This was great. Although there is a lot to take it’s been drawn nicely. I love the rabbits and how each one looks different which helps the reader keep up with what is happening.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for death, violence, and allusions to sexual assault.)

-- 4.5 stars --

If you knew me, you'd know how wild it is that I've reached the ripe old age of 46 without reading WATERSHIP DOWN. I've always been a voracious reader and an "animal person," and, especially as a middle schooler, I absolutely devoured stories about animals, particularly anthropomorphized ones (THE SECRET OF NIMH and CHARLOTTE'S WEB are favorites). I guess the title gave off strong World War vibes (and, to be fair, it is widely regarded as an allegory for WWII), and I've just never been that into military history. And at 478 pages, it's also a pretty big time commitment for an adult who doesn't have as much time to read as she'd like. Which is all to say that the graphic novel seemed like the perfect entry point into the 'verse of Watership Down.

Before diving in, I brushed up on the basics via Wikipedia and, from what I can see, the graphic novel feels like a rather faithful adaptation. The graphic novel follows the same structure as the novel, from The Journey, to Watership Down, Efrafa, and Hazel-rah. Some of the more ancillary characters are combined or omitted altogether, and only several of the El-ahrairah stories - the folklore of the rabbits - make the cut.

Even with the reduced cast of characters, it's sometimes hard to keep all the rabbits straight. Illustrator Joe Sutphin does a commendable job differentiating between most of the main characters (Bigwig is especially striking), but things do get a little confusing when you add Cowslips's and the Efrafa warrens.

The artwork is simply charming and Sutphin makes it impossible not to fall in love with Hazel, Fiver, Dandelion, Bigwig, Kehaar, and the rest. The rabbit's culture - language, mythology, proverbs, and traditions - is drawn with love and care. Admittedly I haven't spent much time considering the story's parallels to WWII, though I appreciated the lessons about friendship and living in harmony with the natural world (and most notably the Western world's inability to do so).

Something that I didn't expect: much of the story's plot revolves around the Watership Down warren's efforts to procure does for breeding purposes. (Or, put in more noble terms, so that their warren will survive past the current generation.) The founding members are all bucks, and they quickly realize that their efforts will be fleeting without a new generation to take over the warren. They talk about "stealing" does from Efrafa, which reeks of sex trafficking, but it eventually becomes clear that they only intend to rescue those females who will leave with them willingly. Efrafa's leadership, on the other hand, is an authoritarian state that retains its citizens with force, including the threat of death for runaways and traitors. There's even a scene where Hyzenthlay - one of the would-be escapees - asks Bigwig if the does who join Watership Down can "mate with who we choose," heavily implying that they are raped on the regular in Efrafa. It's disappointing that these themes aren't really elaborated upon - but then again, there's an interesting section in the Wikipedia entry about criticisms of gender roles in the book:

[L]iterary critic Jane Resh Thomas said Watership Down "draws upon ... an anti-feminist social tradition which, removed from the usual human context and imposed upon rabbits, is eerie in its clarity". Thomas also called it a "splendid story" in which "anti-feminist bias ... damages the novel in only a minor way".

In terms of adaptations, WATERSHIP DOWN: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL is about as good as it gets; I definitely want to check out the novel(s) and animated movie as well. But the source material definitely isn't without its issues.

I loved this! It was so cool to have it as a companion to the book. The artwork is beautiful and calming but also terrifying at some points. Loved having another little adventure with these rabbits.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

"Watership Down: The Graphic Novel" features charming art reminiscent of a children's book, contrasting effectively with its darker themes. It's a faithful adaptation of the original story, capturing the essence of Richard Adams' classic tale. The illustrations add depth to the narrative, making it a compelling read for both new and existing fans of "Watership Down."

Now this is how you adapt a classic story into a graphic novel. Who would have ever thought the story of some rabbits in the English countryside could be so compelling? And so fraught with danger. This adaptation does a wonderful job of translating the story to the visual medium. It's told almost entirely through dialogue which is how to tell the story in a comic. Too many adaptations tell all the story through exposition blocks and that couldn't make for a more boring comic. Thankfully, that didn't happen here. The illustrations are exquisite. So is the story. This is top notch stuff, my friends. There's a very good chance this ends up as a Christmas gift for friends and family this year.

The art is amazing in this one! As I hadn't read Watership Down before, I was a bit surprised about the violence depicted in the page. A bit slower paced at moments with a lot of travel scenes, as well.

