The drama and perhaps unparalleled eeriness of Edgar Allan Poe's stories provide a veritable pantheon of possibilities for these artists' imaginations. From conceptual designs to cartoons, the illustrations must include all manner of sinister and ghastly forms. For no one who reads Poe's tales of doom, insults and insanity can fail to conjure up visions of power, if not of beauty.

Eleven of the author's short stories are enclosed within varied wild images, including his most famed poem "The Raven," with his story "The Tell-Tale Heart" added in for good measure. A specialist at depicting the savage beasts within our own heads, Poe's nightmarish plots provide stirring specters to unveil just what type of animal mankind can be. Celebrated for his stunningly bizarre content, his sense of timing and his underlying truths about human nature, these literary gems should live long and prominently.

However, while this comic-like form may help attract new audiences or aid younger readers to get through Poe's complex works, they are just as capable of detracting from these tales. While Poe's words translate well into images at the literal level, actually seeing this level on display could easily prevent many readers from taking into account any deeper levels of meaning.

Furthermore, the frequent pauses taken to peruse these illustrations puts a considerable dent into each story's overall impact. In this form, the protagonists' fates no longer loom up fast and come on faster until that climactic, inevitable conclusion. Rather, the plot advances slowly, with no distinct pace to build force or draw the audience in, most unfortunate in "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Imp of the Perverse."

A masterful author, Poe's work deserves to be read, and this book may well be the way to further that, so long as fans heed the warning that the Poe of Graphic Classics will not flow quite as freely, or as fiercely, as he could.