Percy Shelley, with a script by David Vandermeulen and art by Daniel Casanave, is the first book in the Shelley Bilogy. I was expecting an interesting, engaging story, maybe something darker, influenced by the cover, but I found a humorous adaptation of Percy's life.
The story doesn't show us much, only what this character did to become a controversial figure in his time, but under a lens of irreverence and comedy that resembles parody more than a recount as such. I really don't feel like I learned anything important about Percy Shelley in this comic, if I'm honest.
The story by David Vandermeulen is simple, direct, without many adornments, although it has some appeal. You read it in one sitting, and although it feels very short, it leaves a light taste when finished. It is true that I expected something much more interesting, a fascinating plot, and after finishing I'm not sure if it offers any novelty.
On the other hand, the art of Daniel Casanave seemed fascinating to me. The panels in Percy Shelley seemed more interesting to me than the story itself. They added a peculiar charm, a mixture of parody with good style, simple colors at the beginning that contrasted with the more exotic and darker combinations of the final pages.
While the essence of the story's lost and one expects something dark, deeper, let's say even predictable in the case of Percy Shelley, the story fulfills its function of entertaining and showing a simpler side of this character. However, I hope that the second volume, dedicated to Mary Shelley, will be better and more in keeping with the atmosphere of tragedy and melancholy that surrounds her.

Bilingual review published in my blog: http://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2019/02/comic-percey-shelley-shelley-1.html

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for allowing me to read a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.  I love getting to read different genres; I like to think I am a well-rounded reader.

This story focuses on Percy Bysshe Shelley and tells the story of part of his life.  It opens at Oxford where Percy is forced to leave because of a scandalous piece of writing on atheism.  He then tries to go to his father's house, but the same happens.  Eventually, he meets Harriet, whom he believes is his true love.  Within the matter of one night, they fall in love and are married the next day.  The graphic novel then follows Percy to his uncle's estate and then back to London where he falls in love with another woman, after learning his wife Harriett has had a baby while she was away in London and he was at this uncle's estate.  Af

Because it is a graphic novel, the art is a huge deal.  In this one, I love how the colors really help depict the mood and feeling for each page and panel.  When it is supposed to be dark, the art is dark and brooding.  When it is supposed to feel happy and hopeful, the art is bright and colorful.  Overall, I like the general art style.  It is somewhat simpler than other graphic novels I have read and uses lots of lines, but it has a whimsy feel that I adore.  That, paired with the use of colors and how elaborate the facial expression and features of each character really make the art in this book work.  

As for the story itself, I am not sure how well it holds up to the actual story of Percy's life, but I assume it is pretty close.  I know that he did, in fact, elope with Harriet very quickly and that he did have a fascination with Lord Byron.  Both of these plot points are major in this graphic novel.  The rest is not so clear to me, other than his second marriage.  I think that this is part one of a series, so I assume the next will finish Shelley's story. 

When discussing the art and points in the story specifically, one of the most affecting series of panels for me was when Percy is alone and sitting in the window writing poetry and the moth or butterfly (not sure which) gets burned by the lamp.  I liked this since it came after Percy tells his uncle that he may be falling out of love and adds a raw element to a very pleasing and quite scene of poetry.  

I also really loved the bit with Mary Shelley walking the streets with a book and examining the butchers and their work.  This part is bloody and a little disturbing, but I am glad that it was included since Mary Shelley is a fairly important figure when it comes to literature.  I would love if a graphic novel for Mary Shelley would be next!  Along with this, I applaud the inclusion of some fairly dark and scandalous things in this book.  Along with the butcher street blood, there is a hanging scene and even scantily clad and a naked woman, kissing on a dead mother's grave, infidelity, and a hint at suicide.    

All in all, I am going to give this one three stars mainly because there wasn't a lot to keep a reader going when it came to this story.  Perhaps the life of Percy Shelley is overlooked and that is why it is the focus of this graphic novel.  The plot isn't really too wild; Percy seems like the kind of guy I would not like to meet or be friends with because here he is depicted as a wild child who doesn't listen to people and likes trouble.  Even though the art is nice and I like the general style, I would rather this be about someone else more interesting or nicer to read about.

A unique portrayal story of Percy Shelley's life and how he met Mary Wollenstonecraft.

I liked it for the most part but wish that the plot had expanded more than Percy going around wooing women. Percy had so much room for his character to develop- an aspiring poet going against his parent's wishes to pursue his dreams and ambitions but instead, we mostly get him going around falling in love, getting kicked out of places and not much else.

