Classics Illustrated Junior: The Sleeping Beauty

Classics Illustrated Junior No. 5:
The Sleeping Beauty
By Charles Perrault/Brothers Grimm

The Classic Illustrated Juniors comic book range was introduced in 1953, and presumably intended for the very young.

It's a tried and tested formula to have pictures and words together in books for the young (in fact didn't most books at one point in history?) to help them make educated guesses about what the words they're learning might mean; although comics as a storytelling medium does much more than that.

The late cartoonist Dik Browne provided the cover, with interior art by Pete Costanza (known to old superhero fans for his work on both Captain Marvel and Jimmy Olsen, plus assorted ACG mystery short tales) and Alex A Blum who illustrates a single page that recites the Simple Simon rhyme.

Costanza draws both Perrault/The Brothers Grimm story of The Sleeping Beauty story that takes up most of the book and Hans Christian Anderson's The Real Princess.

They're faithful retellings but the collection is nothing to get excited about for comic fans. Nonethless, it's a fair enough way for the very young to be introduced to either comics or the stories themselves and parents might want to check this out.

For more about Classic Illustrated titles from Classic Comic Store Ltd visit: www.classicsillustrated.co.uk