The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien’s…)
(Eclipse, 1989-1990, 2001)
™ and ©1965 J.R.R. Tolkien. Adaptation ©1989 Charles Dixon and David Wenzel
The comic adaptation is always somewhat the bastard son, produced under restrictions and never quite able to convey the entire book or film. This begins well, though. For his part, artist David Wenzel refrains from cuteness. His dwarves are careworn weather-beaten creatures, his Gandalf suitably noble, his Gollum suitably deranged, and his vistas beautiful. Only with the hairy feet of Bilbo Baggins does he lack the necessary touch. Three issues permit some breathing space, but by the third, in particular, writer Chuck Dixon is incorporating large chunks of captioned text and requires massive word balloons for the voluminous amount of dialogue, resulting in lots of cramped illustrations. For this amount of text one might as well read the book. Fans of The Hobbit will probably enjoy a new view of an old friend, but for all the fine illustration, this is another compromised adaptation.
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Wraparound cover by David Wenzel
Apr 1990
Cover: $4.95
W: Chuck Dixon, Sean Deming, J.R.R. Tolkien · A: David Wenzel
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Wraparound cover by David Wenzel
Aug 1990
Cover: $4.95
W: Chuck Dixon, Sean Deming, J.R.R. Tolkien · A: David Wenzel
Final issue
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Jun 2001
Cover: $15.00
W: Chuck Dixon, Sean Deming, J.R.R. Tolkien · A: David Wenzel
Reprints Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien’s…) Bk 1; Published by Del Rey Books