What do you think?
Rate this book
Discworld Graphic Novels #5
Mort: A Discworld Big Comic
An illustrated version of one of Terry Pratchett's comic science-fiction novels. Mort has been chosen as Death's apprentice. He gets board and lodging, free use of company horse, and doesn't even need time off for his grandmother's funeral. Looking like a skeleton is not compulsory, either.
96 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1994
9 people are currently reading
1543 people want to read
About the author
Terry Pratchett
684 books46.1k followersSir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983–2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Pratchett's first novel, The Carpet People, was published in 1971. The first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983, after which Pratchett wrote an average of two books a year. The final Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was published in August 2015, five months after his death.
With more than 100 million books sold worldwide in 43 languages, Pratchett was the UK's best-selling author of the 1990s. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and was knighted for services to literature in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2001 he won the annual Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the first Discworld book marketed for children. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2010.
In December 2007 Pratchett announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He later made a substantial public donation to the Alzheimer's Research Trust (now Alzheimer's Research UK, ARUK), filmed three television programmes chronicling his experiences with the condition for the BBC, and became a patron of ARUK. Pratchett died on 12 March 2015, at the age of 66.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
June 9, 2019
This is a book (along with Eric) which I remember seeing many years ago but could never find a copy or remember reading them. They were originally published when - well at least it felt like for me so please correct me - when fantasy was moving in the main stream and in so doing was exploring its limits and capabilities.
As a result you have something which for me is quintessentially a fantasy story at yet tells in that style that Sir Terry made his own. After all how many other stories do you know where Death takes a day off and goes to the funfair.
However there is a maturity to this story - after all death is inevitable and there is no escaping it - which I think what makes this such a great story. Yes you can say there is a happy ending - there usually is with Discworld stories but it does not mean you dont get to walk away without looking over your shoulder.
Once upon a time I used to think that Discworld stories were humour hidden masquerading as fantasy - now I realise that its the other way around you can have humour in fantasy (and for that matter you can have humour in any story) its just the art of getting the balance right. So rather than laughing at the subject, its a case of having a laugh along the way.
As a result you have something which for me is quintessentially a fantasy story at yet tells in that style that Sir Terry made his own. After all how many other stories do you know where Death takes a day off and goes to the funfair.
However there is a maturity to this story - after all death is inevitable and there is no escaping it - which I think what makes this such a great story. Yes you can say there is a happy ending - there usually is with Discworld stories but it does not mean you dont get to walk away without looking over your shoulder.
Once upon a time I used to think that Discworld stories were humour hidden masquerading as fantasy - now I realise that its the other way around you can have humour in fantasy (and for that matter you can have humour in any story) its just the art of getting the balance right. So rather than laughing at the subject, its a case of having a laugh along the way.
March 12, 2021
Discworld adaptations all have the same fundamental problem - you lose the whole of Pratchett's clever narrative and wordplays and all the nice little footnotes. Not to mention you usually need to cut up the story into a more manageable level, taking away even more of the good stuff.
All that being said, this one at least had a better art than the Colour of Magic comic.
All that being said, this one at least had a better art than the Colour of Magic comic.
April 18, 2019
I didn’t even know these things existed, how cool! This is basically a comic adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Mort, although you can’t really call it a graphic novel because it’s so heavily truncated. Entire parts of the story have been removed to make it all fit, although it stills works. It would be a pretty good way to get a kid into the Discworld, so there’s that.
January 29, 2023
'Mort: A Discworld Big Comic' (Death #1; Discworld #4) by Terry Pratchett, Lyn Pratchett, and Graham Higgins [Illustrator].
Ratings:
1) For the Graphic Novel adaptation: 3.0/5.
2) For the Artwork: 5/5.
Review:
Having read 'Mort' for the first time almost three years ago, I decided to do a re-read through a different medium. I picked up the graphic novel for a quick refresher, and it simply left me disappointed. I do need to add that the artwork was fabulous and the illustrator is not at the fault here.
The problem with graphic novel adaptations is that if it's not adapted well, you end up trimming down the original story to essentially a shadow of the source material. This adaptation, too, suffers from the same problem. Cramming the narrative in under a hundred pages when you have thrice as much content in the prose version is not only unjustified but also atrocious. It's not as if they were bound by page count since there are multiple adaptations with over 250 pages of content in the graphic novel format. Heck, I just finished the graphic novelization of Octavia E. Butler's "Kindred" and it had almost a similar page count as the source material.