A pretty damn good adaptation that's just as tragic as the movie. (Yes I know it's a novel, but I only know the movie lol)

This is a solid comic adaptation of the original. It's faithful, but I think I would've preferred a more interpretive adaptation. In the original, Adams' rabbits are difficult to distinguish from one another, and this comic had the chance to embellish a bit more, but didn't. It's good, but I expected something a little different.

I love that Sturm explains that while the creators wanted to stay true to the original, they provide certain perks of a graphic novel not found in the original while the original is and will always be the guidepost and should be enjoyed.

With that said, I only recently listened to the audiobook of the original having never enjoyed it when I was younger and enjoyed the experience, creativity, adventure, humor, and relationships between the rabbits. This one elevates the story with its color palette and illustration style. It was a powerful reminder of nature and the natural way of things, the same that I get out of following the "Nature is Metal" on Instagram showing the awesome power of the natural world both flora and fauna.

Hats-off to this adaptation! While it does have plenty of gore, it is outweighed by the immense power of interplay of relationships and survival.

I have never read Watership Down, but I really found myself enjoying this graphic novel.  It's beautifully adapted with absolutely lovely art.  I found the stroyline intriguing.  I don't know a lot about rabbits as a species, but there was a lot more violence than I expected.

I can recall reading and being thoroughly engrossed by Watership Down. It's complex and detailed. So I can certainly understand adapting this as a graphic novel. It's a book that relies heavily on setting and interpretation of strangeness. Being illustrated bring some clarity to Adams' invented terms. Even in graphic novel form, though, this remains a dense read. It's a book to experience slowly, absorbing the details of each panel, noting characters, and following the nuance of the plot.

I read this book as a child and it still brings back wonderful memories of reading with my dad. A classic for a reason!

I have never read the book Watership Down, I think mainly because I expect it to be sad and I’m not a fan of sad books but after reading this wonderful graphic novel adaptation I will definitely read it. The story is heartbreaking and also heartwarming, the art is beautiful. Highly recommend to fans of the original book and for those who love wonderful stories.

Thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars only because the illustrations were gorgeous. The storyline was awful. My mom tried to read Watership Down to my sister and me when we were kids and I remember we both hated it and wouldn't let her finish reading it. I should have trusted my memory on this one. The story is mostly in English but has a lot of made-up words but I'm not sure the original author thought that was a good idea or necessary. It was hard to keep the different rabbits straight even with the illustrations.

This is my first experience with Watership Down, a preface I include for a reason, much like the adaptor the source material wasn't something that had initially appealed to me. Unlike many it wasn't the animated movie that scared me away but the Rats of Nihm movie that scared me away from any oldschool classic animal novels. I grabbed the graphic novel thinking that it would be the only way I would come close to enjoying this book (the cover is gorgeous). I thoroughly enjoyed this, the story of course is a classic and holds up way beyond what I expected. The art is lovely, it captures the idyllic beauty and lurking horror of the English country side and the rabbits look good too.

I expected this to be a one and done way to experience a classic that I had skipped, but this has almost has me wanting to pick up the original. Which seems like a real testament to the love put into the adaptation that it makes you want to read the source material immediately after finishing.

Graphic novel adaptations of classic literature is a fantastic way to introduce readers to the well loved tales. This book is easily more popular than my prose copy of the story. Excellently illustrated and written.

As a librarian passionate about bridging the gap between timeless literature and modern sensibilities, the graphic novel adaptation of "Watership Down" is a welcome addition to our collection. This classic tale by Richard Adams, reimagined with delicate and expressive artwork, captures the epic journey of bravery and survival that has captivated readers for generations. While the visual storytelling is a feast for the eyes, its gentle art style may not immediately grab those students hungry for high-octane, action-packed graphics.

However, I encourage readers to delve into this adventure, as the story itself is as stirring as any contemporary thriller. The graphic novel format offers a new avenue to appreciate the nuances of the original novel, making it more accessible for young readers who might be daunted by the text-heavy classic. The challenge lies in convincing the action-seeking youth to give this softer visual narrative a chance, but once they do, they're likely to be enthralled by the rich and complex world of Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and their companions.

Published by Ten Speed Graphic on October 17, 2023

The novel Watership Down is a celebrated anthropomorphic adventure novel that was written by Richard Adams and first published in 1972. While the original book is classified as a children’s novel, it has long earned the praise of adult readers. This graphic adaptation captures the magic of the original work in a simplified form that makes the story accessible to children who haven’t mastered the ability to read. The story isn’t dumbed down so adults can enjoy it just as much as kids, either as a reminder of a book they read years ago or as a quick introduction to the original. A note of caution, however. Some parents might deem the art inappropriate for very young children as some of the scenes of rabbits biting and clawing each other are a bit bloody.

