His works are classics: Boston's Gareth Hinds discusses adapting "The Odyssey" into a graphic novel

Editors often say that a writer's work need not be a classic.

That's not true for Gareth Hinds.

The Boston resident just finished adapting Homer's "The Odyssey" into a nearly 250-page painted graphic novel, scheduled for release next October from Candlewick Press.

Candlewick previously published Gareth's rendition of Beowulf, and of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

Gareth appeared at the Wellesley Booksmith in Wellesley on Nov. 6.

He also discussed his latest project with the 'Word.

This interview was conducted by e-mail.

MIKE: Literary classics have long been adapted into comic books; the Classics Illustrated line comes to mind. What inspired your particular take on King Lear?
GARETH: I like the idea of Classics Illustrated, but they were too short to do any kind of justice to the works on which they're based, and there were a lot of cut corners in the way they were produced.

I don't think the point is just to try to make a buck using the name of a famous book, or to provide an outline of the plot. Rather I want to recreate the essential nature of the original as I experienced it.

I want to share what I loved about the original, but in a new medium -- and with some of the parts that are hardest for a modern audience smoothed over so more people can enjoy it.

MIKE: How much of your story will Shakespeare fans find familiar? How much is new?
GARETH: Fans will find everything familiar, and almost nothing new.

I stuck very closely to Shakespeare's original, editing by subtraction in as unobtrusive a way as possible.

Some of the visual designs might be surprising, though, as I did a lot of experimenting with how to show the characters' personalities, and how to stage the action.

MIKE: What has doing the adaptations taught you about the classics?
GARETH: I guess it has amplified my appreciation for how deep the material is.

I realized as I was getting into King Lear, that there were a near-infinite number of interesting ways I could interpret it.

I still think it would be fun to someday do another version of King Lear. Mostly, though, it's not that I've learned things about the classics in general, it's just that the ones I've worked with have become like old friends.

MIKE: I see on your blog that you enjoy attending the dress rehearsals of Shakespearian shows. Why?
GARETH: Well, I love Shakespeare, and I love drawing from life. So I like to go to shows with my sketchbook and do drawings of the performances.

The nice thing about the dress rehearsal is that I can spread out my materials, use my tablet computer, move around, and just work a bit more freely than I could in the middle of a real show.

MIKE: What can reading the classics teach comic book fans?
GARETH: These works are considered classics for a lot of good reasons.

They have very timeless, universal themes. They have a lot to say about the human condition. At the same time they are very specific to a particular period of human civilization, and they evoke it vividly so the reader can learn about that time and place -- what's exactly the same, and what's so different it seems utterly alien to us today. It expands your horizons.

Reading a classic book is kind of like traveling to a foreign country, but without leaving your living room.

MIKE: What's next on your drawing board, now that you've finished The Odyssey?
GARETH: I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet.

Candlewick has given me a lot of freedom in deciding what to pursue next, and I am still researching, experimenting, and considering. However, I can tell you that for the first time, there is a good chance that my next book will *not* be an adaptation.

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