Although I wasn't astounded by the story when I read it in prose form the first time around, I do remember having a pleasant experience reading it. When adapted to the graphic novel format, the story loses its charm. Most of the Discworld's magic is through Terry Pratchett's clever wordplay, comedic prose, and the quintessential footnotes - all of which are understandably absent in this format.
All in all, standing on its own, 'Mort: A Discworld Big Comic' is a huge letdown when it comes to adaptations. It's not bad, but it's not good either. If you aren't acquainted with the Discworld books, I would recommend you read (or listen) to the prose novels rather than jumping into the series with the graphic novels. However, this book might be a handy companion book for those who have already read the source material and want some incredible artwork to visualize the story a bit better.
Ratings:
1) For the Graphic Novel adaptation: 3.0/5.
2) For the Artwork: 5/5.
Review:
Having read 'Mort' for the first time almost three years ago, I decided to do a re-read through a different medium. I picked up the graphic novel for a quick refresher, and it simply left me disappointed. I do need to add that the artwork was fabulous and the illustrator is not at the fault here.
The problem with graphic novel adaptations is that if it's not adapted well, you end up trimming down the original story to essentially a shadow of the source material. This adaptation, too, suffers from the same problem. Cramming the narrative in under a hundred pages when you have thrice as much content in the prose version is not only unjustified but also atrocious. It's not as if they were bound by page count since there are multiple adaptations with over 250 pages of content in the graphic novel format. Heck, I just finished the graphic novelization of Octavia E. Butler's "Kindred" and it had almost a similar page count as the source material.
Although I wasn't astounded by the story when I read it in prose form the first time around, I do remember having a pleasant experience reading it. When adapted to the graphic novel format, the story loses its charm. Most of the Discworld's magic is through Terry Pratchett's clever wordplay, comedic prose, and the quintessential footnotes - all of which are understandably absent in this format.
All in all, standing on its own, 'Mort: A Discworld Big Comic' is a huge letdown when it comes to adaptations. It's not bad, but it's not good either. If you aren't acquainted with the Discworld books, I would recommend you read (or listen) to the prose novels rather than jumping into the series with the graphic novels. However, this book might be a handy companion book for those who have already read the source material and want some incredible artwork to visualize the story a bit better.
October 30, 2010
If you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, you'll like this adaptation of 'Mort'. If you haven't heard of him & want to get into the Discworld series, this is a good place to start for the most part.
The comic faithfully reproduces Pratchett's tale of Death & Love in nicely colored pictures. The story follows the titular character of Mort as he tries to find an apprenticeship, only to be apprenticed by Death himself. From there the story takes a comic turn as Mort has to deal with Death's unruly daughter as well as the nasty side of Death- that people actually have to die.
I actually had to special order this one from the UK as it isn't available in the US yet & found it well worth the money paid for it. The humor in the book is rather dry at points, but that's the type of humor that Pratchett is well loved for. At the risk of sounding like a Pratchett purist, I had no real complaints with this comic. The only bit of caution I'd give to potential buyers is that if you live in the US you may want to shop around first before plunking down a great deal of money on this comic (the price right now is $80). It's a good comic, but it's not that good. I'd also recommend that if you aren't really that big of a fan of Pratchett that you may want to give this a skip. It was fun to read but I enjoyed the book far more.
The comic faithfully reproduces Pratchett's tale of Death & Love in nicely colored pictures. The story follows the titular character of Mort as he tries to find an apprenticeship, only to be apprenticed by Death himself. From there the story takes a comic turn as Mort has to deal with Death's unruly daughter as well as the nasty side of Death- that people actually have to die.
I actually had to special order this one from the UK as it isn't available in the US yet & found it well worth the money paid for it. The humor in the book is rather dry at points, but that's the type of humor that Pratchett is well loved for. At the risk of sounding like a Pratchett purist, I had no real complaints with this comic. The only bit of caution I'd give to potential buyers is that if you live in the US you may want to shop around first before plunking down a great deal of money on this comic (the price right now is $80). It's a good comic, but it's not that good. I'd also recommend that if you aren't really that big of a fan of Pratchett that you may want to give this a skip. It was fun to read but I enjoyed the book far more.
July 16, 2014
Not as good as the book this was adapted from but still good.
August 11, 2017
Great art, better if you have read the book first.
December 25, 2022
Not yet.
