Quixotic

Sancho by Rob Davis

We are delighted to announce our latest graphic novel adaptation! The artist and adaptor is none other than the enormously talented Rob Davis, who's been working on a pitch for SelfMadeHero for a while now. It's well worth checking out his blog – Dinlos and Skilldos – to keep up with Rob's other projects which have included things like Solipsistic Pop 2 and the Doctor Who Magazine. You can also follow Rob on Twitter for a blow-by-blow account of what he's doing, like, right... now.

So without further ado, from the blog of Mr Rob Davis Esq.:

Don Quixote by Rob Davis

I'm very happy to announce that – as of September 1st – I will be adapting Don Quixote for SelfMadeHero. I'll be writing and illustrating the books. This was key for me as I want to bring a complete vision to Don Quixote.

I'll be fascinated to know what people's opinions are of Don Quixote, most people I've spoken to know the book, know that it is regarded as a cornerstone of western literature, but haven't actually read it. I have heard it described as 'the greatest book ever written, that no one reads'. That's a bit of a tragedy really, even if you don't accept it's the 'greatest book ever written' it's hard to argue that it isn't the father of all novels (and I include graphic ones!). I accept that it's a daunting book to tackle - a thousand page book written in the late 16th/early 17th century, most of us swallow hard at that kind of challenge, but it is worth it!

If I'm going to remain faithful to Cervantes' genius text I will need to make a graphic novel that is laugh-out-loud funny, painfully tragic, profound, surreal, constantly reinventing itself and featuring some of the most well-rounded characters in literature... no big ask then!

I can't wait to get started and I will post developments on this blog as I go. Above is a sample from some of the pages I did as a pitch. I'm really glad Emma at SelfMadeHero has bought into my vision for this project and I look forward to working with the SelfMade team over the next eighteen months.

We'll keep you up to date with Rob's progress as he gallops across the scripting stage and charges through the artwork at pace dropping sneak peeks as he goes. It's going to be long journey. Who knows where it'll end up...