Graphic Literature

The new covers for Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions scream desperation, not ear-to-the-rail coolness. The cover for D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover," which is by Chester Brown, is definitely the worst one (books by Sinclair Lewis and Dorothy Parker have been defaced as well). Gracing the cover of "L.C.L." is a comic strip of a man and a woman in bed postcoitally discussing the human condition. The drawing-style is Crumb meets Rex Morgan M.D. Can you imagine reading this edition on the subway or the bus? I would be wildly embarrassed. The panel of the man's big hairy paw seems especially low-brow. Here's an interview with the Penguin Books director patting himself on the back about these lame-o new graphic covers.