Retelling The Hobbit is a webcomic adaptation of The Hobbit.
This is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a stuffy gentlehobbit whose comfortable life is upended when he gets the opportunity to join a magical fairtytale adventure over the Edge of the Wild.
It is also the story of Thorin Oakenshield, a dwarven warrior-king on a epic quest to reclaim his people’s lost heritage.
And it is also the story of Gandalf the Grey, a wandering wizard who realizes the Quest may be a small part of a deeper and greater legend.
Finally, it’s a story about getting Meta and reflecting on the legacy of “The Hobbit,” as a novel. According to JRR Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are ancient texts he simply “found” and “translated,” The Hobbit is a book written by Bilbo Baggins, who is often an unreliable narrator. This new webcomic translation re-evaluates those ancient primary sources and offers another way of translating the events of the Third Age!
Or, if you would like a Doylist explanation: this comic combines Tolkien’s original novel with the century of adaptations and sequels and retcons and revisiting that have come after, some of those created by Tolkien and some by other people. It also integrates my own personal perspective on the story, drawing on my lifelong love of the book and participation in the fandom. I began this comic five years ago shortly before the pandemic; after radically growing as an artist, I am still continuing to paint it. I hope I can paint it for many more years.
