Graphic Novel Review: THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE AFTER HOURS

Part of a series of graphic novels from Walker Books for Young Readers, THE AFTER HOURS is an adaptation of an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE by the same name.  A young woman named Marsha White enters a department store searching for a specific gift for her mother: a gold thimble. However, as she goes about searching for the gift, a growing sense of terror begins to fill her.  The mannequins seem to be watching her and she suspects they don't want her to leave the store.

Like the original tv episode, the graphic novel does a good job of capturing the invading sense of dread and terror that Marsha feels. Those store mannequins just look so creepy. I liked the illustrations in the story. They are similar to the illustrations in other books in the series. They are kind of cartoony, but not too much so. They do an excellent job of capturing the mood and atmosphere of the tale. The text is written in a font a little larger than most graphic novels and comics and the panels are easy to follow. The book includes introductory and concluding essays as well as a page that gives many details about the original episode, including cast, crew, and trivia.

Overall, THE AFTER HOURS is a good graphic novel adaptation of a classic episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Graphic Novel Review: THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET

Part of a series of graphic novels from Walker Books for Young Readers, THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET is an adaptation of an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE by the same name.  On a suburban street, all the power goes out when a meteor seemingly crashes nearby. However, not only is the power out, but cars won't start, radios don't play, and most other electronic devices seem to have stopped working. Soon the seemingly close neighbors become suspicious of each other and paranoia runs rampant. There are monsters on Maple Street, but they aren't who the people think.

Although THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET is a classic Twilight Zone story, it really doesn't translate well into this graphic novel adaptation. Other than a few tweaks here and there, the episode has been translated almost exactly from the tv episode. While the overarching themes are still the same, they lose some of their power in this particular book form. This is an example of the tv show being much better than the book.

I liked the illustrations in the story. They are similar to the illustrations in other books in the series. They are kind of cartoony, but not too much so. They do an excellent job of capturing the mood and atmosphere of the tale. The text is written in a font a little larger than most graphic novels and comics and the panels are easy to follow. The book includes introductory and concluding essays as well as a page that gives many details about the original episode, including cast, crew, and trivia.

Overall, while the illustrations are good, the story of THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET doesn't translate well in this particular graphic novel adaptation.

Graphic Novel Review: THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33

Part of a series of graphic novels from Walker Books for Young Readers, THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33 is an adaptation of an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE by the same name. A jet liner on an international flight from London to New York is swept up by a mighty tailwind that forces it to accelerate at an alarming rate. The passengers don't really notice as the crew does everything possible to get things under control. When it appears the situation has stabilized, they discover that although they are physically where they should be, they have somehow traveled through time into the past. Thus begins the journey of Flight 33 in The Twilight Zone.

Out of all the stories I have read so far in this series of THE TWILIGHT ZONE graphic novels, THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33 is one of the better ones. The original episode has been updated a little, but the overall story has remained the same. Unfortunately, like many Twilight Zone stories, the ending is kind of disappointing. However, that really doesn't make the story any less memorable.

I liked the illustrations in the story. They are similar to the illustrations in other books in the series. They are kind of cartoony, but not too much so. They do an excellent job of capturing the mood and atmosphere of the tale. The text is written in a font a little larger than most graphic novels and comics and the panels are easy to follow. The book includes introductory and concluding essays as well as a page that gives many details about the original episode, including cast, crew, and trivia.

Overall, a good graphic novel adaptation of a classic episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. This is a book that I think will appeal not only to older children and reluctant readers, but to fans of the original series as well.