January 2, 2024
Nicht total leicht nachzuvollziehen, wenn man die Geschichte nicht kennt, aber doch sehr schön gezeichnet und würzig gemacht
January 16, 2022
This trade paperback is a perfect companion to the novel Mort by Terry Pratchett. Unlike the trade paperbacks that were developed based on his first two books, this one is illustrated by Graham Higgins and I think he does an excellent job. This TPB is more humorous in it's art style but in some important ways it clings very closely to the written descriptions from the novel and I like that combination.
The opening panels involve some really great artwork relating to the hourglasses in Death's house and a very unusual (yet really impressive) version of Great A'Tuin. Turning a novel into a TPB always involves a sacrifice of material, and the early part of the book is mostly not there, the story mostly starts at the hiring fair. Then we have an introduction to Death's work as he takes Mort along on The Duty, that is a lot of fun, though concise, before we get to the princess Keli subplot.
Some of the things I love about this Graphic novel are just how well the illustrator does Ysabell (I think he truly captures the essence of what the novel does with and to her), princess Keli (not precisely beautiful, but compelling), Mort's slow transformation from a gangly teenager to Death and Death himself. Ysabell, thankfully, does not end up as a sleek supermodel with a playboy arse like she did in the earlier graphic novels and the insult competition between he and Mort in Death's garden has always been the image I have in my minds eye. Though, again, obviously, longer in the novel.
Anyhow, I really love this TPB, great artwork, alternatively funny or dramatic as needed and never takes itself too seriously. A pretty good editing of the full story, but best read along with the actual novel so you don't miss out on the full story.
The opening panels involve some really great artwork relating to the hourglasses in Death's house and a very unusual (yet really impressive) version of Great A'Tuin. Turning a novel into a TPB always involves a sacrifice of material, and the early part of the book is mostly not there, the story mostly starts at the hiring fair. Then we have an introduction to Death's work as he takes Mort along on The Duty, that is a lot of fun, though concise, before we get to the princess Keli subplot.
Some of the things I love about this Graphic novel are just how well the illustrator does Ysabell (I think he truly captures the essence of what the novel does with and to her), princess Keli (not precisely beautiful, but compelling), Mort's slow transformation from a gangly teenager to Death and Death himself. Ysabell, thankfully, does not end up as a sleek supermodel with a playboy arse like she did in the earlier graphic novels and the insult competition between he and Mort in Death's garden has always been the image I have in my minds eye. Though, again, obviously, longer in the novel.
Anyhow, I really love this TPB, great artwork, alternatively funny or dramatic as needed and never takes itself too seriously. A pretty good editing of the full story, but best read along with the actual novel so you don't miss out on the full story.
April 22, 2018
I think this was my introduction to Discworld. It works pretty well for that as it covers the plot and has some nice art. Without the footnotes, puns and descriptions you get in a Discworld book it does feel like it's missing some of what makes it great.
March 16, 2016
Λιγότερο φλύαρο από το Gurds!Guerds! και με λίγο πιο "ανοιχτό", ευανάγνωστο σκίτσο.
March 31, 2021
Mort is deemed as pretty useless. And when midnight comes around on Apprentice Day, and Mort has not been apprenticed he feels ... wait who's that? Oh it's DEATH. On a horse. Needing an apprentice. What has Mort got himself in to? And DEATH has never had an apprentice before; how will Mort change his world?
Plot: I love the story of Mort - it is still one of my favourite Terry Pratchett books. The plot of this covers so many things but always has that mad and hilarious Terry Pratchett signature. I feel that it Mort looks at what it means to be human and how people can make you reflect on the way that you live your life. And also that cats are wonderful creatures and should be treated with respect of reverence... or else. I feel that they kept in a good amount of the story from Mort in this graphic novel and I feel that you could pick this up before reading Mort, however, you would spot cameos like the Librarian if you are an avid Discworld fan. I would recommend this for Discworld veterans, fans of fantasy and people who love a good anthropomorphic personifications.
Art Style: I enjoyed the art style in this Graphic Novel. Again, I don't know that it's a style that I would have loved by looking at the cover, however, in reading the graphic novel it really fit in with the source material and I loved it! Especially the way they drew DEATH.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Plot: I love the story of Mort - it is still one of my favourite Terry Pratchett books. The plot of this covers so many things but always has that mad and hilarious Terry Pratchett signature. I feel that it Mort looks at what it means to be human and how people can make you reflect on the way that you live your life. And also that cats are wonderful creatures and should be treated with respect of reverence... or else. I feel that they kept in a good amount of the story from Mort in this graphic novel and I feel that you could pick this up before reading Mort, however, you would spot cameos like the Librarian if you are an avid Discworld fan. I would recommend this for Discworld veterans, fans of fantasy and people who love a good anthropomorphic personifications.
