Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
It is a journey fraught with danger - and in the end Bilbo alone must face the guardian of the treasure, the most dreaded dragon in all Middle-earth... Yes, yes, my dear sir—and I do know your name, Mr Bilbo Baggins. And you do know my name, though you don’t remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me! To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took’s son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!”
Not that Belladonna Took ever had any adventures after she became Mrs Bungo Baggins. Bungo, that was Bilbo’s father, built the most luxurious hobbit-hole for her (and partly with her money) that was to be found either under The Hill or over The Hill or across The Water, and there they remained to the end of their days. Still it is probable that Bilbo, her only son, although he looked and behaved exactly like a second edition of his solid and comfortable father, got something a bit queer in his make-up from the Took side, something that only waited for a chance to come out. The chance never arrived, until Bilbo Baggins was grown up, being about fifty years old or so, and living in the beautiful hobbit-hole built by his father, which I have just described for you, until he had in fact apparently settled down immovably. The movie adaptations are even bleaker and more despairing than the book, but this feels more hopeful and full of light than either of them. I already knew I was going to love the bones of the story but I love the direction this took and how the focus remained on Bilbo throughout, rather than the feats of the other characters. While reading the book I wondered, "What does Gandalf look like?" or "Why is it so hard to find Rivendell? This is going on forever.” Well, explained later in the story Gandalf is tall compared to the hobbits of course. He also has a long white beard. It took so long to find Rivendell because the path they were following had been marked where to go, but it was hard to see because moss had grown over the path and covered the marks. It feels like a far daintier and quieter tale than the original, despite this faithfulness. It is always interesting, in any retelling, to see what an individual chose to deliver as the most important features, and discovering this was what I most enjoyed here.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. J.R.R. Tolkien (1937-present) · Eric Fraser ( The Folio Society: 1979, 1992-present) · Michael Hague (1984-1992) · David T. Wenzel ( graphic novel: 1989-present) · Alan Lee (1997-present) · David Wyatt (1998-2001, 2012-2013) · John Howe (pop-up: 1999) · Jemima Catlin (2013-present) This hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours’ respect, but he gained—well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end. All of them at once,” said Bilbo. “And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain. If you have a pipe about you, sit down and have a fill of mine! There’s no hurry, we have all the day before us!” Then Bilbo sat down on a seat by his door, crossed his legs, and blew out a beautiful grey ring of smoke that sailed up into the air without breaking and floated away over The Hill.
First published in 1990, David Wenzel's comic book adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit was an immediate success and has become one of the best-loved graphic novels of the last 25 years. The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a quiet and contented hobbit whose life is turned upside down when he joins the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves on their quest to reclaim their stolen treasure. It is a journey fraught with danger – and in the end it is Bilbo alone who must face the guardian of this treasure, the most-dreaded dragon, Smaug.The real success here is the scenery. The Shire is luscious and simple; it is homely and basic. I think it’s illustrated perfectly with its wondrous shades of green. This may seem like a simple thing, but it really is a vital thing. It is the crux of the story; it is the anchor that embodies Tolkien’s idea of “a far greener country.” It had to be done right; it had to embody the simple, goodly and unrefined aspect of middle-earth. And it did.
This is a great companion to Tolkien's novel, and the art is as atmospheric as you would expect. It's been a while since Middle Earth looked this good. That said, don't expect Alan Lee or John Howe - The Hobbit doesn't have quite the same epic, or dark, overtones as The Lord of the Rings. When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit dwelling in peaceful Hobbiton. But, what I will say is that this brings the story to life. Well, that’s a bad phrase. Tolkien’s story is already alive when you read it. What I mean is that this presents it in a medium that allows you to physically see it rather than just visualise it. Is that better? No I think not. Let me try again: this provides illustrations to aid with an abridged version of the story; it enhances the experience, somewhat, because the artwork is so appropriate. While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow , regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998. First published in 1990, David Wenzel’s comic book adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was an immediate success and has become one of the best-loved graphic novels of the last 25 years.Illustrated and hand painted in full colour throughout, and accompanied by the carefully abridged text of the original novel, this handsome authorised edition will introduce new generations to a magical masterpiece - and be treasured by Hobbit fans of all ages, everywhere.
The name The Hobbit refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see The Hobbit (disambiguation). He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin , Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl , as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey . In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher.I particularly like the lush evocative illustrations of the Shire, and the atmospheric ones in the dragon’s cave. Most startling for me is the way David Wenzel has captured exactly what Bilbo looks like in my mind’s eye: a short dumpy male with a bit of a pot belly and plain, almost ugly features. He has a bulbous nose and a rubicund good-natured face. All the dwarves are well-drawn individuals and very convincing, as is Gollum, who is uncannily like the Gollum in the films. Smaug is a mean-looking and terrifying beast. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book, as I am not the target audience for graphic novels, and consequently not very easy to please. First published over 50 years ago, J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' has become one of the best-loved books of all time. Now Tolkien's fantasy classic has been adapted into a fully painted graphic novel.
Great Deal 
New Comment