"the artwork is fantastic... beautiful, mysterious, and engaging."
- David Kendall, Leading Visual Literacies Consultant (April 2009)
"This is a fine adaptation of one of Shakespeare's best historical tragedies. The text retains the flavor of the original language... the art focuses on the characters' facial expressions and has a raw, unfinished look that is very well done; the contrast between black (images and text) and white (the blank page) is stark and unsettling. The setting is Rome, time unknown: the characters dress like they're in a futuristic science fiction movie, and there are motorcycles, helicopters and even skydiving. Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caesar contains comic book violence and is recommended for middle school and up graphic novel collections, especially those that emphasize the classics.'"
- George Galuschak, Librarian (November 2008)
"What truly shines in this work... is the superlative visualization by newcomer Mustashrik. Working in stark white and inky black, he has created a spare but intense landscape that mirrors the emotions of the characters, and combines a sense of dreamlike isolation with a minimal backdrop that suggests a stage on which the drama is normally enacted. Using shadow, he has managed to make the assassination simultaneously graphic yet subtle, and by alternating tight focus and long shots, and using a thick brush to exemplify expressions, he has fittingly crafted a visual tour de force of Mark Anthony’s speech. Especially for the more artistically minded, this is a raw, striking, and powerful introduction to Shakespeare."
- Booklist Magazine, published by the American Library Association.
"NEO Magazine: Five stars"
"NEO Gold Award"
"Appignanesi's adaptation... is stellar [and Mustashrik's] distinctively sketchy style adds even more weight and menace to one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies"
- NEO Magazine (August 2008)
“BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH!” A soothsayer warns Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s classic portrayal of noble ideals turned to bloodshed. Caesar, grown arrogant on military victory, assumes the people will acclaim his dictatorship. But staunch republicans, Brutus and Cassius, conspire to assassinate him. Civil war follows, as Antony and Octavius seek revenge.
Mustashrik is an artist, designer and aspiring filmmaker. Born in 1985 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, he came to the UK at a very young age with no memory of a life before the United Kingdom, moving around many times before eventually settling in south-east England at the age of 9. After completing an Art Foundation (Distinction), he went on to graduate in Graphic Design (BA Hons) at The University College for The Creative Arts, Epsom. Mustashrik had a manga story published in NEO Magazine in 2005. In 2006, his work was exhibited at The Japanese Embassy in London. In 2007 he was published in the D&AD Student Design Awards Annual 2007, for his entry into the Book Cover Illustration category. He has previously been published in the Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2 (2007). He exhibits at Demo store in Carnaby Street, London. Mustashrik works on branding, character design and animation projects for clients in a range of creative sectors including music, fashion and design.
DETAILS
Series title:Manga Shakespeare
Book title:
Julius Caesar
Original author:
William Shakespeare
Adapted by:
Richard Appignanesi
Illustrated by:
Mustashrik
UK Publication date:
June 2008
Format:
148 x 210mm
Extent:
208
Colour:
Black & white,
9-page colour section
Binding:
Paperback
Price:
£7.99
Category:
Manga / Graphic Novels
/ Shakespeare / Children
ISBN:
978-0-9552856-5-3