why it took me so long to get my hands on it and when I did, it was as library copy. I was leery for the main fact that I knew the interpretation of the graphic novel could be potentially iffy. And I was right. The illustrations are technically skilled, but lacking distinction. The only way I could tell Lizzie and Jane apart was by Jane's dark hair. The other female characters, the young ones at least, were interchangeable and it was very easy to confuse one for another. Plus, the characters were bland and overly romanticized. It was like looking at a bunch of Barbie and Ken dolls dressed in regency-style clothing. The women all had full lips, petite noses and large, doe-like eyes. And of course the men had perfectly styled hair and dashing, Prince Charming features. Frankly, it got rather boring after a while, watching all the perfect people parade across the page.

Then we come to the actual story. Naturally, due to the manner of graphic novel storytelling, the original tale was abridged. But not well, which resulted in a choppy and abrupt storyline; while the original novel, due to the inherent nature of a literary mash-up, had the occasional disconcerting moment when new material was introduced into the old, there were exponentially more of those jarring moments in the graphic novel. And the numerous double entendres referring to "balls" and their enjoyment by the girls got truly tiresome and were completely out of place. Including the snort of laughter given by Lizzie after one of those references (concerning musket balls, as opposed to the dancing balls which were the main victims of the juvenile jokes).

In the end, I'm glad I read the book: It satisfied my curiosity. However, I'm also glad I didn't buy it as I had initially planned and instead got it as a loan from the library. Because it was truly a letdown and could've been so much better.

[TeenRA Resource Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine's Response:
I quite enjoyed this novel. I know there are some who would argue that it is an adulteration of a classic but I can see the merit in both works. The story is quite funny, things will be going along normally and, all of a sudden, zombies will pop out of nowhere and the killing will commence. My favorite part was when Elizabeth rejected Mr. Darcy’s first proposal with a kick to the face. I think this is a great resource for helping reluctant readers appreciate the classics. Start them off with the graphic novel, move to the book version, and they may eventually want to read the original. I also liked the slightly unfinished quality of most of the illustrations. It fit nicely with the rougher take on the story.

A Quick Pitch:
Take Jane Austen’s classic love story, Pride and Prejudice, add a zombie apocalypse, a band of Kung Fu fighting sisters, and plenty of grotesque illustrations, and you have Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel.
After a strange plague overtakes much of England, the dead walk the earth looking for brains. Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters are trained by the best martial artists in China, so they can fight off the waves of unmentionables invading their village. Elizabeth has always been disdainful of how easily distracted her younger sisters are by the frivolities of balls and love. But when several new gentlemen come to town, Elizabeth must find a way to balance balls, beheadings, and the possibilities of new love.

[Bradley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently Del Rey doesn't have the money to afford an inker. It's like one of those "director's cut" comics that DC sometimes puts out that only include pencilled art without the inking or color. I don't mind black and white comics. This isn't a black and white comic. It's garbage.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hilarious adaptation to Pride and Prejudice... you can't go wrong with zombies!

[Roxie Voorhees · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was a super missed chance at amazing artwork. It really made reading the graphic novel pointless as I had already read the book.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ummmm. I was not a fan of this book. I gave it 2 stars because I did laugh a few times.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly hilarious reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as zombie hunters. This is a graphic novel adaptation of a full book. I am grateful that the illustrations are in black and white, as I have never been much for gore. There are quite a lot of zombie beheadings that splatter! Also the original story has been altered somewhat. I would recommend reading the original Jane Austen novel first to understand how they differ. But if you came to be a Jane Austen fan by first encountering the zombie apocalypse version, and that worked for you, kudos to you!

[bookblurbage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this after struggling with the classics and I wanted to read a graphic novel to get into the plot. I attempted to read Pride and Prejudice before but was unable to finish.

⚠️TW: strong language, violence, gore, ableist language

This graphic novel really entertained me. Full of gore, amusement, drama and unmentionables (aka zombies) to mix the plot up a little.

A great read and one I shall read again. Has this made me want to read the original - absolutely.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Last year I tried to read the novel version of this book and couldn't stand it. So I tried the graphic novel version thinking it would at least be quicker to get through. I can't stress enough how terrible it is.