I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up this graphic novel but I great time reading it. Based on a Franz Kafka short story, Mahi Grand brings a witty and philosophical approach to the story of Red Peter, an ape who tells scientific academia about his experience living as man. The artwork is riveting, vibrant and nuanced. The story thought-provoking and melancholic.

This is one of my favorite graphic novels that I've read this year so far. I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not but I really enjoyed it once I got started. The art style is great but the storytelling is what really drew me in. The way that the narrator talked about what he went through to become "human" was very interesting. Overall, a great graphic novel and one I think will be in my top ten this year.

A man is invited to address a scientific academy to explain his metamorphosis from ape to man. He had been captured in Africa and transported to Europe and then United States in a cage. In an effort to break free from his cage, he had studied and imitated the mannerisms and speech of his captors until he completely transformed into a man.

Based on a short story by Franz Kafka, A Report to an Academy written and illustrated by Mahi Grand, is an interesting look at what it means to be human, whether our complete alienation from our simian past has come without cost and what is the true meaning of ‘freedom’. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and coloured and complement the story perfectly. The illustrations are mainly done in shades of beige, grey and mauve giving it a melancholy feel. The only change is when the man discusses his time in the jungle coloured in rich vibrant shades of greens and blue. A truly beautiful and thought provoking graphic novel and I’d like to thank Netgalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

An incredible piece of work, this turns Joseph Conrad's short story into a really vivid, colourful and well-crafted graphic novel. Our narrator is seen gathering his notes and trying to find his voice, before giving his life story to some esteemed Royal Society-type meeting of gentlemen scientists. And it's some autobiography – shot at like the rest of his tribe, stuffed into first a wooden crate then a metal cage in the hold of a ship bringing him to the First World, he realises the only escape is not merely a physical one, of getting through the bars only to have nowhere to go. No, he must stop being an ape and become a human – spitting like us, holding both the rigging and the gaming cards as we do, and necking a bottle of rum when the ration comes round. All this gives him a life in the circus and variety acts, but it's a way for him to gain autonomy, if not real freedom. But can he – and can anyone – truly become the man he wants?

For a monologue, this is brilliantly 'directed'. We never forget he is a man, pipe in hand, soliloquising to a gallery of be-whiskered old gents, but we also see every step of his life, from the jungle to the hold to the circus tent to the manner in which he sought to fit in through erudition, maths, dance classes and etiquette tuition. Even reading the original, I seem to remember, feels a little static and stagey – but not this, for it flows and has variety and life and contrast. Our mature man looking over the ape he once was in all the sorry situations he found himself is ever readable and interesting, as well, even if we might come to the end without knowing quite what the conclusion to be had is. Is it about freedom, liberty, masculinity, progress – or, as the final, wordless scene might imply, is it about the cyclical nature of life, and how we might always seek the ideal place in life but life's ideal place for us will always find us first?

I think this improves on the original, dare I say it. (I'm sure it contains more unicycles, for one.) The craft in the art cannot be called inferior to Conrad's qualities, and the work brings the immediacy of all this to the fore. This is a very readable, user-friendly translation/adaptation, making it a most accessible book. For students of adaptations and how stories survive transformation into different media, this is top notch, and for anyone who feels like sending a cheeky gift to some granddad who despairs of graphic novels and all they generally offer, this is a valuable clunk about the head for them. There's no reason our character would not read graphic novels, and there's little reason not to read this one.

It was very enjoyable and well-written, and the art is top-notch. I'm actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Worth a read and a potential re-read. It's self-contained, well-thought-out, and concise.

“A Report to an Academy” is a short story written by Franz Kafka in 1917. It follows the incredible transformation of an ape named Red Peter who behaves like a human over the span of five years. He is invited to present the journey of his metamorphosis in front of members of an academy. French artist Mahi Grand has adapted this short story into a magnificent graphic novel. Infused with wit and suffused with philosophical overtones, Grand’s graphic novel is an artistic augmentation of Kafka’s original story.

The ape begins his story at a scientific conference and describes his previous simian life when he was captured in a West African jungle. He was caged by his human captors in a ship bound for Europe. The ape discovers the true meaning of freedom according to his simian nature. He could not travel as he pleased with his herd in the jungle. Vacillating between boredom, rage, anguish, and helplessness, he started thinking about escaping the cage. Here, our narrator who is now very humanlike expresses his desire for “a way out” of his caged situation rather than “freedom”. Red Peter declares that freedom is a tool of delusion and deception for humans however sublime the feeling. In the book, we see the ape on a tree overlooking a concrete jungle in one urban city when he recounts the incident. Grand’s color palette includes muted purple and mauve which have a particularly melancholic tone for our human “freedom” against the wild green hues of the jungle. Red Peter’s analysis of what freedom or free will means is the central axis of this story.

