R. Sikoryak’s Graphic Novel Adaptation Of The iTunes Terms And Conditions Is Coming To Print Next Month

As someone who once spent good money on a volume of manga that told the story of the secret origins of Cup Noodle --- you know, the microwave ramen --- and found it to be one of the most compelling comics I've ever read, I've always had an interest in comics that draw their inspiration from unusual sources. R. Sikoryak's latest big project, though, is one of the most interesting I've ever heard of --- a graphic adaptation of something a lot of people have seen, but almost no one has actually read.

That project: A 96-page illustrated take on Apple's iTunes Terms and Conditions document that reprints all that legal fine print in its entirety, with no additional dialogue or narration. But while it might be a strict adaptation in terms of text, there's one more twist: Each page is drawn in a different style, as an homage to everything from Winsor McKay to Marjane Satrapi to Frank Miller to Jack Kirby to Raina Telgemeier and beyond.

What's really interesting about this is that they're not just stylistic homages. They're specific pages, completely divorced from their original context, with the main characters inevitably replaced by a version of Apple's late founder, Steve Jobs. And while it's easy to gloss over the text and its complicated lists of license holders and digital content management, it's pretty compelling to see that signature turtleneck and jeans drifting from The Dark Knight Returns to Calvin & Hobbes to Adventure Time and back again.

The original version of the incredibly bizarre project ran on Tumblr, but if you want to get the most up-to-date version, Drawn & Quarterly is releasing an updated full-color version next month. And hey, if you're going to click on it anyway, you might as well give it a read.