Percy Shelley would definitely be considered an awful person these days. Someone who because of his money and charisma was able to slide through life, getting away with being an incorrigible human being. This covers up to the time he meets up with Mary Shelley who I admire much more. The cartoonish art was off-putting to me.

In this graphic novel, we follow the life of Percy Shelley, starting while he’s in college, shortly before his expulsion.

I didn’t know much about this when I started reading it but I must say it impressed me. It was not a 5 star book, it didn’t grip me like many other graphic novels I’ve read but it still had it’s merit.

The art was unique and visually appealing, at least for me. I didn’t know much about Percy Shelley before picking this up and, even though this graphic novel is not an extensive piece about his life, it gives the reader enough information for a glimpse of it.

Would I recommend it? Sure, if you want to know more about Shelley, you can read it for yourself and enjoy it for what it is.

This is my first graphic text read. A very interesting story of the life of Percy Shelley. It was a very quick read.

Meh. The basic gist of the story here is that Percy Shelley was a world-class a-hole. Yes, the guy was espousing theories in his day that were ahead of their time, and quite common today (such as atheism and vegetarianism) but also, he basically kidnapped a 16 year old he barely knew (who the story fails to mention was also clinically depressed) and then dumped her for another teenager after she popped out his kid.

First, thanks to netgalley for providing this ARC/Galley in exchange for an honest review. Okay, now to the good stuff. This graphic novel was pretty cool. I really enjoyed the art work, it fit the script perfectly, I don't think any other art style would've fit as comfortably as this. Also, this is the first time I had actually heard of Percy Shelley, which says a lot about his wife that she stood the test of time and is a household name (if not by name, they know her work). Not to say that Percy wasn't remarkable, I read his poetry after this and I was impressed. That also speaks to the quality of this book. It was interesting enough to make me want to know more about Percy Shelley, more about his works, what else influenced him, the works! I can't wait to see what Vandermeulen does next with Mr. Shelley's story, there's much still to tell!

Although I'm not fond of Shelley's personality, his poetry and controversial ideas always caught my attention. Moreover, I love Mary Shelley. So, I couldn't get more excited about this graphic novel about Shelley's life. The story is very fast-paced and begins with Shelley being expelled from Oxford and ends with him running away with Mary and her sister Clara. The illustrations might not have been my favourite, but I'm looking forward the second volume.

A perfectly portioned introduction to a interesting man. When I hear the name Shelley, I automatically think of Mary and her monster. I was expecting another book of Mary but was quite surprised and pleased to see it is about her husband, a person I know little about. Vandemeulen has created an enthralling biography of the eccentric poet while Casanaves style of art perfectly captures the time and tone of the period. I look forward to reading volume 2.

Perfect for the ravenous reader of graphic novels, Romanic poets, or people who are clever. The prose guides the reader along the high points of Shelley's early adulthood with breezy language and mod characterizations. The art is a fun combination of the style popularized in '80's alt-comics (notably From Hell), and early 20th Century comic strips like Thimble Theatre. On the whole, pleasant, and I am looking forward to the next volume.

Graphic novels are highly sought after in my classroom.. But with all the cool superheros and Vertigo graphic novels out, it can be difficult competition when I am trying to excite my students over British literature. Basically, I need all the help I can get so I love that this graphic novel marries the two. Each page is filled with rich detail and a riveting story line making Shelley feel like the superheros my students idealize.

I would recommend this for any teacher in the struggle to engage students to love literature or any literary nerds for that fact that want to see Shelley in a new, hip light.

I'm not familiar with who Percy Shelley is, therefore, I like how this graphic novel made me realize that I should try to check out the other well-known English poets and writers from the 18th century to 19th century. After perusing this, I immediately researched about him and his works, and I learned that aside from being one of the well-known Romantic poets, some of his poems usually represent the current events during that time. He utilized his talent to be able to voice out the need for change and revolution.

This is just the 1st volume of this graphic novel series thus, the important parts in the life of Shelley were still haven't shown. The way the illustrations were drawn are not really that eye-catching but the color palette used perfectly depicts the era and setting of the story. If given the chance to check out the second installment, I would definitely grab the opportunity because I'm curious on the rest of the story of Percy and his second wife, Mary.

Blogger at Momotips

I received a DRC of this graphic novel courtesy of Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!

It was a real pleasure to read this graphic novel! I knew the poet but not that much. I love how the story is build, and how is historically accurate! Going through the illustrations, it seemed to me that I was entering story. I could get to know Percy and his life. I must say that obviously the name of P. Shelley was already known to me, but I knew very little about this poet for the fact that I do not particularly love poetry. It happened in the past I read poems, but nothing from Shelley. Thanks to this graphic novel, as well as getting to know the poet closely, I was also able to learn more about his life and from where his works came from. Within the comic we find parts written both by P. Shelley but also by other writers who have accompanied him in his life. Cannot wait to read volume 2!

