Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

My adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem “Annabel Lee” (1849):
(click on images to enlarge)

Find this comic along with 23 other classic poetry adaptations in my debut book, Poems to See By: A Comic Artist Interprets Great Poetry (Plough Publishing, 2020): https://www.amazon.com/Poems-See-Artist-Interprets-Poetry/dp/087486318X
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158 Responses to Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

  1. Anonymous says:

    nawh this comic made me have sm work

    Like

  2. Anonymous says:

    low key boring ngl

    Like

  3. Anonymous says:

    I LOVE this!!!!! BUT wasn’t this a poem FIRST

    Like

  4. Anonymous says:

    I love this poem! I definitely loved reading this to my students

    Like

  5. morella walker says:

    Wonderful interpretation of Annabel Lee, I enjoyed it so mucj!!

    Like

  6. Anonymous says:

    why does annable lee die

    Like

  7. Anonymous says:

    that is a lovely name

    Like

  8. Zay says:

    I can’t believe he married his cousin at 13 🤦🏾‍♂️

    Like

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  10. Anonymous says:

    😮

    Like

  11. Ms. Phillips says:

    Thank you for putting this comic out into the world! I can’t wait to share this with my students! Hopefully these wonderful illustrations can assist my ELL students in plot understanding!

    Like

  12. Isabel says:

    Thank you for sharing , I used your illustrations in my English class for the comic group in a school of art in Spain ,
    https://englishforartists.blogspot.com/2019/02/annabel-lee-by-edgar-allan-poe.html

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Marina T'Mar Bailey says:

    Amazing work! It really evokes the tragic feeling of the poem, and gives you the gothic feel as well. I love it so much I’m going to show it to the kids I teach!

    Like

  14. Anonymous says:

    It’s comfusing

    Like

  15. priyal says:

    Lovely work… nicely done… esplly. love annabel’s presence among the waves in the last frame.

    Like

  16. Carolina says:

    Lovely work Julian! I loved it 🙂

    Like

  17. Anonymous says:

    Hi

    Like

  18. OldJimCrow says:

    Great work Julian!! Prufrock bought me here also. So inspiring.
    If you get a spare moment check out a poem called “The Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes with illustrations by Charles Keeping(link below). It was one of my fav’s as a child and similar to your creations.

    Again, Fantastic!!!

    https://www.google.com.au/search?q=the+highwayman+alfred+noyes+charles+keeping+images&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-au&client=safari

    Like

  19. Pingback: E. A. Poe, W. B. Yeats y T. S. Eliot en versiones manga, poesía dibujada | Culturamas, la revista de información cultural

  20. Erin Kahn says:

    This is awesome! One of my all time favorite poems and I love what you did with it! Thanks for sharing.

    Like

  21. Pingback: Poetry Corner #1 – Annabel Lee |

  22. EasternOregonTeacher says:

    Your work is absolutely beautiful! I also use this with my 7th/8th graders when we examine Poe’s work. I noticed that certain aspects seem to be inspired by gravestones from this cemetery: vhttp://www.thecarpetbagger.org/2013/05/charleston-sc-kingdom-by-sea.html. Did you visit here? I’ve been delving into the local Charleston folklore surrounding Annabel Lee Ravenel.

    Like

    • Thank you! It’s so long ago that it’s hard for me to remember, but I think the tombstone in the title comes from a New England design. But a lot of the architecture was in fact inspired by a book of old photographs of Charleston. I’ve never visited though, unfortunately. One day, I hope!

      Like

  23. Aggelos says:

    Hi Peter! I am a musician and i would like to use your art on youtube for a song i made with William Burroughs’ voice.Is that possible?Your name will be mentioned in description.Thanks in advance!

    Like

  24. Mandee Jablonski says:

    Julian, this is amazing! I am using your beautiful interpretation of Annabel Lee with my 8th grade students. They LOVE it as much as I do.

    Like

  25. Juanfran says:

    Excellent work, it’s great to see how a great, inspiring poem leads to additional, fantastic creations. First time I knew about Annabel Lee story was because of a song in 1987, see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuZMhbU5TPY
    Videoclip is now old, but the song is still one of my favorites. It’s in Spanish, but I recommend it even if you cannot understand the language

    Like

    • Thanks for letting me know about this video. It’s interesting how much the imagery resembles that of my comic, albeit with an 80s glam twist! BTW, are you familiar with Fernando Pessoa’s beautiful translation of this poem into Portuguese?

      Like

  26. A French visitor says:

    What a beautiful poem and illustration: I liked the fact that you drew the narrator as a child until the very last line, which enhances the integrity of his love. The final picture is really touching and my heart was sobbing, by the sea…

    Like

    • This comic is so old that it almost seems to me like something from Poe’s era! 🙂 It’s funny, it never occurred to me that the male narrator should be a lot older at the end of the poem, even though it’s being written in the present tense would indeed suggest that.

