ALA Booklist (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

It is with great respect and considerable verve that Grimly takes four of Poe's well-trod tales and gives them the graphic more ways than one eatment. Poe, whose narrators were often cackling madmen, slavering scientists, or guilt-stricken criminals, is a natural for this kind of adaptation, and Grimly wisely allows large chunks of Poe's prose to run rampant. Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly I can tell you the whole story, raves the murderous protagonist of The Tell-Tale Heart d just that fast you know he's nuts. Working with a limited palette of browns, greens, and pinks, Grimly's E.C. Comics style renderings have an aged look, but when necessary explode into wild caricature that straddles the fence between frightening and funny. Grimly saves for last the most straightforward and effective tale, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. The shadowy borders and medical sketches that crowd the panels are a perfectly creepy wind-up to the gross and gooey finale. An ideal entrée to the works of Poe.

Horn Book

Grimly (Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness) abridges and illustrates four more chilling Poe tales in this volume, leading with "The Tell-Tale Heart." Dynamic page design propels each story while contextualizing the sometimes challenging language. By the end, though, it feels like an awful lot of sameness; each tale may have been better served by an individual adaptation.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This graphic novel–style companion to <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness contains four condensed versions of classic Poe stories. Grimly's caricatured faces capture the macabre soul of Poe's work, while the text incorporates significant moments from the original works. When the speaker in <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">The Tell-Tale Heart declares, “I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever,” he is rendered ghoulishly, as three panels close in on his own bulging, horror-struck eye. The essence of Poe with the accessibility and artistry of Grimly's gruesome images make it a sound introduction to the legendary writer—though, as with much of Poe's work, this collection is not for the timid. Ages 11–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Aug.)

School Library Journal (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 7 Up-Four of Poe's morbid short stories are adapted for teens in this heavily illustrated presentation: "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether," "The Oblong Box," and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." Grimly intersperses his horror-infused ink-and-watercolor cartoon art throughout Poe's putrid prose. The effect is an offering that bridges graphic and traditional print formats. Great for readers who adore the gothic and the gruesome. Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY