There is no way anyone could meet this Richard and not immediately know he’s up to no good. This isn’t just your wicked Richard, this is downright creepy Richard, complete with a purple-shadowed face, quasi-Dracula cape, and ravens. What I will comment on is the artwork, and while a lot of other reader reviewers like it, for me it looked like the artist (Patrick Warren) has been channeling Friday night horror movies because this one has the feel of a good ol’ Hammer Horror flick. About the play itself, I will simply say that this is an abridged version that manages to keep the feel of the original. That’s been done to death, and I’m not about to try my hand at it.

I do not plan on critiquing Shakespeare’s play. I’d been reading another manga version of Richard, Aya Kanno’s Requiem of the Rose King, and thought I’d give this one a try. That’s why I picked up this manga version of the play. Like it or not, Shakespeare is here to stay and so from time to time, I dip into his Richard for a change of pace. I look upon Shakespeare’s Richard as a fictional character with the same name living in an alternate universe, much like reading any other alt-historical fiction.Īs for why? Because it’s a great play with a fascinating main character. How and why do I do it? The how is simple.

but I also love Shakespeare’s wicked Richard. I not only look upon the historical Richard III as a much-maligned king who, to borrow from the late Rodney Dangerfield, doesn't seem to get a lot of respect.

Richard iii graphic novel