Monte Cristo

A thrilling contemporary adventure story by Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner, transposing Alexandre Dumas' classic tale The Count of Monte Cristo to post-9/11 America and today's globalized world.

Sam Castillo, an innocent American contractor framed for terrorism in the war on Iraq, endures 15 years in a secret offshore prison. He returns with a new identity as enigmatic billionaire Victor Sirin, determined to wreak vengeance on the three powerful men who destroyed his life — only to face an unexpected new opponent who threatens to awaken his frozen heart. Dumas' timeless epic of love, revenge, and redemption is reconceived in a fresh, exciting graphic novel update by Jordan Mechner and Mario Alberti.

Magnetic Press
224 pages, color, hardcover

Buy the graphic novel

Jordan Mechner and Mario Alberti's Monte Cristo is available in English from Magnetic Press, and in French from Glénat Editions.

English edition:

Buy on Amazon Kickstarter

French edition:

French official page

"With their Monte Cristo, Mario Alberti and Jordan Mechner have very intelligently placed the subject in an extremely current context, unexpected, clever, even astonishing, which works while preserving the main lines of Dumas' novel. Fine mastery... We delight in the anticipated revenge that will unfold in three albums. We trust Sam to be a formidable Monte Cristo."

— Ligne Claire

"We quickly understand the political context of the tale, which hooks us... Alexandre Dumas' story has been adapted many times, but Jordan Mechner's script is effective and well-written. We can't help feeling compassion for Sam, who loses everything and spends long years in prison hell, and whose revenge we eagerly await. Visually, the whole is immersive and the atmosphere is successful... We can't wait to see Sam return in the sequel."

— La Geek Room

"[Mechner] makes a remarkable debut as a French comics scenarist with this more than promising "Monte Cristo"... [Mario Alberti's] realistic and vigorous artwork, uncluttered by useless details, is lively; his characters move easily and expressively in well-crafted settings. In short, here is a talented author who knows how to combine efficiency and quality."

— BDZoom.com

"Jordan Mechner skillfully modernizes The Count of Monte Cristo... The political stakes anchor the scenario in the geopolitical dynamics of the early 2000s and demonstrate that things haven't changed much since the mid-19th century. A good adventure novel that has everything to please fans of Largo Winch and Hedge Funds... and maybe even fans of Alexandre Dumas."

— BDGest.com

A Modern Monte Cristo


Alexandre Dumas has been one of my favorite authors since childhood. His work was a formative influence for me in creating Prince of Persia, The Last Express, and Templar. But I'd never dared to think of adapting a Dumas story directly until, rereading the original Count of Monte Cristo on a train crossing Europe, it struck me how perfectly its plot and themes fit post-9/11 America.

Dumas is a master at weaving unforgettable fictional characters into real historical events. Although his original Monte Cristo takes place in the Napoleonic era, its premise of injustice — that someone might be abducted and kept in indefinite detention without a trial by powerful people twisting the law to serve their own interests — resonated with me as frighteningly plausible in our own 21st century.

The extraordinary Italian illustrator Mario Alberti was the perfect creative partner to bring the modern world of Monte Cristo to life. Mario's artwork is alive: dynamic, loose, and striking, grounded in scrupulous research. French publisher ComixBuro launched our collaboration in Montpellier, France, an ocean away from the New York and Connecticut towns where protagonist Sam Castillo and I grew up. Now the first two books of our trilogy are here. I can’t wait for readers to discover the world of Sam Castillo and Victor Sirin.

"Mario Alberti's work is remarkable in every way... Resolutely modern...

Jordan Mechner appropriates this masterpiece by Alexandre Dumas to create an intelligent and daring adaptation.

Transposing the story to post-9/11 America, a traumatic event that has permanently shaken our Western societies, [Mechner] uses the novel's motifs to weave a romantic, captivating and truly original scenario anchored in history, as Dumas loved to do.

The combined talents of the virtuoso Mario Alberti and the talented colorist Claudia Palescandolo make the story so captivating that one almost forgets the original. The first volume of a promising and exciting trilogy, "The Prisoner" launches a tremendous adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo."

— Les Sentiers de l'Imaginaire

Monte Cristo wallpapers are available to download for free in the Library.

More by Jordan Mechner

Templar
 

Replay
 

The Last Express
 

Samak the Ayyar