I did like the dialogue. Apparently, it's supposed to represent actual letters and documents written by the people that are represented in this graphic novel. I wonder how much of this story is accurate but unfortunately, there is no author's note to further explain the events.

The illustrations were pretty good. A bit cartoonish but they worked just fine to portray the story.

I wasn't crazy about the plot pacing though. It feels like the storyline bounces from one event to the next with no order and often brief scenes will happen with years between them. I get how they can't possibly document every minute detail but I think I would've preferred if there was more to the plot that explained things further.

Overall, not a bad graphic novel. I might consider reading the next one in the series as it leaves off with him meeting Mary. Hopefully, the next installment will be better.

*Thank you to NetGalley and its publishers for proving a free ARC*

I’m sorry to say that I didn’t like this one very much. I liked the colouring, but I didn’t like the graphics, the way the characters were drawn, either too skinny or too fat, with too sharp features. The story was too flimsy for my tastes; I didn’t enjoy seeing Shelley running around with girl after girl after girl, getting kicked out of places and not much else happening.

'Percy Shelley 1' by David Vandermeulen with art by Daniel Casanave follows the young life of Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Percy Bysshe Shelley was born into an aristocratic family, but didn't want to follow his father in to politics. Instead, he wanted to be a poet and live off the family's money. His atheist pamphlets put him at odds with teachers and priests around him. His spur of the moment romances and proposals got him in to various trouble. The book ends with his relationship with his future wife Mary, the writer of 'Frankenstein.'

I liked this look at the life of this poet. I'm more familiar with people around him, so it was a good way to learn. I liked the illustration style. It was more cartoonish, but it fit the story pretty well.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

An entertaining and beautifully drawn retelling of the early years of Percy Shelley's adulthood, including his first marriage and his first meeting with the future Mary Shelley.

I think this needs to be marketed to a very specific audience; I couldn't really tell who this was for. It was sort-of interesting to learn more about Shelley's life and how he potentially met and wooed Mary Wolstoncraft, but everything else was pretty dull. I think volume two will be more interesting.

Percy Shelley is the first of the two-part Shelley comic series by David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave chronicling the escapades of English poet and playboy Percy Bysshe Shelley from 1811 to 1814. It is succeeded by Mary Shelley, which was originally published in French in 2012.

For me, the comic comes to life with Harriet’s letters to her father. She’s eloquent and funny and starts translating Sophie Cottin’s scandalous novel of adultery Claire d’Albe. Of the heroine, Harriet writes: “Infatuated, tormented, the formerly happy young girl dies of hopeless heartache. Is it not wonderful, Daddy?” It’s a tragic foreshadowing of Harriet’s own life.

Percy is portrayed best when working. The sequence in which he composes “To the Moonbeam” while moths madden the candle flames evokes the thoughtful nature of a poet’s work, giving a grace and gravity to Percy.

My favourite sequence introduces Mary Godwin. Passing disembowelled livestock, Mary enters the graveyard and sitting on her mother’s tomb reads aloud from Matthew Lewis’s gothic-screamer The Monk. There’s blood on her dress. She loses her bookmark. She chats to her dead mother. It’s funny in its anticipation of Frankenstein.

Daniel Casanave’s luscious artwork reminds me of Hergé, and his rendering of John Constable’s Flatford Mill suggests a hidden layer of humour.

At around 70 pages, Percy Shelley is a short, quick, light-hearted read for those interested in English Romantic poets. Too short, perhaps. It does not have the plot complexity of a graphic novel, but it did inspire me to re-read some of Shelley’s poems – and that is surely the point.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this book as an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This graphic novel covered the later childhood and early adulthood of PB Shelley up until he meets Mary Shelley. The graphic novel was beautifully drawn and was very up my alley since I am quite the fan of Mary shelley and her history. Although it does paint PB Shelley in a nicer light than what I’ve heard in history. It wasn’t a bad boom to read.

Interesting story of Percy Shelley's life and relationship with Mary Godwin. It is a bit too much informal for my liking though, the dialogues are a bit far-fetched for the times. i would have appreciated this story a bit more if they were more accurate. Nevertheless, it puts some light on the man who shared Mary Shelley's life and passions.

A think a teen would very much enjoy this story. I’m curious how accurate it is (e.g. Shelley was a vegetarian). I enjoyed reading about his short romance with his wife before meeting Mary. The artwork was beautiful in places (the cemetery scenes) and bizarre in others (Shelley’s Pinocchio nose). The ending wasn’t much of a conclusion, which leads me to believe this is a series. Overall it was a pleasant story aside from unnecessarily added nudity and odd use of language.