Art Style: I enjoyed the art style in this Graphic Novel. Again, I don't know that it's a style that I would have loved by looking at the cover, however, in reading the graphic novel it really fit in with the source material and I loved it! Especially the way they drew DEATH.
Rating: 5/5 stars
January 4, 2023
And this is how it was gonna happen my first discworld story and it was nice but would have to read the story to get all the things that had to be left out to fit it in these pages. But it was still a nice funny read and somethings that were apparent and easy to see in these pages might need multiple paras or pages to define. This would be second work by Pratchett I have read the last one was Good Omens so still have to read a proper book done only by Pratchett and I would like to start in the order the things were published, so let's keep on reading.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bits, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to bits, may comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
May 23, 2017
Není to úplně z nejlepších komiksových adaptací knih. Sem tam je to trochu zmatené (zasloužilo by si to nějaký systém oddělení dějů/kapitol), oproti knížce (i když v tomto případě logicky) uspěchané, Pratchettův humor je tam vidět méně. Navíc pro mě je tento styl ilustrací trochu nehezký. Já radši dva skalní Prattchetovy ilustrátory. Každopádně jsem rád, že jsem se po Stráže! Stráže! dostal i k tomuto komiksu :)
December 1, 2024
3⭐️
LET THIS NOT BE YOUR FIRST EXPOSURE TO MORT!
If you are interested in Discworld and want to read Mort, READ THE BOOK FIRST.
This is not a great adaptation. It’s accurate enough if bottom out your expectations for all things which in the novel had room for interpretation. (That is a lot, in my opinion.)
I like the art, the colours and layouts and compositions, BUT I VERY MUCH dislike the faces and the general character portrayal choices. Characters here look too generic and lack any charm or warmth.
LET THIS NOT BE YOUR FIRST EXPOSURE TO MORT!
If you are interested in Discworld and want to read Mort, READ THE BOOK FIRST.
This is not a great adaptation. It’s accurate enough if bottom out your expectations for all things which in the novel had room for interpretation. (That is a lot, in my opinion.)
I like the art, the colours and layouts and compositions, BUT I VERY MUCH dislike the faces and the general character portrayal choices. Characters here look too generic and lack any charm or warmth.
October 26, 2023
Pratchett gets into a leisurely pace with the script which works as it should but for a notable wobble in the middle. Higgins gives us big, bright, and bunny ears with surprising dives into chiaroscuro. A fun read and pleasing victory lap, dancing.
I read this in the run-up to the podcast, 'I've never read Discworld', and you can see our special episode about it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOTD9...
I read this in the run-up to the podcast, 'I've never read Discworld', and you can see our special episode about it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOTD9...
August 13, 2021
I haven't read this in a long time. It's short, even for a graphic novel. The art is great, especially the transformation of Mort. The story plays with the themes of life, death, and meaning in an enjoyably serious manner considering the general wackiness of the novel.
September 28, 2021
Been on the shelf a while this one! A fun reimagining of Mort, lovingly illustrated. It's a little difficult to convey Pratchetts humorous details in this format, and I think I'd struggle to follow the storyline more if I didn't already know it, but an enjoyable graphic novel!
October 21, 2020
Mort is clever, with a heart. Loved it!
April 8, 2021
These big comic versions are great to go back to and read if it has been a while since you read the books or just a good starting place if you want to get into pratchet.
July 5, 2021
DNF at 55% along with the book.
March 11, 2022
Great job with a classic discworld tale. Nice graphics.
July 17, 2023
very fun and funny
May 29, 2024
It's funny, bizarre and sometimes profound. Quintessential Pratchett. I enjoyed it.
July 5, 2024
Perhaps the greatest of all the Discworld comic adaptations. The illustrations are simply magnificent. The story is woozily truncated, appropriately so. One to savour!
February 27, 2025
I am glad I read the novel before this version, I would have been confused in parts of I hadn't. The story is good but personally I wasn't keen on the illustrations.
June 8, 2018
Comic adaptation of book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews