Abstract:

            This paper focuses on the representation of fear and horror in one of the graphic novel adaptations (by the campfire classics) of R. L. Stevenson’s famous novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). It revolves around a particular question: does the projection of fear and horror has necessarily to be something very monstrous and grotesque while being adapted in a comics or a graphic novel? In order to find the answer, this paper looks into the dualistic aspects of this novel that invoke a sense of fear present within the characters and an utmost sense of horror experienced by the readers as well: the atmospheric dichotomy, the societal duality, and most importantly, Jekyll-Hyde dualism. It further assesses how this adaptation represents these dualities through its art style, use of colours and of course, through the character design and tries to find out whether this adaptation is able to do justice to the horror and fear which is mostly psychological, or is it just stuck within the typical comic book boundaries by making Mr. Hyde a grotesque, monstrous figure.