Some biographers and experts have claimed Charles Dickens was the first pop-culture celebrity. Film critic Richard Roeper agrees. His review of The Invisible Woman in tomorrow's print version of the Weekly Volcano reaffirms his belief. Roeper writes:

Here's a cool thing about Dickens: He was a 19th-century rock star, and that suited him just fine. In addition to creating some of the most beloved, acclaimed and enduring novels and characters we've ever known, Dickens wrote plays, was an amateur actor, raised money for worthy causes, connected with the masses, read his own works to packed houses and even loved doing magic tricks. If today's technology existed back then, Dickens would have 10 million followers on Twitter and he'd be Instagramming selfies with "Copperheads" dressed as David Copperfield characters at Charles-Con.

According to Roeper, the film is a handsomely crafted but rather bloodless recounting of author Charles Dickens (played by Ralph Fiennes) and his secret romantic relationship with 18-year-old stage actress Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones).

Enjoy the read tomorrow.