Poe: Stories and Poems

Having previously created rich graphic adaptations of The Odyssey, Beowulf, and several of Shakespeare's works, Hinds brings a handful of Poe's poems and short stories to grisly visual life. Focusing on seven of the writer's most famous pieces--including "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Raven," and "The Cask of Amontillado"--Hinds uses distinct visual styles to draw out the mood and tone for each. Full-page charcoal panels amplify an atmosphere of bleak despair in "The Raven," while screaming red display type ("thub dub thub dub") creates a growing sense of mania in "The Tell-Tale Heart." And although "The Pit and the Pendulum" opens in near-total darkness, the horrors of the captive's situation gradually becomes clearer as Hinds lets dim light in. In a neat detail, each story opens with a legend indicating recurring themes (death, fire, and scary sounds in "The Bells") so readers know what to expect; Hinds further reflects on and contextualizes each story in endnotes. Hinds doesn't sugarcoat the blood and gore in these stories and poems--each haunting sequence is rife with tension and dread. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)