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graphic universetm minneapolis • new york

G E R M A N Y

I T A L Y

A U S T R I A

F R A N C E

t h e a l p s

altdorf

SWITZER L A N D

william Tell may or may noT have been an acTual person. real or noT, The sTory of his brave deeds has become a viTal parT of swiss hisTory. To wriTe This exciTing graphic novel, auThor paul d. sTorrie referred To The besT-known and mosT respecTed sources of The Tell legend—The play Wilhelm Tell (1804) by german wriTer friedrich schiller, and William Tell Told again (1904) by The english wriTer p. g. wodehouse. arTisT Thomas yeaTes sTudied boTh medieval and modern sources To creaTe The auThenTic dress and seTTing of The sTory.

story by paul d. storrie

pencils and inks by thomas yeates with special thanks to niki

coloring by hi-fi design

lettering by marshall dillon and terri delgado

consultant: theresa krier, ph.d., macalester college

Copyright © 2009 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

Graphic UniverseTM is a trademark of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

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Website: www.lernerbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Storrie, Paul D. William Tell : one against an empire / story by

Paul D. Storrie ; pencils and inks by Thomas Yeates. p. cm. — (Graphic myths and legends) Includes index. ISBN: 978–0–8225–7175–9 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. Tell, Wilhelm—Comic books, strips, etc.

2. Graphic novels. I. Yeates, Thomas. II. Title. DQ92.S76 2009 949.4’01—dc22 2007038657

Manufactured in the United States of America1 2 3 4 5 6 – DP – 14 13 12 11 10 09

978-0-7613-4650-0

table of contents

the cantons and the king . . . 6

tell to the rescue . . . 8

tales of tyranny . . . 12

the secret oath . . . 17

a fateful trip . . . 22

an impossible shot . . . 28

the price of truth . . . 34

the price of treachery . . . 39

epilogue: freedom! . . . 43glossary and pronunciation guide . . . 46further reading and websites . . . 47

creating william tell: one against an empire . . . 47index . . . 48

about the author and the artist . . . 48

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31

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Take the boy over to the lime tree. Tie him to it, and put the apple

on his head. I beg you, my lord, do not make me

do this!

Well, well.Now The brave and mighty william tell is begging.

How humbling that must be.

Have you no

mercy in your soul?

But all the begging in the world will not change my mind. Either you take the

shot or you both die.

I'm already showing mercy,

tell. I could have you both killed

without any chance to win your freedom.

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

44

45

alps: a mountain range in Europe that passes through modern-day Switzerland

archer: a person who uses a bow and arrow or crossbow

canton: a small territorial division of a land or country

chamois: a small, goatlike animal found in mountainous regions of Europe

crossbow: a bow-and-arrow weapon that is mounted on a wooden stock

holy roman empire: an empire of loosely joined states that covered much of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Italy. The Holy Roman Empire existed from the 9th or 10th century to 1806.

keep: fortress, castle

seneschal: an agent or steward in charge of a lord’s estate

tyranny: oppressive, brutal power

glossary and pronunciation guide

original pencil sketch from page 30

creating william tell: one against an empireTo create this graphic novel adaptation, author Paul D. Storrie relied heavily on classic retellings of the legend, including the play Wilhelm Tell (1804) by the great German writer Friedrich Schiller and British writer P. G. Wodehouse’s William Tell Told Again (1904). To create a realistic setting for this book, artist Thomas Yeates studied photographs of the scenery around Lake Lucerne in Switzerland and referenced both medieval and modern works to ensure the accuracy of the characters’ dress.

further reading and websites

History of Switzerland: The Legend of William Tellhttp://history-switzerland.geschichte-schweiz.ch/william-tell-switzerland-hero.html

This site explores the legend of William Tell, his place in Swiss history, and the many retellings of his story over the centuries. It also includes images of classic works of art that feature William Tell.

Music with Ease: William Tellhttp://www.musicwithease.com/william-tell-synopsis.html

The legend of William Tell has been told in books, stories, plays—even an opera. Visit this website to read a summary of the opera William Tell, which was composed by Gioacchino Antonio Rossini and first performed in 1829.

Schiller, Friedrich. Wilhelm Tell. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973. This is an English translation from the German of Friedrich Schiller’s famous 1804 play.