A longer and more accurate review is available at Momotips blog.

Enjoyed it and found the artwork interesting!

Haven't followed the main character as a historical figure, however through the graphic novel I didn't like him at all; immature, avoiding any sort of responsibility, not mention the fact that he was eloped with a woman when he was already married and had a child with another!

Thank you Europe Comics and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read & review.

I am very vaguely familiar with the life of Percy Shelley. I know that he's a writer and was married to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley of Frankenstein fame and...that's it. What can I say? I'm far from an English Scholar. I thought a graphic novel would be a great way to bone up on a bit of knowledge without getting bogged down with too many boring details. I was right, but I also had to refer to Wikipedia a bit.

The artwork was clear and bright, in a style that I'm calling cartoony realism. I was easily able to determine what was going on and keep track of the people since everyone had their own look. I know authors want to sell more books to get more money, but considering Percy only lived to the ripe old age of 29, and this starts when he was about 19, I think his life could've been covered in one larger volume. Also, the inclusion of a few boxes that explained that poor Harriet was shunned and still married to Percy when he disappeared with Mary would've been super helpful.

Overall this was an entertaining glimpse into the life of a famous author, well drawn & colored, and with some good insight to the rather selfish person this guy was. I just wish it was one larger volume to cover his life, since it petered out right as it got to the beginning of the dramatic goodness worthy of a soap-opera.

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel, Shelley is based on the life of Percy Bysshe Shelley. This is the first part in the series, and it follows the artist as a young man. Well-written and executed, it was definitely an enjoyable read.

Percy Shelley is mostly remembered as the husband of Mary Shelley. I knew he also was a poet, but much more I didn't know. This graphic novels tells his story as he is expelled from Oxford and pisses off many people in the pursuit of his dreams.

I don't know how accurate this story is, but I felt most sorry for his first wife, Harriet. Percy didn't came across as a likeable character. The art is rather cartoonish and not really my style. I'm however curious to find out more and would probably read the second part in this series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Art - 3.3 stars
Story - 2 stars

Book, you put me in a predicament. It could be a nice story, but the real Shelley character is certainly not my favorite. Despite the humor and lightness with which the book treats Shelley's escapades, I am afraid that it does not manage to catch my sympathy.

In 1811 Percy Shelley is expelled from Oxford, his father -an aristocrat- is not happy, and then the story continues to tell his decisions in the following years, leaving the volume when he leaves with the best known, admit it, Mary Shelley (for writing Frankenstein). This is the era of Byron, of the scandals of this group of anarchist liberals.

I understand that Shelley is a very named poet of the romantic movement with strong ideas (which were mostly known after death) about atheism and free love. But the way in which he behaves, like a boy who does not care more than having a good time without wanting to feel tied to any convention or whom is hurting... , that is, she seduces the poor fool and escapes with her, abandons her and do the same thing again with the daughter of a friend ... No.

And, nevertheless, and in spite of the previous thing, I find that it is a good way to present the biography of an author or a historical personage.

Great description of Percy Shelley. I loved that the illustrations made it kid friendly. My son and I read it together for his reading hour one afternoon, and he was blown away with this graphic novel. Perfect for kids and adults alike!

Fabulous illustrations, easy read, and good layout. I learned a few things about this gentleman that I had not previously known.

Perfect beach reading material!

I enjoyed this comic, it was a history of Percy Shelly who later became the husband of Marry Shelley. The story was well done and gives you a basic overbeow of Percy Shelley and his life. It didnt fully explore everything, but it was enough to make me want to reaserch him. The pacing was a tad off in places and it was hard to keep track of who some pf the side charaxters where, other than that I would still recommend this comic.

Amusing a lot. A nice look at Percy B. Shelley's life. There were none really interesting information about his life (dates, places, events) besides meeting George Byron, but it did not bother me. I even liked the way it was drawn and colored, it portraited the story very well. The part of Harriet's letter to his father and his expressions was the best of all.

Thank you to netgallery for giving me a free copy of this graphic novel for an honest review!

A graphic novel based on the life of the English Poet Percy Shelley, the husband of Mary Shelley (Frankenstien). #1 follows the end of Percy's educational career and the beginning of his adulthood, introducing us to his first wife and Mary. I do not know how factually correct this comic is to his life but what I read was incredibly entertaining. Although it did feel quite rushed, would of loved a little more of the whirlwind romance of his first wife and their adventures in Edinburgh and Ireland.

That being said I loved the style of the illustrations, it is not one i've really had the opportunity to see in a graphic novel. <spoiler>Especially loved the section of Harriet's father reading her letter and the way his despair and anger was captured as it grew.</spoiler>

I cannot wait to read more of this! I'm also a lot more intrigued to do my own research of Percy and his wives.