A very entertaining and humorous tale of Percy Blythe Shelley. The writing was very witty and amusing and the art was superb. A well-matched team. Very Tintin-esque. Will definitely be picking up the next issues.

Thank you to the publisher via Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchanging for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn in by the cover. Its artwork reminded me of The Graveyard Book graphic novel’s cover art. I was happy to see that the artwork and color story was consistent throughout the graphic novel.

Although fast-paced, this is by no means a dry account of Percy Shelly’s (love) life up until running away with Mary & her sister. Percy is painted to be a privileged womanizer - very dramatic when he realizes his wife has given birth. Despite the inserted humor & “modernization” (in terms of conversation, mostly), this comic seems to follow Percy’s actual life, although I would have appreciated more historical accuracy. Although, if you’re looking for a more entertaining retelling of Percy’s life - this is for you.

I’m curious to read the later installments of this series, especially because Percy and Mary’s lives are far more interesting after they meet. I’m expecting the next one to be better.

I don't know much about Percy and Mary Shelley, so this was a fun and quick way to learn a bit about them. Honestly though, from what I've seen I don't know what Mary Shelley saw in him other than his looks, he seems like a jerk.

The illustrations were lovely, but I have some bones to pick with the translator or the author... I'm sure people did not greet each other with 'Hey' and a Protestant man is unlikely to have shouted 'Moseltof' (by which I assume they meant 'Mazel tov') in glee.

This was quick and fun, but not terribly substantial and honestly I am glad I got a free copy, as I wouldn't recommend people purchase a copy if they are looking for a good graphic novel.

“Percy Shelley”, a comic book by David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave is truly delightful! It covers the young years of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 –1822) one of the major and most infamous English Romantic poets. His wife and paramour was Mary Shelley, a famous author of a Gothic novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” (1818). What we can learn from the comic book is that he was a prodigy, a young man with a rebellious and sharp mind, who wanted to spend his life in a unprecedented fashion without bothering with the rules of etiquette and these of polite society. He was also a spoiled brat with no concern for others and he relied heavily on a financial help from his wealthy relatives. He had his head in the clouds and wanted to lead his life like it was an exciting story written in a book…

Despite his many and unforgivable flaws it is impossible not to be enchanted by Percy’s uncompromising manner and wild escapades. The authors presented them with marvellous humour, so I was laughing, while reading, even if the life of Percy Shelley turned tragic and bittersweet at times. He was an enormous presence and an entertaining fellow with the craziest ideas possible… And have I mentioned, that he was also an amazing poet?

“Soul meets soul on lovers lips.”
― Percy Bysshe Shelley

I also loved the artwork in the comic book. Percy Shelley is wonderfully drawn and his story is fast-paced and very entertaining. I want to recommend this comic book to everyone, because it is so good. I honestly can’t remember when I enjoyed reading a comic book so much.

I received “Shelley” from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the authors and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the comic book.

A somewhat frivolous look at Percy Bysshe Shelley and his life and loves, taking great store by the fact he liked to have nookie in graveyards and abandoned his wife and mother to his child for another. It's not a hundred per cent accurate on what he wrote and when and how and why, but it's clearly more concentrated on his sex life. Byron only makes a cameo thus far, and we leave him here running away with not only his new love but her sister, too. Clearly there is more to come – but I think those wishing for a straighter, balanced biography won't be back for it. Me, I'm on the fence – this is fine but a little too whimsical for my tastes – certainly it leaves the education for someone else to deliver.

This is the first volume of a graphic novel series following the life of Romantic poet Percy Shelly. It was quite interesting to read this as I am also reading Monsters by Sharon Dogar which is a retelling of the early life of Mary Shelley. The art work is absolutely gorgeous and really suits the time period in which the novel is set. I Ioved all the little details in the illustrations and I really liked the style. It's also quite funny in places and I look forward to the future volumes. I don't read many graphic novels but this was very enjoyable and its also quite short and sweet.

A cool adaptation of Shelley for modern readers. The art style works well and the story is fun and interesting.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This little graphic novel tells part of Percy Bysshe Shelley's life. Lately, I've read a lot about him and Mary Shelley, but his relationship with Harriet was never a main point in his story. So, I liked very much that we could read about her and how she fell in love with him.
I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Shelley as a person (as far as we know about him), but I like his poetry and his rebellious works, and that's why I keep reading about him. Plus, I'm a really big fan of Mary, therefore I read about him also in order to know more about her and their passionate relationship.
The illustrations were very beautiful and I enjoyed reading this book. I'll definetely read the following ones.

Creative, clever, and even scholarly in its own right. Shelley shows that literature belongs in the world of graphic novels and comic books too. Highly enjoyable!