Eventually, the ape observes the crew and imitates their gestures to become more like them. Mirror neuron enthusiasts will find this amusing. Grand’s artwork depicts Peter’s expressions in a deceptively anthropomorphic form and yet retains the simian nature the story demands. The lines here are quite blurry. From smoking a pipe to drinking rum, he masters it all with astonishing speed and gains the crew’s attention. The ape’s transformation occurs in leaps and bounds as he is trained in a circus. He masters human activities like a simple handshake (which he deftly realizes is another mask of formality for humans) to human speech and becomes a variety show performer. He garners wealth and becomes a part of the urban jungle. But has he really shed his old simian nature to become a human? A good climactic ending ensues.

Readers will absolutely love the artwork in this book. A rich palette reminds us of a tropical sunset with a playfulness that is a hallmark of Franco-Belgian comics (bandes dessinées). Inviting and interesting. Thoughtful and cheerful. I am looking forward to more literary adaptations such as this one in the future.

This was a really interesting take on the story of the same name by Kafka. I really liked how it played out the story and the progression of this man throughout.

I think there were bits of art and panelling that could've been tightened up a bit to just make those emotional and tension beats hit better but this book was a solid 4 stars

Charming little book with crafty images. In the end we are simply all apes. A short and enjoyable read.

Some parts were hard to read considering it was hard to download, but over all it is a good story. It shows how barbaric humans can be and though we view ourselves as more civilized are we truly?

A Report to and Academy by Mahi Grand (4)

This was a pretty quick read. This was so interesting, I couldn't peel my eyes away from the pages. I think the overall feelings was sadness, for the main character (MC). The MC is the narrator and explains his journey from evolving from an ape to a human in the span of 5 years.

This story is heart-wrenching and the way it's told makes it seem like he has a bit of Stockholm Syndrome as he shows gratitude for the very minute acts of kindness that his captors show to him. He was treated horribly; he was hunted, shot, kept in a cage with everyone gawking at him, desperate for a way to escape and found the only possible way was to evolve into a man as fast as he could.

Although, while explaining, he is examining his own experiences very critically and is aware that he will never be free. Even after becoming a man, he is still performing circus-like shows and having to have sexual relations with a captive ape that has no cognitive awareness. He understands that the only reason he is not still in a cage is because of his financial status, which is so sad but so true.

I really enjoyed reading this and think it is an incredibly unique story and would definitely recommend this to friends. However, I don't think I would re-read so I would not purchase this but I do recommend it!

TWs/CWs - Guns; Animal capture; Animal injury; Animal abuse; Sex

Critical, satirical, and visually appealing. I enjoyed the way Mahi Grand explored human futility and absurdity in this visual story, well worth reading and discussing.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

A REPORT TO THE ACADEMY is a story about...a report to the academy. It follows a transformed ape (to man) as he shines light on his life and transformation. The concept is really unique, but I think I expected a little more from it which the story didn't seem to deliver. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and I spend through the book.

A man is invited to speak in front of the Academy about his incredible transformation : a few years ago he was an ape, captured by hunters. From the crossing of the sea, to his arrival, first in Europe, then in the United States, the primate recalls his decision to become a man to be able to live outside a cage.

Adapted from a Franz Kafka’s short story, a report to an Academy is a strange and unexpected graphic novel. The protagonist is quite unique : as we read the graphic novel, we witness his metamorphosis from ape to man. First wild animal living in the forest, he rapidly understands after his capture that the only way for him to be free again, would be to become similar to his captors. Days after days, he learns, he copies, he mimics. From the jungle to a show in Las Vegas, five years pass and the animal becomes man, or does he really ?

Mahi Grand’s story is thought-provoking, showing the danger of assimilation. We can sometimes wonder who is the animal, and who is the man in the book. It is melancholic, it is sad, and really pleasing at the same time and Mahi Grand’s illustrations are as beautiful as the text.

A graphic novel version of Kafka's short story of the same name, Mahi Grand's "A Report to an Academy" brilliantly illustrates the promise and peril of assimilation. The visualizations of the attempts at serenity mixed with the scorn, futility, and resignation of the Reporter enhances the work, as does the brilliant final page.

A man gives a report to the academy about his unique transformation. This is an interesting story about a man who was once an ape and later learned how to speak and act like a man. A Report to an Academy was only inspired by Franz Kafka's work. It is not a retelling of Kafka's Metamorphosis, as I first thought. I liked colored illustrations.

Thanks to Europe Comics for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

Highly enjoyable adaptation of a Kafka story.Just the right side of cartoonish for my tastes and some background work in particular is stunning. Give it a go and I don't think you will be disappointed. Thanks I Netgalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to review this.