Storrie, Paul D. Robin Hood: Outlaw of Sherwood Forest. Minneapolis: Graphic Universe, 2007. The legend of another medieval hero, Robin Hood in England, is brought to life in this graphic novel by author Paul D. Storrie and artist Thomas Yeates.

William Tell Overture, Part 2http://www.archive.org/details/EDIS-SRP-0197-05

The opera William Tell features some very famous music that you may have heard before. Visit this site to listen to a recording of some of the opera.

47

about the author and the artistpaul d. storrie was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and has returned to

live there again and again after living in other cities and states. He began writing professionally in 1998 and has written comics for Caliber Comics, Moonstone Books, Bluewater Productions, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics. Some of the titles he’s worked on include Batman Beyond, Gotham Girls, Justice League Unlimited and Captain America: Red, White & Blue. His many Graphic Universe™ titles include Hercules: The Twelve Labors, Amaterasu: Return of the Sun, Yu the Great: Conquering the Flood, Robin Hood: Outlaw of Sherwood, Perseus: The Hunt for Medusa’s Head, and Beowulf: Monster Slayer from the Graphic Myths and Legends series. He also wrote Terror in Ghost Mansion for the Graphic Universe Twisted Journeys™ series.

thomas yeates began his art training in high school and continued at Utah State University and Sacramento State University. Subsequently, he was a member of the first class at Joe Kubert’s School, a trade program for aspiring comic-book artists in New Jersey. Yeates has worked as an illustrator for DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, and many other companies, drawing Tarzan, Zorro, The Swamp Thing, Time Spirits, Captain America, and Conan. Yeates’s many titles for the Graphic Myths and Legends series include King Arthur: Excalibur Unsheathed, Arthur & Lancelot: The Fight for Camelot, Atalanta: The Race against Destiny, Robin Hood: Outlaw of Sherwood Forest, Odysseus: Escaping Poseidon’s Curse, and Perseus: The Hunt for Medusa’s Head.

Albrecht of Austria. See Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Alps, the, 6–7Austria, 7, 11, 16, 19, 21, 25–26, 41, 44

Baumgarten, 8–10, 12–13, 15–17, 21

Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, 6–7, 14, 19–21, 26, 29, 45

Furst, Walter, 17–19, 21, 32–33, 37, 43–45

Gessler, 7, 8, 14–15, 23, 26, 28–42

Landenberg, 7, 18

oath, 21

Rutli Meadow, 17–21

Schwytz, canton of, 6, 7, 12, 20, 21Stauffacher, Werner, 12–16

Tell, Hedwig (William Tell’s wife), 22–24, 43–45

Tell, Walter (William Tell’s son), 22, 24–37, 43, 45

Tell, William: escapes from the Austrians, 39–41; helps Baumgarten, 8–10, 12–16; shoots an apple from his son’s head, 31–34

Unterwald, canton of, 6, 7, 12, 18, 21Uri, canton of, 6, 7, 15, 16, 21

von Melchthal, Arnold, 18–19

index

48

graphic myths and legends titles:ali baba: fooling the forty thievesamaterasu: return of the sunarthur & lancelot: the fight for camelotatalanta: the race against destinybeowulf: monster slayerdemeter & persephone: spring held hostageguan yu: blood brothers to the end hercules: the twelve laborsthe hero twins: against the lords of deathisis & osiris: to the ends of the earthjason: quest for the golden fleeceking arthur: excalibur unsheathedmarwe: into the land of the dead odysseus: escaping poseidon’s curse

pigling: a cinderella story perseus: the hunt for medusa’s headpsyche & eros: the lady and the monster robin hood: outlaw of sherwood forestsinbad: sailing into perilthe smoking mountain: the story of

popocatepetl & iztaccihuatl sunjata: warrior king of malitheseus: battling the minotaurthor & loki: in the land of giantstristan & isolde: the warrior and the princessthe trojan horse: the fall of troywilliam tell: one against an empire yu the great: conquering the flood

a division of lerner publishing groupwww.lernerbooks.com

swiss hunter william tell is famous for his great skill with a crossbow. a mild-mannered husband and father, he just wants a quiet life for his family. yet his homeland’s brutal foreign rulers are making such an existence impossible. one day, a ruthless official forces tell into a terrible choice: shoot an apple off off his son’s head—or be killed along with his son. will he accept this awful challenge?

he wanted nothing more than to live in peace . . . . . . until a petty tyrant forced him into a cruel choice . . .