Imagine a tale from literature retold as a graphic novel. That's the idea behind "The Graphic Canon."

The 500-page first volume of the three-volume anthology is set for release May 22 by Seven Stories Press. Volumes two and three will be out later this year. The series spans literature from the epic "Gilgamesh" to David Foster Wallace's zany 1996 novel "Infinite Jest," with everything from "Pride and Prejudice" to "Alice in Wonderland" in between.

"It's...