“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered by many to be one of the greatest novels of the early twentieth century. Though a flop during Fitzgerald’s lifetime, it grew in popularity in the following decades. It’s no surprise that there have been a few graphic novel adaptations of it with the most recent one by Ted Adams and Jorge Coelho.
Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate from the Midwest, has moved to West Egg, a fictional area in Long Island, NY. It is here that he meets the super-wealthy Jay Gatsby who holds parties for people in the area almost nightly. He also wants to get back with Nick’s second cousin Daisy who is currently married.
While some people praise the work as the perfect representation of the Roaring 20s, it’s mostly a boring slog featuring 1920s socialites drinking and partying and Gatsby’s affair with Daisy. Yes, it is supposed to be a narrative about the overindulgence and carefree lifestyle of 1920s America, but it is told in such a boring way some modern readers will not care to continue reading past a certain point.
The artwork brings the decade to life. The characters look exactly like how people looked in the decade from the clothes to the hairstyles. However, the artwork isn’t anything too grand nor is it terrible. The only true stand out with the art is the use of color in certain panels. They make the scene look a lot more vibrant or even bring out the mood of that scene a lot more.
The plot to “The Great Gatsby” may not be to everyone’s liking, but this graphic novel does try to bring it to life with characters that look like they belong to the decade and some clever use of colors does help get through the graphic novel. It won’t make anyone a fan of Fitzgerald but it does look nice.
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