I Am Legend TP Steve Niles 1st print IDW Richard Matheson Graphic Adaptation

Description

Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend (Graphic Novel) Paperback
by Steve Niles (Author), Elman Brown (Illustrator)

Richard Matheson’s classic novel of fear and vampirism is soon to be a major motion picture starring Will Smith.

The tale of the last human on an Earth overrun by the undead — returns to graphic novel format in a single volume collection of four long out-of-print books.

Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: IDW

Back in 1954, Richard Matheson wrote a ‘Legendary’ novel that inspired many authors and film makers. Even Stephen King often gives partial credit to Matheson for his categorical success (see Stephen King’s Danse Macabre). Three film adaptations have been made of Matheson’s “Legendary” novel. None of the three films have ever done the novel true justice. But this graphic novel version of the story is essentially the original story with pictures.

2007’s film version of I Am Legend centers around the exploits of Will Smith playing the last man on Earth. And Smith is absolutely phenomenal as a modern day (2009 – 2012) survivor; but the 2007 film strays from the storyline of the book in several key plot lines.

Back in the 80s sometime, I read Matheson’s novel, and quite frankly, I found it hard to get through…it was–dare I say–boring. So at first I was reluctant to pick up Steve Niles’ (the author of the fabulous 30 Days of Night) and Elman Brown’s 1991 try at adapting Matheson’s story to a graphic novel. But my reluctance was quickly replaced with captivation after diving into just the first few pages of the story.

I can’t explain why I liked the graphic novel version so much more than the original novel. This graphic novel version was truly that much more engrossing for me. I think that I’ve either matured since the 80s to see the irony that Matheson intended in the story, or Niles and his partners just illustrated that irony so well that it made the story much more…absorbable.

Are vampires just a Legend or is Robert Nevelle a Legendary monster in a world gone mad? The 2007 theatrical version of I Am Legend doesn’t really even come close to exploring this irony (the DVD does include an alternate ending that tries), but Niles’ & Brown’s graphic novel takes the original story and makes it better by highlighting and sharpening what to me was dim and dull in the original novel.

Near mint condition. Unsure of printing. Either 1st or 2nd.