The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle is a graphic novel based on the hit series, written by Jim Butcher and illustrated by Ardian Syaf.
As a story written just for comics, Welcome to the Jungle is supposed to be a prequel for Butcher’s Storm Front. (The first issue of the comic adaptation of Storm Front is available now in comic shops.) In this story, Harry Dresden, Wizard P.I., is called in by the Chicago police to investigate a mysterious killing at the local zoo. As Dresden soon discovers, something magic and evil is behind the grizzly murder. And he’s the only man that can hunt down the killer.
True to feel of the novels, this urban fantasy noir transitions well to comic form, and can open up to a wider audience. With several familiar characters, such as Lt. Murphy and Bob the talking skull, long-time fans will enjoy the attention to details as well. The story itself is exciting and action-packed, much like the novels. Of course, the comics have to be a bit more fast-paced and skip over some of the character development to keep to standard length. But the story doesn’t suffer for it.
The artwork by Syaf was a good choice, with his attention to detail and the ability to capture scenes without the need for long narrative. This is an exciting new media that will hopefully keep the series going, while we have to wait for longer periods between novels.
So, I’m a huge Dresden fan but not much of a graphic novel kinda girl.
Buy or not buy? What do you suggest?
cjh
Do you have a Borders or Barnes and Noble nearby? I’d look for it there and read the first chapter to see if you like it. I think you’d enjoy it at least for the story and characters. It’s definitely more pictures than words though.