Partnership with Literacy Non-Profit Reader to Reader Aims to Put the Book Into Hands of New Readers
The Great Gatsby has captivated readers for generations and serves as a testament to the power of literature to transport us to another time and place and capture the essence of the human experience. Now F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic is being brought to life in a whole new way with The Great Gatsby: The Essential Graphic Novel Adaptation. Writer Ted Adams (Diablo House, The Island of Dr. Moreau) and artist Jorge Coelho (Rocket Racoon, Time Before Time) have created a faithful graphic novel adaptation that captures all of the beauty and power of the original work, with stunning illustrations and compelling storytelling sure to delight fans of the book and newcomers alike.
The graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby, now funding on Kickstarter, is a hardcover edition featuring art by Jorge Coelho that brings a never-before-seen level of visual beauty and detail to the novel. Every panel is carefully crafted to capture the essence of the original work while creating a unique reading experience that is accessible to all.
“Jorge and I started working on our adaptation of The Great Gatsby in 2019 and while the world has seen many changes over the last four years, Fitzgerald’s work has lost none of its ability to entertain,” said writer Ted Adams. “Gatsby is rightfully seen as a classic example of US literature but I fear that label may turn off readers who think the work is hard to read or dull. The opposite is true, the novel is very readable and exciting. Jorge’s art is extraordinary and captures the 1920s in all of its glory and decadence.”
“A feeling of chaos, confusion and crumbling eras permeated both art and real life during the making of this book, resulting in my largest and most rewarding creative challenge so far,” added artist Jorge Coelho.
The campaign aims to introduce The Great Gatsby to a whole new generation of readers and inspire a love of literature and art through the unique reading experience. Special campaign tiers include library and school donation tiers, both of which will help get the book into the hands of new readers, including a partnership with Reader to Reader, Inc., a public charity dedicated to bringing books, free of charge, to under-resourced school libraries and public libraries across the United States.
“We are delighted to have such an important work of American literature so beautifully brought to life in graphic novel form,” said David Mazor, executive director of Reader to Reader, Inc. “It will be of tremendous value to schools and public libraries.”
“The Great Gatsby was well underway when I joined Clover, and it’s been a real treat to see it take form in this new hardcover. Ted and Jorge have worked hard to faithfully capture the classic American novel into this unique American art form,” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “Gatsby fits alongside our other classic adaptations like The Tragedie of Macbeth, Carmen: The Graphic Novel, and The Continental Op as we experiment with different formats and executions.”
Here’s what folks are saying about The Great Gatsby: The Essential Graphic Novel Adaptation…
“At first I wanted to celebrate this new Gatsby in the same vein as Classics illustrated, but it’s actually better than that. It’s not just a retelling of Gatsby or an overview, but a very strong representation of the original story with sprinkling of the films as well. A home run adaptation!” —Brian Michael Bendis, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Powers, Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-Man
“Captivating and visually stunning—a fresh take on the timeless classic.” —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Creatures & Teen Titans: Raven
The Great Gatsby: The Essential Graphic Novel Adaptation will be live on Kickstarter on March 21. You can find the campaign here:
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About Clover Press: Headed by IDW co-founders Ted Adams and Robbie Robbins, along with Matt Ruzicka and Hank Kanalz, Clover Press publishes a wide variety of collected and original content ranging from re-mastered reprints of Terry and the Pirates, to horror graphic novels, and high-quality art books. Clover Press is working with a wide variety of creators including Kevin Eastman, Craig & Clizia Yoe, Dean Mullaney, Steve Niles, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ruben Bolling, Matt Bors, Timothy Truman, Jorge Coelho, Richard Bennett, Ray Troll, John K. Snyder III, Stewart Kenneth Moore, Aron Wiesenfeld, and more.
About Ted Adams: Ted Adams is one of the founders of IDW and was the company’s publisher and CEO for 20 years. Under his leadership, IDW won dozens of Eisner Awards, a People’s Choice Award for favorite Sci-Fantasy TV show, and a National Book Award. IDW’s entertainment division produced five TV shows, including four seasons of Wynonna Earp for Syfy and three seasons of Locke & Key for Netflix. Adams was an Executive Producer on the shows. He also helped take IDW public where the company’s market cap value reached over $300 million. After leaving IDW, he co-founded Clover Press with Robbie Robbins. He has served on the boards of the non-profit organizations Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) and Traveling Stories and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Southern Oregon University Foundation. His previous graphic novels include adaptations of The Shrinking Man (with Mark Torres) and The Island of Doctor Moreau (with Gabriel Rodriguez). He’s also the co-creator of Diablo House (with Santi Perez).
About Jorge Coelho: Jorge Coelho was born in 1977 in Lisbon, Portugal. He wanted to be Spider-Man but opted out when in kindergarten he was presented with pens, pencils and paint-brushes. In 1996 he studied Communication and Graphic Arts at Escola de Artes António Arroio and soon started to work for national newspapers, magazines and publishers doing illustrations while at the same time playing bass for the band Honeydope. He started a studio in 2004 doing illustrations and storyboards for different companies and participating in several Portuguese comics anthologies. Today he shares a studio with 17 other artists in Lisbon called The Lisbon Studio.
About Reader to Reader, Inc.
Reader to Reader, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to bringing books, free of charge, to under-resourced school libraries and public libraries across the United States. Reader to Reader serves the nation’s poorest communities, including inner-city schools, Native American Reservations, and poor rural towns, where the need for books is acute. Reader to Reader is dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion in its organizational governance, staffing, volunteer opportunities, and in their partnerships with the numerous communities they are dedicated to serving. To date they have donated over $50 million dollars worth of books and computers and counting.