P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations, V. 1: The Magic Flute

The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations #1

by P. Craig Russell, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Long out of print, the many adaptations that Russell has done of famous operas are finally collected again in 3 volumes, in the wake of his highly successful massive recent adaptation of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung. This first volume presents his adaptation of one of Mozart’s most famous works, a farcical tale mixed with fantasy. The story begins as the Queen of the Night sets Prince Tamino on a quest to rescue her daughter, Pamina from the evil Sarastro. On the way, he meets the bird-catcher Papageno, who is “persuaded” to help Tamino in his quest. Tamino’s spiritual quest is counterpoised with Papageno’s own earthly search for his one true love, Papagena. Both couples’ strivings are juxtaposed with the eternal conflict between Sarastro and the Queen of the Night.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Music, Classics, Fiction, Fairy Tales

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Philip Craig Russell was the first mainstream comic book creator to come out as openly gay. Since 1972 his work has won multiple Kirby, Harvey, and Eisner Awards, and Cartoon Crossroads Columbus presented him the Master Cartoonist Award in 2019.

Reviews

[Peyton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magic Flute is a beautiful graphic adaptation of the opera of the same name by Mozart. I am not very familiar with opera, though I am familiar with Mozart's symphonies, so this story was a new experience for me. The Magic Flute is a wonderful fantasy with a little bit of everything - humour, suspense, romance, wisdom, symbolism. I would describe it as an epic fairy tale. Russell's panels are detailed and colourful. Each character has a slightly different colour pallette associated with them that is subtly reflected in the scenery. What a deceptively complex story in so few words! This book is aimed at adults, but would also be accessible and thematically appropriate for older children and teens. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys graphic novels and traditional fantasy.

[AK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic novel adaptations are not really my thing, but the art in this is really lovely. It reminds me of the John R. Neill illustrations in the Oz series, with a curl and flow that makes the realms here magical - as is necessary in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

Like all operas, the plot seems more than a little far-fetched, but it translates better as a comic than I expected, although the details are not quite perfect.

The biggest downside of this adaptation is that this opera has so much iconic music, like the Queen of the Night aria. Opera may not have a very large fan base, but Die Zauberflöte is one of the most-performed operas today, more than two centuries after its composition. The impossibility to translate that music onto the page makes this a good introduction to the opera, but certainly not a substitute.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not care for the story, but I enjoyed the illustrations, which were reminiscent of 1960s concert poster art.

[Drew Canole · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent adaptation of Mozart's Magic Flute. I always enjoy listening to the music while reading this P. Craig Russell adaptations although I read these at a much faster pace than the music.

It would be interesting to line up the art and the music.

Phenomenal artwork throughout and I think Russell does a great job of creating real characters and making sense of the otherworldly plot.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard The Queen of the Night in a Don Johnson movie, of all places, and have loved Mozart's music ever since. I wondered what the story behind the music was, so I read this book to find out. The book explained this well. The plot was definitely different (as in, really strange) but the music is -- and forever will be -- among the greatest ever written.

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russell's illustrations perfectly picture what I think of when I think of a realm of fantasy. Gorgeous adaptation.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visual adaptation of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte ("The Magic Flute"), P. Craig Russell captures the whimsical nature of the original opera into a vibrant little comic. The story has the trappings of a fable with fantastical elements, told in a fashion that is more ethereal and atmospheric than it is literal. Russell's adaptation is just as obscuring as the original, but works well to cover the fantastical aspects. Color is where Russell really delivers on the divine aesthetic of the story, with each panel bursting with vibrancy and highlighting the strength of Russell's fine lines incredibly well. It's a gorgeously composed comic that some delivers the sensationalized storytelling of opera well in visual form.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea what the $#@& was going on, but the pictures sure were purty! It felt like Mozart was trying to steal from Shakespeare and Siddhartha at the same time.

[Mer Bear🧸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hermosa adaptación. Creo que logra trasladar la experiencia sonora a las viñetas.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

P. Craig Russell is my favorite graphic novel artist/author. He really knows how to get at the root of a story and express it with magical illustrations that elevate a story to a unique realm that only his books can achieve. Similar to his Oscar Wilde, Neil Gaiman and Richard Wagner adaptations (what a strange ensemble!), the stories that Russel adapts are already fantastic in of themselves. But what Russell does is use the space of a page with wonderful, expressive colors that use every square inch to embody a certain mood or feeling. Russell also knows how to do great pacing, characterization and emotional delivery. Even though the music of The Magic Flute and The Ring of Nibelung have, of course, impactful and beautiful music, his graphic novels of those stories somehow feel more impactful than centuries-old, legendary music. No stage production of these operas could feel as moving as the way he reinterprets the stories in his own special way.

I have not yet seen The Magic Flute in a live performance yet. I will hopefully try to see a production of it this December at the Met. I thought this story was beautiful, and the forces of dark and evil playing a game of chess with people reminded me of Paradise Lost, The Odyssey, The Stand and LOST. I kind of wish the evil queen had a bit more of a rational as to why she was evil. Something about her recluse disposition was oddly fascinating, and it reminds me of the evil Queen of Narnia, in a way. I felt a certain kind of distrust towards the king, who was supposedly righteous in every way. But there HAD to be something that pushed the queen away from him, and I had this feeling that the king had something to do with it. Maybe watching the opera will give some more context... or not. I wouldn't be surprised if the story just had the king and queen be outdated, flat characters of their time.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had an odd obsession with The Magic Flute since I had a VHS of the ABC animated adaptation as a child. I say odd because I generally find the story somewhat unsatisfying and difficult to connect to. It looks like a fairy tale, but its message is far more esoteric than the simple and powerful morals of most fairy tales.

