by Frank Herbert
Sci-fi classic comes to life in graphic novel
Like a lot of you, I suspect, I’m excited about Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming version of Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” Both his sci-fi films “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049” managed to be slick, artful and smart. How to prepare myself for this new “Dune”? I didn’t love the book enough to slog through it another time, so I thought a beautifully-illustrated, condensed version might be just the thing.
I have been let down on two counts. First, the movie has been delayed because of COVID. Second, my ambivalence about the story has, if anything, increased over time. I can’t get over feeling that it is terribly out of sync with the moment. The appeal of widespread messianic movements lost its oomph around the 7th century CE. Plus, what with western xenophobia (boo!) and female badassery (yay!) both in ascendency, this Bedouin-inflected tale of the rise of a male savior might be a little off-putting to modern audiences. It will be interesting to see how Villeneuve and his screenwriters handle it.
That said, the muscular appeal of this space opera benefits, in this illustrated version, by a tightening of the baroque story by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The beautiful illustrations by Raúl Allén and Patricia Martin have lost David Lynch’s steampunk aesthetic, taking on instead a spare techno-Moorish flavor, at least when House Atreides arrives on Arakeen.
Book 1 has all the elements of its predecessor: the slow menacing build, the betrayal, murder and treachery, ending with the sojourn in the wilderness, a component in many messianic traditions.
Whatever the story’s failings, it can still get your heart pumping and this lavishly produced volume by Abrams Comic Arts is a feast for the eyes. { Cross-posted at goodreads. }