Fahrenheit 451 gets a new look

The Ray Bradbury novel, Fahrenheit 451, which was publish in 1953, is now being released in a graphic novel format.
The artist who adapted the novel, Tim Hamilton, says he initially found the idea of taking on such a well-known book, intimidating. Hamilton did not collaborate with Bradbury, but he did get some sense of what the author thought the book should look like. Bradbury supports this interpretation of his story as he did the movie in 1966. In fact, he has given his full backing to the graphic adaptation. For Bradbury, a comic book collector since age 9, the idea is exciting.
"Buck Rogers came into my life in October of 1929," he says. "So you see, I have a strong interest in illustration, and a graphic novel is part of my life."
Bradbury was inspired to write Fahrenheit 451 after, at the age of 15, he saw images of books being burned in Hitler's Germany.
"It killed my heart and killed my soul," he says, "and the memory of Hitler burning the books caused me to sit down and write Fahrenheit 451."
With the latest book regulations, the idea of book burning isn't impossible to imagine. Bringing the story to a new medium will also attract a new generation of readers. Being politically, socially and actively aware of what is going on in the world is waning in much of today's youth. Bringing back the "good fight" and sparking a social conscious is an admirable thing to do. There are many such books awaiting to be resurrected in this and many other new forms today. Reading for pleasure is great. When the written word causes the reader to pause, if only for a moment, and think about a social injustice or new idea, then something wonderful has happened.