When Pride and Prejudice and Zombies first came out, it was quirky and funny. Monsters infused into a classic was a unique and humorous idea. But now, many monsters later, I'm getting pretty sick of this new "genre." When I saw Android Karenina, I knew we had officially moved into the realm of "beating a dead horse."
But, then a new book arrived at the store: Dick and Jane and Vampires. Yes, it is once again a monster-infused classic. But, this time I'd like to believe it's laughing at itself. The original Dick and Jane books are goofy enough, but then throw in a vampire and it's pretty darn funny.
My favorite line is said by Jane: "Look out Mother! Look out behind you!" The illustration shows a black-cloaked vampire following mother into the sweet shop. It really is funny to read the stilted dialogue and see the original pictures, except there is a vampire lurking around.
I understand if you, like me, don't want to see another classic made into a monster- mashup. What's next, Moby Dragon? But, if you do get a chuckle out of quirky, tongue-in-cheek humor, you might want to check out Dick and Jane and Vampires. It's good for a laugh.
1 comment:
I agree completely that the genre has jumped the shark, but this book might be something worth looking into. It's like a children's book for grown-ups.
I illustrated a project sort of like this. It was a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" done as a parody of "The Polar Express" - http://www.christinarodriguez.com/books/the-antarctic-express.html
This is a book geared more towards adult fans of Lovecraft, though there are plenty of kids who like my illustrations. I'm glad to see that other publishers are seeing the possibilities in children's book parodies as well.
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