That being said, this adaptation offered an interpretation that made more sense to me than others I've read or seen. Also the art is lovely, and it's worth reading if only to admire the art.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most astonishing pieces of comic art I've ever encountered. Russell's art nouveau style illustrations and coloring come the closest of any artist to rivaling the great Moebius.

[Ashley F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back in the day there was this 1 hour special on television called "The Magic Flute". Yes I know Mozart wrote it way longer ago but let's just stick to my story. I loved that special. I watched it so much I ruined the tape I had it on. It was a musical animated story about a prince who goes to rescue a princess with the help of a magic flute. There are talking animals, evil witches, deceptions, etc. I was in love. I've never seen it in another version and when I saw the library had this I decided to give it a shot.

The premise is virtually the same. The Queen of the Night contacts Prince Tamino to rescue her daughter Pamina from the evil Sarastro. Tamino rushes of with Papageno to rescue the princess. Not all is as it seems when it comes to Sarastro and the Queen of the Night and Tamino and crew are in for a major reveal. As Tamino and Pamina fall in love, Papageno finds his own love with "fairy"(?) Papagena.

This is an old-school graphic novel. I'm not sure when it was originally written but it has early '80s written all over it. The pages are old school drawings with elongated bodies, flowing capes, and harsh looking faces. The thought bubbles are long and blocky like the old comics. It's fine but it dates the crap out of the graphic novel.

Sadly the adaptation does not really address the story as though a reader is new to it. It's heavily glossed over with over-extended tropes like insta-love and clueless heroism. I haven't watched the tv special in years so maybe all of that was there. I tend to be more forgiving of cartoons for children than adult graphic novels. Yeah...I don't think this should be in the kid's section. I think it got stuck in one of those "comics are for kids" sorting and that's why it ended up in that section.

After reading this I am planning to go and watch the old adaptation from the early '90s (YAY Youtube!) and see how I feel. For now though, I'd skip this one.

[Kienie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is great.

The story, however, is told too simply. The Queen is EVIL...but aside from turning the women into birds and wanting her ex dead, she doesn't have much of a personality. She turned evil because...her husband didn't pay attention to her? And the King is supposed to be good, but he has a rapist in his midst that tries to rape the King's daughter and whom the King doesn't banish immediately. The Prince is completely a blank slate. The Princess sort of has familial feelings towards the Queen...and then she tries to kill herself because that one time the Prince wouldn't talk to her? And there is something about embracing the light and loving...yourself?

I'd probably get a lot more out of this is I were already familiar with the story, or had seen/read an adaptation. But I'm not, so everything seems under-explained.

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know that graphic versions of operas existed; there's a whole new world to explore! This was given to me as an anniversary gift by my husband, with tickets to a COC production tucked into the front cover, so for that alone I would give it five stars!
I love the idea of the story, and the way in which the artwork is used to propel the plot without words occasionally. The story, convoluted as it is, is still a little hard to follow at times and, while the artwork is lovely, I would have preferred more detailed and colourful settings to match the fantastical storyline. Small complaints aside, this is my favourite opera and I will certainly be giving the book pride of place on my shelf.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

P. Craig Russell takes risks and you can tell when one of his books is a labor of love.
He does both in this adaptation of an Opera... who knew you could sell Opera to comic book fans? Well, apparently P. Craig Russell did and he gives us fans a beautiful book with fantastic art.
I don't think I've ever been dissapointed in one of the books he's adapted, and I'll continue to be a fan of his for as long as he keeps em coming or for as long as I'm still around. Whicever comes first, place your bets folks.
He also takes risks with his "Night Music" graphic novels, but that's a review for another day.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this out of the library so I could understand the meaning of a snippet of opera that I watched on YouTube. I didn't realize that it was a graphic novel.

I really liked the story of the magic flute and having pictures definitely helped me understand the meanings of things. That said, I'm not a huge fan of the graphic novel. Still, I was glad to be able to understand "The Magic Flute" and would like to see the whole opera.

[William Vaudin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how I felt about the story but I loved the artwork. You don't see a lot of american comic art in this style, it feels more like something you'd find in European comics. The story of Mozart's The Magic Flute isn't very interesting other than the twist with the Queen of the Night being the villain, but if there was a movie version of it in the style of "this" comic, I think it would be the best version of the story there is.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the opera over ten years ago, so at this point I can't really compare the book to the opera since I don't remember the performance well. On the surface, it's a simple good vs. evil story, but has some interesting turns--and who wouldn't love Papageno? Wonderful illustrations make this a fun, quick read.

[Lynnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting comic book adaption of Mozart's famous opera. It's a well illustrated book. This might help interest high schoolers in opera. I would not recommend younger children read it because of the violence, occasional swearing, and some adult themes. I'm definitely going to check out more of this author's books.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it is about P. Craig Russell's art that I love so freaking much. It's not like anything else in comics, and I'd probably read a cooking book if he illustrated it.

[joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally have a good idea what the plot is! Wonderful graphics, too.