The pull of Pullman
It is a good many years since I read many graphic novels and I do not think I have recommended one on this blog befoe, but the author's name was more than enough to draw me to this one. Although only just published in book form, The Adventures of John Blake was originally written as a weekly serial in The Phoenix comic. However, any thoughts that Philip Pullman was demeaning himself to write such a thing are quickly dispelled. Just as firmly he quashes any idea that the graphic novel is necessarily some form of inconsequential frippery.
A tasty snack
In authoring John Blake Philip Pullman has is no way condescended to his young audience. What he has created is a complex, multi-strand narrative, beautifully structured to develop in the most engaging and exciting of ways. He builds tension quite masterfully as the reader gradually pieces together the story, thrilling at incidentsand revelations along the way. Nor is the premise of the tale simple either. On some levels, this is a story much more in the style of Young James Bond (or perhaps more pertinently a young Sexton Blake?) with many of the classic elements of the genre, including a mega villain. But its conceptualisation is far from being either simplistic or unoriginal. For example, the 'ghost ship', a central element of the story, has travelled through time and picked up a crew whose members are each from a radically different period of history, providing the most surprising cast of characters and intriguing dialogue. Philip Pullman has also brought the genre very much into the twenty-first century. Alongside the traditional male heros and villains, are equally strong and prominent female characters. Another feature sure to engage his contemporary children's attention is the fact that several lead characters make extensive use of an 'apparator', a high-tech gadget not totally unrelated to the mobile phone.
And then the artist
Of course, being a graphic text, the remarkable effectiveness of John Blake is as much, if not more, due to the talents of the illustrator. Fred Fordham's drawing style is strong and clear, ideally suited to visual narration, his colouring is highly atmospheric and communicative - and many of his pictures are stunningly beautiful too. These include, amongst many other striking images, some breathtaking illustrations of London bridges. More than this, however, Fred Fordham does equally brilliantly what that great master Hergé does in his Tintin books. He uses page layout and picture size to control both the rhythm and impact of the story. A particularly telling example is the jump to full page to show the tiny figure of the girl in a vast ocean after she has fallen overboard. Another is the sudden, stunning contrast of the partial depiction of John against an otherwise blank double spread, used to depict the moment of the explosion. Like the very best illustrators, Fred Fordham illuminates the story without ever smothering the reader's own imagination. His artwork is masterly.
This is real reading
Reading a graphic text requires many of the same skills as reading prose, but also some very importantly different ones. John Blake will provide a challenging read for many children. However, I am confident that the medium, in the hands of such skilled creators, will provide all the motivation they need to succeed. Here a fine author and talented illustrator have clearly demonstrated that this form of literature is exactly that, worthwhile literature in its own right. Of course, nothing so comparatively slight can seriously compare with the literary marvel that is His Dark Materials. But whilst we are waiting for the feast to come in Philip Pullman's sequel trilogy, The Book of Dust, John Blake is a very tasty snack indeed to keep us going.
Graphic versions of modern classics
Amongst adults, the graphic novel is rather a niche genre, which means that many are missing out on some real gems. Teachers can look down on children reading graphic novels, and their younger siblings, comics, as some lower form of entertainment that is not 'real reading'. I think this is something of a mistake too. It only takes a degree of serious study of a real master of the genre, like Hergé, to start to discover just what treasures the medium has to offer. In John Blake we have another fine example of this. Prompted by Philip Pullman and Fred Fordham's little masterpiece, I am reminded that there are credible graphic novel versions of a good number of popular contemporary children's novels, too. Good examples are those of Jonathan Stroud's The Amulet of Samarkand, and some of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books. If, after engagements with these, children are inspired to go on to read the prose versions or their sequels, then that is an excellent thing. But even if not, they will have absorbed a great deal about the the effective communication of both character and narrative. They will, of course, have also derived a lot of pleasure from the act of reading. And isn't reading for pleasure what we keep saying we want our children to do?
Another top of my pops
Here are more gems to consider. Dave Shelton's A Boy and a Bear in a Boat is one of the true greats of contemporary children's fiction; a must read for any who can appreciate its dry humour and revel in its quirkiness. Not far behind, in its own way, comes his comic strip fiction: Good Dog, Bad Dog and its sequel, Double Identity. These clever send-ups of the movie detective genre are crammed full of delightful drollery, both verbal and visual. The two detectives are as funny a double act as many of their cinematic counterparts and the stories hugely entertaining as a result. There are many children about who are fully capable of appreciating their many levels of brilliance.
. . .and not just for rainy playtimes
Like The Adventures of John Blake, Double Identity is a spin off from The Phoenix weekly comic, evidence aplenty that this publication itself has much to offer young readers. Were I still teaching, it would certainly be on my list of reading materials to be recommended and encouraged, together with other graphic fiction.
