An entertaining and beautifully drawn retelling of the early years of Percy Shelley's adulthood, including his first marriage and his first meeting with the future Mary Shelley.

I think this needs to be marketed to a very specific audience; I couldn't really tell who this was for. It was sort-of interesting to learn more about Shelley's life and how he potentially met and wooed Mary Wolstoncraft, but everything else was pretty dull. I think volume two will be more interesting.

Percy Shelley is the first of the two-part Shelley comic series by David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave chronicling the escapades of English poet and playboy Percy Bysshe Shelley from 1811 to 1814. It is succeeded by Mary Shelley, which was originally published in French in 2012.

For me, the comic comes to life with Harriet’s letters to her father. She’s eloquent and funny and starts translating Sophie Cottin’s scandalous novel of adultery Claire d’Albe. Of the heroine, Harriet writes: “Infatuated, tormented, the formerly happy young girl dies of hopeless heartache. Is it not wonderful, Daddy?” It’s a tragic foreshadowing of Harriet’s own life.

Percy is portrayed best when working. The sequence in which he composes “To the Moonbeam” while moths madden the candle flames evokes the thoughtful nature of a poet’s work, giving a grace and gravity to Percy.

My favourite sequence introduces Mary Godwin. Passing disembowelled livestock, Mary enters the graveyard and sitting on her mother’s tomb reads aloud from Matthew Lewis’s gothic-screamer The Monk. There’s blood on her dress. She loses her bookmark. She chats to her dead mother. It’s funny in its anticipation of Frankenstein.

Daniel Casanave’s luscious artwork reminds me of Hergé, and his rendering of John Constable’s Flatford Mill suggests a hidden layer of humour.

At around 70 pages, Percy Shelley is a short, quick, light-hearted read for those interested in English Romantic poets. Too short, perhaps. It does not have the plot complexity of a graphic novel, but it did inspire me to re-read some of Shelley’s poems – and that is surely the point.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this book as an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This graphic novel covered the later childhood and early adulthood of PB Shelley up until he meets Mary Shelley. The graphic novel was beautifully drawn and was very up my alley since I am quite the fan of Mary shelley and her history. Although it does paint PB Shelley in a nicer light than what I’ve heard in history. It wasn’t a bad boom to read.

Interesting story of Percy Shelley's life and relationship with Mary Godwin. It is a bit too much informal for my liking though, the dialogues are a bit far-fetched for the times. i would have appreciated this story a bit more if they were more accurate. Nevertheless, it puts some light on the man who shared Mary Shelley's life and passions.

A think a teen would very much enjoy this story. I’m curious how accurate it is (e.g. Shelley was a vegetarian). I enjoyed reading about his short romance with his wife before meeting Mary. The artwork was beautiful in places (the cemetery scenes) and bizarre in others (Shelley’s Pinocchio nose). The ending wasn’t much of a conclusion, which leads me to believe this is a series. Overall it was a pleasant story aside from unnecessarily added nudity and odd use of language.

A very entertaining and humorous tale of Percy Blythe Shelley. The writing was very witty and amusing and the art was superb. A well-matched team. Very Tintin-esque. Will definitely be picking up the next issues.

Thank you to the publisher via Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchanging for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn in by the cover. Its artwork reminded me of The Graveyard Book graphic novel’s cover art. I was happy to see that the artwork and color story was consistent throughout the graphic novel.

Although fast-paced, this is by no means a dry account of Percy Shelly’s (love) life up until running away with Mary & her sister. Percy is painted to be a privileged womanizer - very dramatic when he realizes his wife has given birth. Despite the inserted humor & “modernization” (in terms of conversation, mostly), this comic seems to follow Percy’s actual life, although I would have appreciated more historical accuracy. Although, if you’re looking for a more entertaining retelling of Percy’s life - this is for you.

I’m curious to read the later installments of this series, especially because Percy and Mary’s lives are far more interesting after they meet. I’m expecting the next one to be better.

I don't know much about Percy and Mary Shelley, so this was a fun and quick way to learn a bit about them. Honestly though, from what I've seen I don't know what Mary Shelley saw in him other than his looks, he seems like a jerk.

The illustrations were lovely, but I have some bones to pick with the translator or the author... I'm sure people did not greet each other with 'Hey' and a Protestant man is unlikely to have shouted 'Moseltof' (by which I assume they meant 'Mazel tov') in glee.

