Fable Comics Blog Tour - Interview with Gregory Benton




I am thrilled to be part of the Fable Comics Blog Tour! This book is beautiful. It's filled with amazing adaptations of many of the fables your students already know and quite a few that will be new to them.

I spend a lot of time reading fables with my third graders, and I can't wait to introduce them to this anthology. I anticipate wonderful discussions about the rich vocabulary, delicious art, and time-honored "morals of the story". My older students already love the work of George O'Connor, and will be thrilled to discover some new short stories about Hermes in this volume.


Fable Comics
by Chris Duffy (Editor), James Kochalka (Contributor), Simone Lia(Contributor), Graham Chaffee (Contributor), Maris Wicks (Contributor),Vera Brosgol (Contributor), Keny Widjaja (Contributor), Corinne Mucha(Contributor) , Liniers (Contributor), Mark Newgarden (Contributor), Ulises Farinas (Contributor), Tom Gauld (Contributor), R.O. Blechman(Contributor), Graham Annable (Contributor), John Kerschbaum(Contributor), Braden Lamb (Contributor), Shelli Paroline (Contributor),Gregory Benton (Contributor), Roger Langridge (Contributor), George O'Connor (Contributor), Sophie Goldstein (Contributor), R. Sikoryak(Contributor), Jennifer L. Meyer (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Eleanor Davis (Contributor), Jaime Hernández (Contributor), Israel Sanchez(Contributor), Charise Mericle Harper (Contributor)

Hardcover, 128 pages
Published September 22nd 2015 by First Second
ISBN 1626721076 (ISBN13: 9781626721074)



Today I bring you an interview with Gregory Benton. He adapted "The Hen and the Mountain Turtle".

1) How much choice did you get in selecting the fable you adapted for this anthology?

I chose my fable from a list of possibilities that Chris Duffy gave me (though I was free to pick any tale from anywhere that wasn't already in the works), and I loved The Hen & The Mountain Turtle.


2) If you've read the other fables in this book, which ones are your favorites and why?

I haven’t seen the whole book yet! Hopefully it’ll come in the mail soon.


3) What fables do you wish could have been included in this book? Are there any that you really wish you'd been able to adapt in addition to "The Hen and the Mountain Turtle"?

‘The Hen and the Mountain Turtle’ was my absolute favorite. That’s my top choice!


4) What changes did you make to the traditional version of the tale as you adapted it? Why did you make those changes?

It’s all about the expression. Turning a fable into a comic means creating the look of the setting and all the characters, and that’s an important part of what I spent time on.


5) What else might that mountain turtle want to teach us?

I loved The Hen & The Mountain Turtle. Maybe because I am becoming reflective in my middle-age. I don't think the turtle is trying to say anything more that what he states at the end of the fable, except for something along the lines of "GET OFF MY LAWN!".

6) Many of my students adore reading comics, and are starting to create their own. What sage bits of advice would you give to kids who want to make comics?

Read lots of comics! And start writing and drawing your first book now – it’s never too early to begin making comics.



More about Fable Comics:

From classics like "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Grasshopper and the Ants" to obscure gems like "The Frogs Who Desired a King," Fable Comics has something to offer every reader. Twenty-eight fables from different cultures and traditions are wonderfully adapted and illustrated in comics format by twenty-six different cartoonists. Edited by New York Times bestselling Fairy Tale Comics' Chris Duffy, this jacketed hardcover is a beautiful gift and an instant classic.


Fable Comics is:
James Kochalka and ‘The Fox and the Grapes‘
Tom Gauld and ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse’
George O’Connor and the ‘Hermes’ fables
Sophie Goldstein and ‘Leopard Drums Up Dinner’
Charise Harper and ‘The Belly and the Body Members’
R. Sikoryak and ‘Lion + Mouse’
Jennifer L. Meyer and ‘Fox and Crow’
Eleanor Davis and ‘The Old Man and Death’
Jaime Hernandez and ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’
Simone Lia and ‘The Crow and the Pitcher’
Graham Chaffee and ‘The Dog and His Reflection’
Maris Wicks and ‘The Dolphins, The Whales, and The Sprat’
Vera Brosgol and ‘The Hare and the Pig’
Kenny Widjaja and ‘The Demon, The Thief, and the Hermit’
Corinne Mucha and ‘The Elephant in Favor’
Liniers and ‘The Mouse Council’
Mark Newgarten and ‘Man and Wart’
Israel Sanchez and ‘The Milkmaid and Her Pail’
Ulises Farinas and ‘The Great Weasel War’
R.O. Blechman and ‘The Sun and the Wind’
Graham Annable and ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’
John Kerschbaum and ‘The Grasshopper and the Ants’
Braden Lamb and Shelli Paroline and ‘The Thief and the Watchdog’
Gregory Benton and ‘The Hen and the Mountain Turtle’
Roger Langridge and ‘Demades and His Fable



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