Weighing in at 385 pages, the graphic version adapts Adams’ novel without losing essential elements of the story. The primary characters are rabbits, although a bird and mouse play critical roles. Humans are largely represented through machinery or weapons.

Fiver is an ordinary rabbit, apart from his inconsistent ability to foretell the future. He has a vision of a disaster that will wipe out the warren if the rabbits do not flee. When the chief rabbit refuses to take Fiver’s warning seriously, Hazel leads a group of dissident male rabbits in an escape from the chief rabbit’s authority. Their best storyteller joins the group, telling stories of cunning rabbits that inspire the dissidents to be sneaky and cautious, even when the chief rabbit sends one of his rabbit goons to bring them back. The rabbits defy the goon and embark on a long journey.

The graphic novel makes judicious choices about aspects of the original text that deserve to be highlighted. For example, the graphic novel emphasizes the role that legends and storytelling play in helping a culture maintain an identity and preserve its values. The rabbits repeatedly turn to tales of courage and sacrifice in rabbit kingdoms of the past to guide their responses to current problems.

I see the story is an ode to freedom and a warning about the dangers of authoritarianism. In an early example of that theme, the dissident rabbits encounter a group of rabbits who offer safety in a large and comfortable warren, but those rabbits are willing to sacrifice some of their number in exchange for food and protection from predators that humans provide to them. Leaders who tell their followers that strong rulers will keep them safe by sacrificing the less worthy are common across the world. We’ve seen too many of them in the US.

Moving on, Hazel saves a mouse from a kestrel, an act of interspecies decency that will later be repaid. As the journey continues, Hazel helps a wounded bird who also repays his kindness. The rabbits learn that when they work together and accept the friendship of diverse members of the animal kingdom, they can overcome stronger foes. Even a cat can be chased away by rabbits working in concert.

The rabbit goon eventually reappears. He confirms the calamity that Fiver predicted. Humans, they discover, will callously kill rabbits, not just because rabbits ruin gardens but because rabbit warrens stand in the way of property development. The rabbits do not understand the strange ways of humans. That’s not surprising. Neither do humans.

Being male rabbits, the dissidents decide they need female rabbits to help them live their best lives, so they try to free captive does from a farm. I recall some feminist criticism of the novel as male-rabbit-centric because female rabbits don’t have much of a role except as breeders. I don’t recall females being mistreated (they certainly aren’t in the graphic novel) but I suppose readers who are sensitive to how female rabbits were portrayed in 1972 should be warned of those concerns. To me, this is a book that happens to be about male rabbits. I don’t think that demeans female rabbits.

The attempt to free the female rabbits requires a sacrifice, followed by a daring rescue. Other rabbits, hoping to recruit females, are taken prisoner by another group of rabbits who are governed by an authoritarian leader. More stories of daring and self-sacrifice ensue. The ending is touching.

Although I was in my twenties when I read Watership Down, I recall being very concerned about the fate of the rabbits. The graphic novel prompted those feelings to resurface. While the story might be less epic than The Odyssey, Adams told a compelling adventure story that touches upon adult themes in a classic tradition.

The art would be appealing even to kids who can’t yet read. Like real rabbits, some rabbits have a similar appearance, others are quite distinctive. Their facial expressions do not emulate humans, yet the artist made their emotions clear. The pastoral settings through which the rabbits roam — some pages are nothing but grassy fields beneath blue skies — convey a sense of tranquility that gives way to the violence of rabbits running from foxes or fighting each other. The purpose of a graphic version of a text novel is to create art that helps readers interpret the story. This one succeeds admirably.

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I had a hard time putting this graphic novel down. Although it was longer than I expected it to be, I found it to be an exciting read. This group of rabbits face some tough times, but they refuse to let them bring them down. Once they beat a dangerous foe, it looks like things for them are finally going to be okay. Most fans of this book will want to check this graphic novel out.

Not quite the same as the 1978 movie - with its turmoil creeping on you, bit by bit. Nor the exact same as the book: some characters (and the sentences attributed to them) were replaced or assimilated by others, for example.
Still, it's good to give them a face; and the backgrounds are incredible, with those scenic watercolours!