      Like

  27. A French visitor says:

    What a beautiful poem and illustration: I really liked the fact that you drew the narrator as a child until the very last line, which enhances the integrity of his love. My heart was sobbing, by the sea…

    Like

  28. Mark Valentino says:

    Hi julian love your work great material for us students many thank

    Mark from the philippines

    Like

  29. Frank says:

    These are beautiful! I’m gonna give them to my students tomorrow, I’m sure they’ll love it! Really nice work!

    Like

  30. Tieck says:

    This is beautiful. Thank you.

    Like

  31. Angi says:

    This adaption is truly amazing. It captures the mood of the poem so well.
    When I looked at it, however, I couldn’t help wondering: Do you try to incorporate the poetic devices of the poem into your drawings (especially since Poe uses a lot of alliteration in this one. I feel this is something that cannot be drawn) or do you primarily try to convey the feeling the poem evokes?
    In any case… it is beautifully done!

    Like

    • Thanks! I admit I can’t imagine how to illustrate alliteration, but I think I can find a visual equivalent to many many other poetic devices, such as similes, changes of tone, rhythm, and maybe even rhyme to a certain extent.

      Like

  32. Pingback: What Is The Theme In The Poem Annabel Lee | Nomora1

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  34. Anonymous says:

    Simply Wow!!! I had read this poem years ago and you have managed to translate it into images superbly. Your images bring out the pathos of the words. Hats off to you deepa!!!

    Like

  35. DC says:

    Simply Wow!! I had read this poem many years ago and somehow you have managed to bring the images I had in my mind exactly on paper. Thanks!

    Like

  36. Anonymous says:

    Is there a way to purchase your comic in full?

    Like

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  38. Tyler P says:

    I really liked the comic edition to Edgar Allen Poe “Annabelle Lee” because it helped the reader imagine the time and place it could’ve been. The Art in each panel brought a new mood represented by the picture. I really liked it, and you should do more of these!

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Anonymous says:

    This is a great poem. The rhyme scheme is clever but so are the pictures. The pictures helped me understand this a little better because the first I read it I couldn’t understand it. Great work!

    Like

  40. Travis Corriveau says:

    I feel as though that was a magnificent illustration of the poem, well done!

    Like

  41. Anna says:

    This is a great illustration of the poem. It captures the main details of the poem and I love how Annabel lee is hidden in the water in the last box. It truly shows the connection between the 2 characters and their love.

    Like

  42. Ann says:

    I thought this was a beautiful way to show the poem. This showed that beautiful things can be sad too. Great Job!

    Like

  43. Pingback: “Annabel Lee” di Edgar A. Poe ora è anche un fumetto | Il fascino degli intellettuali.

  44. Phin says:

    I just came across a post on Openculture and came over to check your work out. Simply wonderful.

    Like

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  46. collegealaric11 says:

    Just discovered you today, and have spent a wonderful few hours perusing and reading. Your work is amazing, and I will most certainly get any book of yours that would come out in print.
    As for the idea emitted, of putting your drawings up to see every day…. when will you be making posters?

    Like

  47. Jenn C says:

    These are amazing! Thank you so much for posting your work!

    Like

  48. timiabreederveld says:

    I would like to hang this in my living room and see it every day 🙂

    Like

  49. Is there a way I could purchase a copy of this?

    Like

  50. Pingback: Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe | Bits 'n Pieces

  51. Claire S. Warren says:

    Are any of your poems available for purchase? If so, I’d love a list. I really somehow have this powerful internal need to hold them in my own hands and read them. And as for T.S. Eliot — well, I’m getting one, but I know it will be so desperately coveted that I need to get three, Help me out here. I’m ready to purchase! – C.

    Like

  52. Francis Torchio says:

    A beautiful rendition of this poem was made into a popular song by a group called the Co-eds. I always enjoy hearing it.

    Like

    • I looked up the song, and found it on youtube. It really is beautiful! the best adaptation of the song into music that I’ve heard. The lovely melody, doo wop harmonies -not to mention the scratchy vinyl of this recording- really add to the wistfulness of Poe’s words. Thanks!

      Like

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  56. Ricky V. says:

    This was an amazing and beautiful illustration of the poem by the great Edgar Allen Poe. He is one of my favorite poets and i would love to see what you could do with his poem The Raven. Great job on this great interpretation of the poem

    Liked by 1 person

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  58. Anonymous says:

    You works are awesome!

    Like

  59. My father used to read this to me when I was younger and now I know it by heart. He used to read it to me before I went to bed. I miss hearing it. It’s one of my favorite poems now. My father passed away right before I went to college. This brought tears to my eyes because I miss my father a lot. When he read these poems to me and books it was so special to me. This poem means to much to me.
    When I read this it reminds me of him and I can hear him reading it. The art is beautiful and really conveys the unconditional love and loss in the poem. I would love to have a copy of it.
    Thanks so much.

