For the past year or so, I've been working on a new line of graphic novels based on our No Fear Shakespeare play editions. These editions—very popular with the kids these days—feature the original play text on one side and a contemporary vernacular translation on the other.
The books won't publish till early 2008 or so, but all the art has been completed for Romeo and Juliet, and I have to say, it makes me very verklempt.
The artist is an amazingly talented friend of mine, Matt Wiegle, who I think has an unparalleled understanding of narrative technique. His work is incredibly dynamic, not to mention smart. (The other two, totally different but equally amazing artists, are Neil Babra and Kenichi Hoshine on Hamlet and Macbeth, respectively.)
Originally, these graphic novels were going to use the No Fear translations for their dialogue, but we realized that, taken out of context, those translations—never intended to be read on their own—seemed strange and stilted. So in addition to selecting and overseeing the artists, I'm also re-translating all the texts so that they read more smoothly and elegantly. We also discovered that the images go a long way toward clarifying the text, so I was also able to "up" the language a bit; as I translate, I try to add some of the Shakespearean flavor back in, while keeping it all crisp and accessible.
This page—beside being one of my favorite, favorite pieces of art (look at that architectural detail!)—is a good example of the balancing act I'm trying to pull off on every page. Go here for the original Shakespearean text, along with the initial No Fear translation.
