I am a huge fan of the Dresden files, so when I was given the opportunity to read the graphic novel, I was excited. Sadly, my excitement did not pay off as the realisation that novel to comic is much harder to pull off than it appears on the surface. The bulk of the novels rely mostly on Dresden’s inner narrative. In the novel, it works. Sure, every now and then Harry comes up with a zinger and it’s all fun and we have a laugh, but most of his action takes place within his own head. Now, trying to translate that into comic book format is difficult, as comics rely mainly on dialogue. Put in too much narrative, and it just doesn’t read right. That’s one of the biggest faults with this graphic novel.
The first few pages dealt with sole exposition. Yes, I can appreciate that it is likely filling in gaps for new readers that have no idea what’s going on. But, that is a weak excuse as new readers will need a lot more than what was given to fully understand what is going on. Secondly, the illustrations were simply not my cup of tea. Some of the illustrations were well done, and fantastic, such as the Red Court vampires. Then, you have the horrific attempts at drawing women. I could not take anything seriously when women were put in the most ridiculous, unrealistic poses simply to illicit a provocative reaction.
Aside from those flaws, the comic was enjoyable. The story was fast paced and fit in well with the Dresden universe. Plus, Thomas Raith made an appearance, and that’s always a fun thing. In spirit, it is very much like the Dresden file novels, and if you like those, you’ll like this.
