The Graphic Canon: Russ Kick's Three-Volume Series Adapts Literary Classics into Comics

In a 2012 review reprinted by Steven Heller for PRINT Magazine, Russ Kick's three-volume series "The Graphic Canon: The World's Great Literature as Comics and Visuals" (Seven Stories Press) is examined. The series presents classic literature as comic strips, aiming to fill gaps in graphic adaptations of canonical works. Kick, who died in 2021, argued that a literary canon exists and selected works from Western and non-Western traditions, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, The Tale of Genji, and the Incan play Apu Ollantay. Around 75% of the content is newly commissioned. Volume One covers from circa 1000 BC to the 1700s, Volume Two the 1800s, and Volume Three the twentieth century. Notable adaptations include R. Crumb's scene from Nausea, S. Clay Wilson's illustrations for fairy tales, and works by Dame Darcy for Blood Meridian. Kick sought to include controversial texts like Lolita and Naked Lunch. The series excludes graphic novels like Maus or Persepolis, leaving that canon for future debates.