Classics Illustrated Coming Back With Parents’ Ok

For many kids, they were a doorway to some of history’s most famous books.

For others, they provided an easy way to do book reports.

But teachers and parents were sharply divided over the worth of Classics Illustrated, a literary hybrid that merged the then-lowly world of comic books with the high-brow world of legendary authors.

From 1941 to the early 1960s, Classics Illustrated offered up a monthly dose of well-known novels in comic book form. That put Alexander Dumas, Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens and even William Shakespeare on the same level with the likes of Superman, Batman, Captain America and even Donald Duck.

Teachers warned of the dangers of reading Classics because the “comic book often leaves out parts of the book.” That’s why some book reports were handed back with an “F” on them.

Parents fretted simply because they were comic books. During the early 1950s, believe it or not, comic books were considered one of the causes of juvenile delinquency.

Those kind of fears have long been considered outdated. And it’s a good thing, too, because Classics Illustrated are back.

Acclaim Books, which recently acquired the rights to the original comics, is in the process of reissuing the entire Classics Illustrated lineup in a format that is sure to please everyone, including kids, teachers and parents.

Each digest-sized book (7-3/8 inch x 5-1/4 inch) reprints the original 48-page comic book and also includes a 16- to 18-page essay written by scholars considered an expert on a particular title or author. The essay contains notes about the writer and also elaborates on certain situations and characters of the book.

Madeleine Robbins, editor of Classics Illustrated and mother of two, says the response to the new editions have been positive.

“We’ve talked with parents and they think it’s a great way to introduce young readers to writers like Shakespeare and Hugo,” Robbins said. “I read them myself as a child. If I had not had Dickens in this format, I probably never would have been compelled to read something like ‘A Tale of Two Cities.”’

The series began as Classic Comics in 1941 with “The Three Musketeers” being the first issue. Overall, there were more than 160 titles in the original Classic lineup. They ranged from James Fenimore Cooper’s leatherstocking tales such as “The Last of the Mohicans” and “The Pathfinder” to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and “MacBeth” to H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” and “Invisible Man.”

Many have become collectors items, especially those that bear the logo “Classic Comics.” Originally, they sold for 10 cents apiece, but increased to 15 cents in the 1950s.

Most titles were reprinted over and over. In some cases, new art replaced the original. However, the new wasn’t always better.

“In doing Tom Sawyer, we picked the old art because it had a lot more charm and flavor of the story,” Robbins said. “The new art was very 1950s.”

Salvaging old art has been a tedious project, not unlike attempts to preserve old movies.

“The original plates are lost,” Robbins said. “We send an original comic book to a color house.”

There it is cleaned, recolored and, in some cases, some of the art is touched up.

Acclaim already has released eight original Classics in the new format, including “Romeo and Juliet,” “Jane Eyre,” “Tom Sawyer,” “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Hamlet,” “Huckleberry Finn,” “Crime and Punishment” and “The Odyssey.” Each is priced at $4.99.

By year’s end, 52 titles will have been reprinted.

Classics Illustrated is being distributed to comic shops and regular bookstores.

“We really didn’t expect them to be a major market item,” Robbins said. “We’ve been a bit stunned, but gratified by the results. The stores are ordering more than we expected. Parents are buying them for their kids, and then there are those who remember Classics and want to buy them again.”

So what happens when the original Classics comics are all reprinted?

“We hope to do brand-new titles,” Robbins said. “There’s a lot more material out there.”