Francis Ford Coppola recently concluded his national tour of his passion project Megalopolis, an idea the 86-year-old filmmaker said had been brewing in his mind for around half of his life. The tour featured dynamic discussions and screenings of the film, highlighting the rich fictional world Coppola built – and if you want to spend more time in that world, Abrams ComicArts has you covered. They have published Megalopolis: An Original Graphic Novel (you can pick up a copy HERE), and today we have an EXCLUSIVE preview of the graphic novel! You can check it out at the bottom of this article.
The 160-page graphic novel will offer readers an immersive new version of Coppola’s story, adapted by writer Chris Ryall and artist Jacob Phillips. Here’s the description: Set in the futuristic city of New Rome, Megalopolis originally captivated audiences with its masterful filmmaking, becoming one of Francis Ford Coppola’s most widely discussed films. Now, in graphic novel form, it explores the gripping narrative of idealism versus corruption. Architect and dreamer Cesar Catilina seeks a utopian future, while Mayor Franklyn Cicero fights to preserve the status quo—rife with greed and political warfare. Caught between these powerful forces is Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose romance with Cesar tests her loyalty and compels her to redefine her beliefs about what humanity truly deserves.
Coppola provided the following statement: “I was pleased to put the idea of a graphic novel in the competent hands of Chris Ryall with the idea that, although it was inspired by my film Megalopolis, it didn’t necessarily have to be limited by it. I hoped the graphic novel would take its own flight, with its own artists and writer so that it would be a sibling of the film, rather than just an echo. That’s what I feel Chris, Jacob Phillips and the team at Abrams ComicArts have accomplished. It confirms my feeling that art can never be constrained, but rather always a parallel expression, and part of the bounty we can make available to our patrons, audiences and readers.” Ryall said, “Adapting Francis Ford Coppola’s visionary Megalopolis has been an incredible creative thrill. Coppola’s storytelling challenged and inspired me at every turn, and collaborating with Jacob Phillips brought new depth to the narrative. With Abrams ComicArts, we’ve created something that both honors and expands the world of the original film.” Phillips added, “Megalopolis is a giant, awe-inspiring tale which insisted I pushed my artwork to new levels to meet the challenge. A Roman epic in modern day America.“
Ryall had this to say about Phillips’ artwork: “The way Jacob brought this visually complex scene to life was so masterful. The characters all walk on construction-site planks over a scale model of the city and debate the merits of improving the city in various ways, and he made all of that work so well. After all, a scene where characters ‘debate the merits’ of anything has potential to be visually flat – characters talking aren’t exactly the stuff of amazing splash pages in comics. But, much as Francis did in the film, Jacob kept his own camera moving, pulling in tight, pulling back, and zooming overhead to add drama and weight to the characters’ words. Part of what Jacob has done in all the comics he’s worked on that I find so impressive is his relative paucity of lines – he conveys a ton of emotion with very few lines. And in a book where the city, as it exists and as it evolves, is such a prominent part of the story, it’d be easy for an artist to get lost in lines to sell every detail of the surroundings. Jacob manages to show a lot without ever over-rendering his pages. All of which gave me multiple thrills: when I first saw his layouts, then the inked and grey-toned pages, and then finally the beautiful golden hues he added to finish this sequence.“
Will you be reading Megalopolis: An Original Graphic Novel? Take a look at our exclusive preview, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
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