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One of the few positive outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic is that artists (of all media) were stuck inside their homes with little to do other than create. This particular creation currently ranks in my personal Top Ten Happy Discoveries. Like the primary illustrator, I did not read Watership Down until I was in my thirties. My wife continues to tease me about this, but I believe that my evangelism for this work (after I did finally read it) more than atones for that particularly poor life choice.
Originally published in 1972, this tale of a bunch of rabbits searching for a new (and more peaceful) home continues to entrance readers of all ages. Once a small group makes the final decision to leave Sandleford Warren, obstacles aplenty manifest themselves, as this troupe follows the instincts of a particularly sensitive bunny to locate a new place to live. Fear, hope, trust and longing are all being experienced by this group as they continually move forward. A natural leader emerges, and together with a very brave and intelligent fellow rabbit, they establish themselves not only as a cohesive team, but also a formidable defensive force.
This hefty graphic novel includes nearly every detail of the original publication, and we can use it to entice more people to get to know Hazel, Fiver, Dandelion and Bigwig and cheer them on in their various adventures. Both books can peacefully co-exist, and although the overall story has not changed, obviously some condensation had to happen. Some of the rabbit characters were merged, and a little more emphasis was placed on some particular events, a little less on others. From my point of view, the second-greatest improvement is the reduction of all of the weird legends and tales of El-ahrairah, the semi-historic trickster rabbit. I found most of that reading tedious in the original, so being subjected to less of it in this volume was a very happy circumstance.
The No. 1 improvement is the incredible artwork, which actually improves as the tale unfolds. There are 377 pages in this tome, containing 1000-plus individual panels. In the first few dozen pages, many of the rabbits look very much the same, but gradually it is clear that some artistic elements are introduced to help the reader identify different characters more easily. The background and landscape illustrations are absolutely superb; it is very easy to know where something is happening at any given time.
After lifting this chunk of a book, I opted to switch to the e-book and read it on my iPad. The screen size is not much smaller than the paper version, and zooming was easy whenever I wanted a closer look at something. Plus, I now have it with me wherever I go, and I am enjoying rereading my favorite parts already. Sometimes, technology just satisfies.
If you are one of the unfortunate souls that has yet to experience this marvelous saga, you are in for a major treat. Get your hands on this publication as soon as you can and enjoy one of the best reading experiences of the previous century. If you like it, follow up with the original Watership Down; you will find it to be equally entertaining.
Rated: Mild. Kehaar (a black-headed gull) utters a single mild curse word, and there are many instances of rather grisly artwork depicting the aftermath of traps, fights and battles. It is not overdone, but I believe that it could have been less and still transmitted the same emotional effects.
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