This was quick and fun, but not terribly substantial and honestly I am glad I got a free copy, as I wouldn't recommend people purchase a copy if they are looking for a good graphic novel.

“Percy Shelley”, a comic book by David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave is truly delightful! It covers the young years of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 –1822) one of the major and most infamous English Romantic poets. His wife and paramour was Mary Shelley, a famous author of a Gothic novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” (1818). What we can learn from the comic book is that he was a prodigy, a young man with a rebellious and sharp mind, who wanted to spend his life in a unprecedented fashion without bothering with the rules of etiquette and these of polite society. He was also a spoiled brat with no concern for others and he relied heavily on a financial help from his wealthy relatives. He had his head in the clouds and wanted to lead his life like it was an exciting story written in a book…

Despite his many and unforgivable flaws it is impossible not to be enchanted by Percy’s uncompromising manner and wild escapades. The authors presented them with marvellous humour, so I was laughing, while reading, even if the life of Percy Shelley turned tragic and bittersweet at times. He was an enormous presence and an entertaining fellow with the craziest ideas possible… And have I mentioned, that he was also an amazing poet?

“Soul meets soul on lovers lips.”
― Percy Bysshe Shelley

I also loved the artwork in the comic book. Percy Shelley is wonderfully drawn and his story is fast-paced and very entertaining. I want to recommend this comic book to everyone, because it is so good. I honestly can’t remember when I enjoyed reading a comic book so much.

I received “Shelley” from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the authors and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the comic book.

A somewhat frivolous look at Percy Bysshe Shelley and his life and loves, taking great store by the fact he liked to have nookie in graveyards and abandoned his wife and mother to his child for another. It's not a hundred per cent accurate on what he wrote and when and how and why, but it's clearly more concentrated on his sex life. Byron only makes a cameo thus far, and we leave him here running away with not only his new love but her sister, too. Clearly there is more to come – but I think those wishing for a straighter, balanced biography won't be back for it. Me, I'm on the fence – this is fine but a little too whimsical for my tastes – certainly it leaves the education for someone else to deliver.

This is the first volume of a graphic novel series following the life of Romantic poet Percy Shelly. It was quite interesting to read this as I am also reading Monsters by Sharon Dogar which is a retelling of the early life of Mary Shelley. The art work is absolutely gorgeous and really suits the time period in which the novel is set. I Ioved all the little details in the illustrations and I really liked the style. It's also quite funny in places and I look forward to the future volumes. I don't read many graphic novels but this was very enjoyable and its also quite short and sweet.

A cool adaptation of Shelley for modern readers. The art style works well and the story is fun and interesting.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This little graphic novel tells part of Percy Bysshe Shelley's life. Lately, I've read a lot about him and Mary Shelley, but his relationship with Harriet was never a main point in his story. So, I liked very much that we could read about her and how she fell in love with him.
I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Shelley as a person (as far as we know about him), but I like his poetry and his rebellious works, and that's why I keep reading about him. Plus, I'm a really big fan of Mary, therefore I read about him also in order to know more about her and their passionate relationship.
The illustrations were very beautiful and I enjoyed reading this book. I'll definetely read the following ones.

Creative, clever, and even scholarly in its own right. Shelley shows that literature belongs in the world of graphic novels and comic books too. Highly enjoyable!

*3.5 Stars*

This comic book follows Percy Shelley, best known for being the husband of Mary Shelley. I honestly don't know how close this is to what really happened. I do know that this portrays him as an entitled brat.
It was interesting though and I liked the drawings but I had trouble connecting with anyone and it felt very rushed. I wished it had been longer, I could have tried to like someone, anyone. Honestly, the only person I felt any kind of emotion towards so far, was his first wife. The poor child.
Anyway, I'm not sure what to add, so I'll stop there.

‘Come, let’s live our lives like a story!’ - from ‘Shelley’

Thank you to Europe Comics for making available via NetGalley ‘Shelley - Volume 1 - Percy Shelley’. The text is by Vandermeulen and the artwork by Daniel Casanave. It is translated to English by James Hogan.

This is an account of the early life of Percy Bysshe Shelley focussing on his relationships and radical ideas. It opens in 1811 when he is sent down from Oxford (a polite way to say expelled) after publishing an essay on atheism. Unrepentant he is disowned by his father and seeks out his sisters. There he meets Harriet Westbrook. After eloping to Scotland the young couple live humbly while Percy writes poetry. He is shown working on ‘Queen Mab’.

