The first two titles released have been Shakespeare's Macbeth and Henry V, critically acclaimed and award winning CC are certainly making a mark. The CC titles are being used by educators to teach pupils of all ages, from all walks of life and social standing.

Classical take a classic work of literature and turn it into a graphic novel, not content with that they then split it into 3 formats. The original text that tells the story as it was originally intended; the plain text versions are in modern English making it easier to understand. Finally the 'Quick Text' format allows each title to be read by younger readers or those for whom reading doesn't come easy.

It is a great way to present stories and plays that may have put readers off in the past because of their cumbersome nature, not everybody wants to wrestle with old English.
So we thought we would give them to the people who would use them the most:

Sam (19) is studying literature and she admits to having a problem with Shakespeare in the past.

Andy (29), comic book fan and hater of costume dramas.

Martin has been a teacher for 5yrs and has been finding new ways to get his pupils interested in the classics.

Richard (10), anime fan. Likes Ben 10 and Dragon Ball Z.

Martin: I loved the artwork and layout. The artist captures the spirit of Shakespeare's play and really engages you as a reader, it draws you in and makes you want to turn the page. If I put this on the desks in front of the kids in my class it would make most of them fall in love with the Bard's work.

Andy: You can feel the quality that has gone into the graphic novel. Jon Haward and Gary Erskine are a great team and I would never have believed that Shakespeare could be produced like this. If I saw it on the shelves in my local shop I'm not sure if I would have picked it up, but I am glad I got the opportunity to be proved wrong.

Richard: It was really good because you see all the blood and the battles. My favourites are the witches because they looked like zombies.

Sam: Why wasn't this version of Macbeth available when I was doing my senior years at school? You are not getting this back! When you read the plain text edition the impact of the whole play falls into place and I could see myself getting hooked on most of Shakespeare's body of work if they were presented like this.

Andy: The artwork wasn't what I was expecting; I was hoping it would be the same team as on Macbeth. The story is still present well and I read it cover to cover. You get all the action and adventure wrapped up in a nice graphic novel.
Although I don't think I would ever buy a costume drama comic book the Classical Comics range is very tempting and maybe an Xmas present from somebody who would usually buy me aftershave or a tie.

Sam: I liked Henry V more than Macbeth but that is because I have always enjoyed the various incarnations of the play, both modern and original. It's a story that stirs the blood and makes you feel patriotic.

Martin: Previous years students have been subjected to both Laurence Olivier's and Kenneth Branagh's film adaptations of Henry V. But for me the graphic novel will probably give them a better understanding of Shakespeare's original play. It gives you a front row seat to every act and every scene. A nice touch comes from the front pages where every major character is introduced and their role in the story explained by a single line.

Summary.
Sam: It will be interesting to see how Bronte and Shelley are presented because so far I am very impressed. I would buy the new titles as they are released and they are just the right price so they won't break the bank of a student on a tight budget.
I never thought I would enjoy comics or Shakespeare and I am glad I have been introduced to them.

Andy: I will keep an eye out to see what is made available. I would probably be swayed when Frankenstein comes out and once I have collected a couple of books I will end up buying the rest but they will all be simple or plain text versions because I am a lazy reader.

Martin: It would be nice to have every format of every title on the shelves in the library just so the kids have access to them. That way if I have a pupil who is struggling with story I can tell them to go and get it out. If I had the choice then there would be a copy for every pupil in my class but we live in the real world and a couple of copies in the library would still make a very big difference.

Richard: I liked the pictures and the story was good. I like anime and these looked like comics my dad used to have when he was little but I liked them and I hope our school has them.

Overall the reader feel the same as the critics, Classical Comics are filling a hole in the market, winning the backing of not only comic fans but also educators and students.