Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung

Roy Thomas is a great adapter but the story is so bunk that I'm shamed by Wagner spending twenty years on a turd. Either way, the art isn't bad but drags the rating down none-the-less.

Looking for a good introduction to Nordic mythology for my Children, I was amazed to discover it was very difficult indeed. There are scores of children books on Egyptian mythology but hardly anything on the Nordic one. This comic book tackles the difficult task of expressing graphically Richard Wagner's Opera 'The Ring' and does a fair job of it. Graphics are neat, the storytelling is quite faithful to the original so it's a rather good buy. However the graphics are too close to the traditional 'Marvel Comics' style and having Wotan & al. drawn like some kind of 'Captain America' makes me feel the story was somehow 'cheapened'. I'd also have wished for a much longer, richer and more detailed version (something like drawings by Frazetta, adaptation by Peter Jackson).

Cards on the table. I could care less about Opera. I bought this because it represents one of the last ( and, as it turns out, best ) things Roy Thomas and Gil Kane did together. So I hope all Opera lovers will excuse my complete lack of sophistication, but I'll be reviewing this as a comic book. This is the ultimate crossover book as, in four chapters, Thomas & Kane adapt Richard Wagner's epic tale of dwarves, Gods and men. This was obviously aimed more at the Opera crowd, as the cover ( NOT drawn by Gil ) makes it look like a book of sheet music. However, once you open it up, you're in the hands of a couple of masters of their craft. Roy Thomas is, of course, an old hand at writing a rattling good fantasy yarn, and though there's obviously a little more depth to this than the average Conan adventure, it does hurtle along at the same breakneck speed. You won't need to know anything about Richard Wagner to enjoy this. And Kane's art, even for him, is exceptional. The characters, particularly the dwarves Mime and Alberich, as well as the sly god Loge come alive and feel like real people. But he never lets you forget this is Opera either. Scenes like Loge's arrival over Valhalla, and, later Siegried's battle with the dragon Fafnir are as epic and spectacular as you would expect. For comic buffs,this really is an superb piece of work, and for Opera fans, well, surprise yourself, this may be the best stage adaptation of Wagner you've never seen.

Unfortunately, one of the negative aftershocks that usually accompanies a towering, controversial work-of-art is the sheer amount of pretentious [stuff] written about it. Considering that Der Ring des Nibelungen is quite possibly the most stupendous artistic achievement ever devised by one single individual, please feel free to multiply the previous statement by twelve. Here, however, we something refreshingly straightforward. The Ring's four operas are well-represented by Thomas' & Kane's comic-book format. The graphics are mostly well-done and the writing appropriately archaic-sounding. Alberich, Mime, Fasolt & Fafner (giant version) are all drawn to be exceedingly gross, yet strangely sympathetic (this is especially true of Mime). Wotan looks like the most convincing 80-year-old bodybuilder you've ever seen, while Hagen & Hunding look truly menacing. Donner is a hybrid of Hercules & Thor, the Rhinemaidens seem to have lost their clothing somewhere downstream, and Brunnhilde is exquisite. Siegmund & Siegfried are regrettably a little too "Masters of the Universe," but Fafner (dragon version) is brilliant!There's also an introduction written by the editor of "Opera News" basically giving the intellectual "all clear" for enjoying this format. Aside from the graphics, the book's primary appeal is making the somewhat convoluted story of the Ring accessible in one gulp. Therein lies the value of this volume: instead of daunting the reader with hundreds of pages of musical analysis & the presumed hidden meanings of the Ring, it unassumingly invites the reader to experience one of the greatest journeys in Western music.

In a major departure of theme, Comix Art God, Gil Kane took on no less than The Ring Cycle from Alberecht's theft of the Ring of Power all the way through The Immolation and downfall of The Gods. Only an artist as confident as Kane could have ever gotten away with such a gutsy move. He is aided by a fairly tight and concise rendering of the story by Roy Thomas, no slouch himself. The magic of this pairing is that Thomas clearly knows when to leave certain elements of the story to Kane and his visual mastery. Every panel is kinetic with movement and the art is far more mature as it ought to be. Below there are reviews with silly warnings about the nudity in these books as if you would give your five year old a story about a Hero (sigfried)having passionate relations with his sister(brunhilde)! Laughable. The Ring Cycle is a very adult story by nature and Kane/Thomas treat it with the respect that a story for thinking individuals deserves. If you were expecting GOODNIGHT MOON, you are on the wrong page pal. However, I think any kid old enough to watch Discovery Channel unsupervised could be trusted with this material. In fact, this rendering of the RING is far more comprehensible than a Cliff Notes version they will inevitably buy in Highschool and far more entertaining. Sadly, with Kane's death a year ago, we will not be treated to any more of his insightful and original treatments of timeless material. If you only know his Superhero stuff, you really need this book and you must also track down a used copy of the now out of print BLACKMARK. Kane's THE RING is simply a treasure for the art, the way the art tells the story and the succinct summary of a complex and lengthy Literature Classic. Too bad he couldn't have also done WAR & PEACE since his version would have been much more interesting.

Book-length "graphic-novel" rendering of Wagner's famous "Ring cycle" operas -- all four parts! Interesting and time-tested story, with some appealing art -- though much of the artwork is too simplistic for my tastes. Parent-type readers, beware of some graphic nudity; this ain't for kids. Nevertheless, a good intro to this famous series of tales that inspired, among other things, Tolkien's Ring books.