However, he soon becomes bored with Harriet and leaves her. Visiting the home of the philosopher William Godwin he meets Godwin’s three daughters. The volume concludes with his running away with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin accompanied by her step-sister, Claire Clairmont.

The artwork is very striking and while the dialogue sometimes seemed a bit modern for the period depicted, I felt it was not really an issue as this work is intended to introduce readers to Shelley’s life and work in an accessible fashion. I felt it succeeded.

I found it delightful and while I was familiar with some aspects of his life and aware of how complicated it was, this felt a good introduction using the format of comic/graphic novel. I would hope that librarians would see the potential in it for gaining the attention of young readers, who might consider 19th Century poets a bit boring. The Romantics clearly had controversial lives.

I certainly will be interested to see the second volume in this series, which focuses on Mary Shelley, made available in English.

Shelley, a new graphic novel from Europe Comics, details the early days of the famed poet and his scandalous life. We see Shelley as a teenager and young man constantly on the move, never happy in one place. He was ahead of his time in religious views, vegetarianism, and politics, among other things.

He was a brilliant poet and thinker, never afraid to push back against societal norms to advance discussion through intelligent essays and debate. His work, like his personal life, was a scandal from the beginning, and that’s what we see in the story presented in the graphic novel. While he was brilliant as a writer and poet, he was a mess in the realm of love. We see his brief courtship and elopement with his first wife, his subsequent abandonment of her and his new dalliance with Mary Shelley, which would result in his second marriage. The novel focuses mostly on his relationships, with his writing is relegated to the background. This is in keeping with public opinion at the time, which largely ignored his poetry until after his death. It was an interesting and scandalous story, and surprisingly all true.

The art is done in an interesting comic book style, with exaggerated features and special attention to scenery details. It’s a great stylistic choice for the story being told.

Overall, Shelley is an interesting insight into the early life of one of Romanticism’s most esteemed poets. Learning more about his early days sheds light on the work he ferociously created and his rush to live every day fully.

Review will be published on 2/13/19: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/02/13/shelley-book-review

My thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a review copy of this one.

This graphic novel tells the story of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Opening in Oxford in 1811, when he gets expelled for his essay on Atheism (he was always in trouble there, pretty much), to his meeting with his first wife Harriet, and then his meeting and elopement with Mary Shelley, which is where this volume stops. The book does stay true to his story, more or less but tells it in a humorous way. The art too, is on the lines of caricature.
This was a cute way of getting to know about Shelley. I knew a little about him but not very much—that he was married to Harriet and then eloped with Mary, that he contributed to Frankenstein, that he died at a young age—but not much more. Also I’ve only read a few of his poems, but have a couple of his essays--on atheism, and in defence of poetry—on my TBR. The book touches upon these other writings I feel more than his poetry. We see him writing Queen Mab, of course, also a couple of other poems, but this volume mentions his essay “The Necessity of Atheism”, his adoption of vegetarianism, even the Declaration of Rights that he wrote. This also mentions Shelley sending out his declaration of rights in corked bottles in the sea (which is another thing I’d read about somewhere or other). Even though as a graphic novel, this doesn’t go into details of his works (there are quotes from his poetry, and letters etc on some of the pages aside from the main story), we can see him as someone who challenged popular views, and who certainly didn’t live his life conforming to the social norms of the day. But living his life on his own terms meant on the negative side that he didn’t seem to really think of who he would be hurting by his actions (like Harriet when his affection for her waned). His father and sisters, even his father-in-law disapprove as a consequence, and only his somewhat eccentric uncle (who came across as pretty likeable) seems to support him, even intercede with his father on his behalf when he runs out of money.

While the book gives one a bare glimpse into what must have been a rich, and certainly a very unusual life, it does so in a really enjoyable way. I hope there’s a second volume which picks up from where this left off. Though the numbering on NetGalley seems to suggest that the second might probably be from a different viewpoint, may be Mary Shelley? (Just checked the original French versions on goodreads, and it turns out this is right).

This told the story of the life of poet Percy Shelley. I was immediately interested because it was a comic and I loved the artwork. There were times where it seemed to drag but overall I enjoyed the story and loved the humor. How this one ended definitely made me want to pick up the next one!