    Like

  60. This is so touching. My father used to read this to me when I was little. He would read this poem because it was one of his favorites. He knew it by heart and now I know it by heart.
    My father passed away right before I came to college and this has been so touching to read. The art is beautifully done and really conveys the love and loss in the poem. Thanks so much. It reminds me so much of my dad and I can hear him read the poem to me.
    Honestly, it brings tears to my eyes. Thanks. I’d love to have a copy of it.

    Like

  61. metropolitan school says:

    Excellent!

    Like

  62. Dany Wong says:

    Simplemente hermoso!! Me encantó ❤

    Like

  63. Maria says:

    This is the most awesome thing I’ve seen on the Web in a long while. You, Sir, rock!

    Like

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  68. Auréliane Vila-Drules. says:

    Je suis en train de regarder tes dessins et je dois te dire que ton style me fait penser à ce que j’ai imaginé quand j’ai lu “Les Hauts de Hurlevent”! Il est simple et très évocateur… bonne continuation! fais-moi savoir si un jour tu illustres Emily Brontë!

    Like

  69. Anonymous says:

    I ❤️ the cartoons!!!!!! It’s awesome the way you capture the sadness in the poem. I am very impressed with the last frame how you made the waves look like Annabel reaching out to touch the boy.
    Great Job!!!!!!!!

    Like

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  71. Wow! That is so beautifully done. The illustrations so well compliment the verses. I won’t forget the images you represented whenever I read this poem again. 🙂

    Like

  72. Ankita says:

    Had no idea something so beautiful had a way of becoming even more so. The day this is available in print, I would be proud to bring it home. Good luck!

    Like

  73. Miss Chili says:

    Oh! This is such a beautiful thing to come across! The drawings really bring this poem to life…

    Like

  74. Incredible illustrations. You’ve brought one of my favourite poems to life beautifully. Thank you.

    Like

  75. Saturn With Earrings says:

    This is insane! I love this poem. Wow. You captured the intensity of their love so perfectly.

    Like

  76. Dennis Kiernan says:

    Great stuff. I’d like very much to see what you’d do with my favorite poem — With Rue My Heart is Laden, by Housman.

    Like

  77. Anonymous says:

    Excellent!

    Like

  78. Anonymous says:

    Beautiful. Please consider Yeats’ “The Second Coming.”

    Like

  79. Skylar says:

    Your art style looks a lot like the comics Gerard Way draws! It looks really cool!

    Like

  80. Nilda Vargas says:

    Thank you so much for this incredible work that you’ve done with this poem. It will be an innovative way to teach this poem to my students. I will be using it next semester.Other poem I teach are : “The Runaway” by Robert Frost, “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyse and “maggie and milly and molly and may” by Lucille Clifton.

    Like

  81. this is my favorite poem of Poe, his the Master! and you… you became the perfect poem in something more Perfect! You make the cartoons just exacly as I imagine, thanks! for this wonderfull and amaing work! your the best!

    Like

  82. sid says:

    Wow you are truly amazing. Unique perspective, thank you.

    Like

  83. puertovar says:

    In Spain, in the south-west, in a region called Extremadura. Thanks a lot, I was ver worried for not being able to use them, thanks, thanks, and many thanks. Have a look! I made that last week with another group of students!

    Like

  84. Sure, I’d be happy to have you use my drawings. Where is your school?

    Like

  85. puertovar says:

    Excellent work Jualian, can I use it for a project at school?? We’re preparing some stuff about Poe and I’d like to use use this comic because the illustrations are great! Is that possible?

    Like

    • Thanks! By all means. I would just ask you to provide a link to my website somewhere in your project.

      Like

      • puertovar says:

        In fact I’ve posted something like TO LEARN MORE, and I’ve included this blog. By the way, I’m just preparing it and the students have begun reading the poem and familiarizing with the topics and Poe’s way of composing. My idea is to create a poster for the classroom, and then to prepare your comic with some additional activities I will prepare. The school magazine has accepted (I’m a teacher of English) to publish a review of my project but I’m asking you if I can use your images. I’d be very delighted to show you the end of it, because I’d like them to colour your comic using Po’e way of depicting nature and the elements. Thanks a lot for your work!

        Like

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  87. Alyssa M. says:

    This is really well done. wonderful illustration for a wonderful poem. the students will love it, I think I’ll show it to them when we do our Poe study.

    Like

  88. Thanks a million (or given the amount of o’s, thanks a trillion)!

    Like

  89. Zadrya says:

    I love this poem and I love your graphics they are sooooooooo cool

    Like

  90. Iván Matías says:

    Hi there! It’s incedibly wonderful the comic strip about the poem. Unluckily the third paper is scanned wrongly cause it does not show it properly. Could you please re upload it? I’m making my own coursebook on different american literature writers and edgar allan poe is one of them. I’d like to include these comic strips to my notebook. Thanx a lot! 😉

    Like

  91. Alessandra says:

    Amazing translation of the poem. Beautiful and inspired. Congrats.

    Like

  92. Annabel R says:

    Wow. My name is Annabel and it is even spelled the same. The poem is really sad, Great job anyway!!! Love it!!!!
    : D

    Like

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