Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Review | Tagged: Brad Simpson, Hassan Otsame-Elhaou, humanoids, ibrahim moustafa

Some Thoughts On Count From Ibrahim Moustafa and Humanoids

Published Mon, 05 Jul 2021 15:02:14 -0500

I don't know whether it's bravery or lunacy to run a science fiction retelling of The Count Of Monte Cristo when the iconic anime Gankutsuou (itself a dazzling science fiction retelling of The Count Of Monte Cristo) already exists. But Humanoids is fearless, so they signed a three-book deal with Ibrahim Moustafa, and his first book is Count, a science fiction adaptation of The Count Of Monte Cristo.

The Count Of Monte Cristo is a long book, so I should credit Moustafa with a great job condensing the 800+ page original into something that's roughly 125 comics pages.

Moustafa, colorist Brad Simpson, and letterer Hassan Otsame-Elhaou lean into the swashbuckling angle of the original story. There are sword fights galore, and the story even starts with the main character Redxan Samud swinging off of a rope from one ship to another.

My high water mark for comics adaptations of classics is probably Ronald Wimberly's Prince Of Cats, and Count, by comparison, doesn't reach Prince Of Cats. However, Count is a crackling fun read by itself, underscored by Moustafa's solid cartooning.

A sci-fi reimagining of the greatest revenge story of all time: The Count of Monte Cristo.

Framed for treason and wrongfully imprisoned at the hands of a jealous and corrupt magistrate, Redxan Samud escapes his breathtaking hovering prison colony with only one thing on his mind: Revenge.  Posing as a Man of Status with a newfound fortune and his Automaton Retainer Unit (Aru) by his side, Samud sets out to dismantle the lives of those who have wronged him. But when innocent lives start to get caught in the middle of his quest for vengeance, he will have to decide between using his new fortune for the good of the people or to pursue the revenge he so desperately desires.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!