Kidnapped (Grant and Kennedy, 2007)

[regshoe]

My quest to try out different adaptations of Kidnapped continues; this time, the 2007 graphic novel published by Waverley Books (what an appropriate name). Written by Alan Grant with artwork by Cam Kennedy, it was made to celebrate the designation of Edinburgh as a UNESCO City of Literature.

It was a cool experience! I haven't read many graphic novels and I don't think I'm terribly good at it, but I did enjoy this. It's nicely presented, with a new version of the book's map in the front and even the copyright page written in old-timey font on a scroll design; David's narration is also all on little scrolls. However, I did not particularly like the art style, especially the character designs. Here are Davie and Alan:






All very square-jawed and blocky. I've chosen the nicest-looking portraits I could find, but in the range of expressions elsewhere there's nothing very appealing and I don't think the artwork really conveys the emotions of the story as it should do: there are barely any smiles, and at moments that should be emotional the characters just look rather grumpy. There are also a couple of weird non-correspondences between art and text, as when the text repeats David's canon description of Glencoe as having no grass over a picture apparently showing a lot of it. However, I have some nice things to say too! Kennedy gets points for including Alan's smallpox scars; there is a bit of a height difference, although not as big as it should be and there are not as many panels showing it off as I would have liked. There's a good picture for 'Come to my arms!' where Alan still has a weapon in each hand as he goes to embrace Davie, and some nice atmospheric landscapes and uses of colour. Rankeillor is excellently drawn with a voluminous curly wig and tinted spectacles, and I like the design for the house of Shaws.

(Also, there's one panel prominently showing what I think is supposed to be a black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), but which distracted me for a moment by looking more like a Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus), a much rarer species and very unusual for the west coast of Scotland in summer. And actually C. ridibundus isn't hugely likely either; they're a common species in most of Britain but not so much in that region, and we didn't see any in the Highlands last summer.)

As an adaptation the text is pretty straightforward and reasonably faithful, with no massive changes made and a lot of the text used verbatim from the book; nor are the pacing or the balance of different parts of the book dramatically changed. But I did not on the whole like the choices of cuts and simplifications made. The story goes straight from Glencoe to Cluny, skipping Corrynakiegh and a lot of the detail of the flight in the heather, and while some of the atmosphere is restored by the artwork I felt Alan and Davie's relationship development suffered quite a bit, not helped by the condensing of their conversation in the wood of Lettermore. The quarrel is included, but condensed and simplified so that most of its personal and political complications are lost, and the unemotional-grumpy artwork really doesn't help here. Balquhidder is only briefly summarised, and Limekilns likewise mostly skipped over. On the whole I think, without making massive changes to its shape, the text and art together manage to take a lot of the joy, humour and general feeling out of the story. It's a shame! Grant also makes the decision, unusual amongst Kidnapped-only adaptations and odd considering the non-negligible changes made elsewhere, to stick almost exactly to the book's ending without neatening things.

I read the 'standard' English version of the graphic novel, but it is also available in Scots (as Kidnappit; the Scots vocabulary from the book is present but toned-down in the English version) and in a 'modern language' English version; I wouldn't have thought the language of this one was so very ancient as all that, but perhaps the standards of someone who reads as many old books as I do are not really representative, and I'm kind of curious to know what that one's like. Perhaps I'll have a look at those too at some point!

Comments

[luzula]

I love your bird-related nitpicking. <3

I agree about the art; it doesn't appeal much to me (what huge chins!). I really like Iain Glen as Alan in the BBC 2005 movie, you can check out some scenes here. Have you watched that one? I love his physicality and intensity. (Though I don't much like New Zealand playing the role of Scotland.)

I too am curious about the 'modern English' version! I mean, I could see a reason to make a 'simple English' version, for people learning English as a second language. But do you really need a modern version for native speakers?

[regshoe]

I love your bird-related nitpicking. <3

:)

The chins are a bit much! Hmm... I agree that what I've seen of Iain Glen as Alan is pretty great, but the adaptation includes the sequel, so I probably won't watch it, I'm afraid (I might if it's possible to watch just the first part(s) and only get Kidnapped, but it sounds as though the plot in general is too divergent from canon for that!).

Oh, simple English aimed at language learners would make sense—perhaps that's what it is.

[philomytha]

Oh, I agree, those are not good drawings of Davie and Alan! (And the wrong birds too...) I do like the clothing, though - I have no knowledge as to authenticity etc, but it looks very smart :-)

[regshoe]

Yes, I think the clothing details in these pictures are nice (though Alan's hat feather is not fancy enough!). Unfortunately Alan seems not to get the French clothes back later on, and his outfit in the Highland scenes is much more drab.

[cyphomandra]

I am very familiar with Alan Grant and Cam Kennedy from a childhood reading 2000AD comics (back in the days when the title of the comic still sounded futuristic!). I liked Grant’s writing a lot - at least, until he decided to kill off one of my favourite characters! Artwise, I did like Kennedy’s work on Rogue Trooper, but my faves were Jim Baikie and Carlos Ezquerra - with all of them, though, I tended to prefer the art in black and white to the coloured versions.

[regshoe]

I'd never seen any of their stuff before (as I say, I don't generally read comics!). I suppose it might be interesting to compare a writer's original work to an adaptation like this.