Adapting The Great Gatsby into a graphic novel is no easy feat because the metaphor and imagery are so well-known. Instead of a strict recreation of every word, Woodman-Maynard uses muted single-color panels and pages to communicate the different moods of the story, from excessive parties to melancholy remembrances. When Nick Carraway moves to West Egg, he quickly gets pulled into the world of his nouveau riche neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Over in East Egg, Nick spends time with his cousin Daisy and her hulking husband, Tom Buchanan. Nick then finds out that Gatsby's plan is to recreate his past with Daisy, and he gets caught in the middle of their reconciliation. Woodman-Maynard chooses to turn many metaphors into literal drawings, adding to the heightened euphoria of Gatsby's parties. Although most readers will know the story, Woodman-Maynard's artwork brings a new perspective to the character's histories and actions isy especially benefits from this. This adaptation deftly pays homage to Fitzgerald's iconic phrases through the artwork and pushes readers to question Nick's status as narrator.

Nearly a century after its first publication, the English class mainstay is presented in graphic form, presenting the story of Nick, a young man who rents a mansion in Long Island for the summer, and an enigmatic party host named Gatsby.Fitzgerald's dialogue appears in speech bubbles while Nick's signature nonjudgmental judgments are woven into the art itself, appearing in the beam of a lightbulb, the shadow of the self-important Tom Buchanan's imposing frame, or the chaise that Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker seemingly ceaselessly lounge on. Woodman-Maynard's adaptation of the text is understandably quite abridged, but it does the book no favors. The great revelation that Gatsby is (spoiler alert) not a trust fund kid but an imposter is afforded a single page, and the fact of his past affair with Daisy is so murkily depicted that it feels less tragic romance and more moony boy and Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The class issues that make the original novel so compelling are thus less than adequately examined. Where the book truly shines is in a few striking images, some metaphorical and some text based, rendered in cool, languid watercolor and digital art. As Woodman-Maynard indicates in the author's note, those who are not familiar with the novel should begin there; those more familiar with the story will be able to fill in the gaps as they read this condensed version.A disappointing stand-in for the original. (author's note) (Graphic fiction. 14-adult)