Barnes & NobleThe Witches: The Graphic Novel by Roald Dahl

I Need More Roald Dahl Graphic Novel Adaptations

Although I was really interested in reading this graphic novel adaptation, I was nervous about it too. I’m a bit of a purist where childhood favourites are concerned; while I’m mostly okay with minor changes, I don’t want you to mess with my cherished childhood memories. I’m happy to report that the story I know and love remains intact here. Sure, there are some changes but none that make me want to point at a specific page number in the original book and demand that it be changed back because it ruined the story. I’m sure I’ve missed some because it’s been a few years since I last read The Witches but the changes I noticed straight away were: * The story takes place in England, not Norway * Grandmamma and her grandson aren’t white (loving this!) * Bruno Jenkins is a girl, whose name I still don’t know. Her surname is Jenkins and she has much better lines than Bruno did * The Grand High Witch now says “remove” rather than “rrree-moof” and “wigs” instead of “vigs” * Formula 86 is hidden in a different location in the Grand High Witch’s room * There’s gambling at the hotel (whose name has changed) and mention of yoga and organic food * Grandmamma’s conversation with the Jenkins’ has a different outcome and happens at a different time in the story * Grandmamma ends up going into the kitchen to find her grandson rather than him meeting her back in the dining room * The Jenkins family now stays in touch with Grandmamma and her grandson. There were only a couple of things from the novel that I missed in the graphic novel. While the story of the girl in the painting is explained well in the graphic novel, the other early witch stories are only mentioned briefly. Also missing was Grandmamma telling her grandson how many beats per minute a mouse’s heart beats (500!). Neither impacts the story at all. They were simply a couple of my favourite bits as a kid. As a decades long Roald Dahl fan, I wholeheartedly approve of this adaptation. Besides the story remaining true to form, I also loved the illustrations. The Grand High Witch looked different unmasked than she does in my memory of the book and original movie but she was fantastic nonetheless. I definitely need more Roald Dahl graphic novel adaptations.