The classics last for a reason. Their narratives hold on deep in our collective hearts and, if you care to go looking into those depths, you might see something of human nature reflected back. That said, not all of Shakespeare truly is “classic.” But enough are that it’s surprising more comics creators don’t tackle them and infuse their own design sensibilities. Especially so with “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Shakespeare’s shortest play, seething with supernatural horrors and cautions about ambition. (Disney did tackle “The Tragedy of Hamlet” starring the denizens of Duckburg.)
Dark Horse Comics brought all this to mind because the publisher is releasing a graphic novel inspired by the Scottish play. Writer Stefano Ascari and artist Simone D’Armini aren’t doing a line for line adaptation. Instead, they’re flipping the script and telling the story from the Weird Sisters’ point of view. You know them for their deathless introduction “… double, double toil and trouble…” Some might say they spur the Thane of Cawdor to evil; they might say they merely foretell possibilities. It’s up to men to take action on their fates.
I’m in.
From Dark Horse Comics:
Writer Stefano Ascari (Long Wei, Shutter Island), and artist Simone D’Armini (Frankenstein: Unbound, Star Wars Adventures) reimagine one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays in the new graphic novel, Macbeth: A Tale of Horror.
Deep within the walls of Castle Dunsinane, a seed of madness begins to bloom. Spurred on by the prophecies of witches and the whispers of his scheming wife, Lord Macbeth plots the death of his friend, King Duncan. This one cruel act soon spirals out of control, and murder after murder erupt into a wave of chaos and violence that threatens to consume all of Scotland.
On Macbeth, Stefano Ascari said, “When I saw Simone’s spectacular characterization of Macha, Badbh, and Morrigna, the three sisters of the night, I thought I would like to write Macbeth’s story from their point of view: eternal, all-powerful creatures who delight in playing with the fate of men like ravenous cats with unsuspecting mice.”
Macbeth: A Tale of Horror TPB will be available at comic stores October 5, 2023 and in bookstores October 4, 2023. It is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop and bookstore. Macbeth: A Tale of Horror will retail for $19.99.
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