BOOK REVIEW: Manga Classics: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog.

Description: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn features the story of a young boy, chafed by the “sivilized” restrictions of his foster home, and weary of his drunkard father’s brutality. To escape, 14 year-old Huck Finn fakes his own death and sets off on a raft down the Mississippi River. He is soon joined by Jim, an escaped slave. Together, they experience a series of rollicking adventures that have amused readers, young and old, for over a century. The fugitives become close friends as they weather storms together aboard the raft and spend idyllic days swimming, frying catfish suppers, and enjoying their independence. Their peaceful existence ends abruptly, however, with the appearance of the King and the Duke, an incorrigible pair of con artists who take over the raft. After many difficulties, Huck and Jim escape their tormentors, and with the help of an imaginative rescue by Huck’s old friend Tom Sawyer, Jim gains his freedom. Manga Classics breathes new life into this American Classic with a faithful adaptation of Mark Twain’s masterpiece. Please note: We have maintained a faithful use of Twain’s original text in this adaptation.

Published October 2017 by UDON Entertainment

Crystal Chan  (Adapted by), Kuma Chan (Art by), Jeannie Lee (Lettering), Mark Twain (Original novel)

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

**NOTE: Illustrations attached to this review are not high-quality as they are from the review copy. I attempted to contact the publisher for high-resolution images (as they have requested) but received no response.

Genre: Teens & YA, Comics & Graphic Novels, Illustrated Classics

Themes: slavery, racism, adventures, mischief, family rivalries, religion, morality, childhood, growing up, friendships

Amazon* / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

*As an Amazon Associate, I get a mini % of sales price if you purchase the item through my link, thank you!

I never knew these existed until I saw them on NetGalley – I requested all of the titles they had and got auto-approved by the publisher!

I’ve always loved Manga (if you’re curious, some of my favorites are Naruto, Food Wars!, Case Closed and, DN Angel). I don’t read them as often anymore, but I try to get back to them occasionally. Although I haven’t been reading as much classics during the past couple of years, I still think about them all the time whenever I see them on the shelf and I truly cherish those that I read and loved (i.e. Pride & Prejudice, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Great Gatsby, David Copperfield, Gone with the Wind, and so much more!!!). So to be able to read a combination of both is such an incredible experience.

My first pick is Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I used to watch the animated Tom Sawyer series when I was young and of course, as is usual, I loved our main character, Tom Sawyer. When I read the original classic, Huck Finn’s story resonated with me a lot more than Tom Sawyer’s – maybe because unlike Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn wasn’t privileged and educated enough to conform with society’s norms, and that in turn, gave him freedom to make decisions based on his own concepts of morality.

I don’t know – there’s something about Huck Finn’s character that is undeniably charming and charismatic and appealing. And for Huck Finn’s character to come alive in Kuma Chan’s illustrations – I was overjoyed!

For me, it was also important that the sensitive subjects (and sometimes, language) were retained. The authenticity of Mark Twain’s original work would have been lost otherwise.

There’s also a treat for map lovers, like me – detailing Huck Finn’s journey across multiple states!

Overall, I’m so impressed with the Manga Classics (I’ve also scanned some of the others, my next read is Romeo & Juliet). If I’m being honest, I will go so far as to say that I enjoyed reading this even more than I did the original classic in novel form!

So, whether you like Manga or you like your classics or simply want to branch out to reading graphic novels, I think you should give this one a try!

Thank you UDON Entertainment for my review copy!

And thank you for reading! I’ll be back to review Romeo & Juliet as soon I’m done reading it 🙂