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I don't know how long it's been since I was at the comic shop before my most recent trip, but I do know that I left with three Blade of the Immortal TPBs, and I still wasn't caught up with the series.
In addition to my BotI fix (and what a gloriously violent fix it was), I browsed the racks for new comics. Didn't like much of what I saw. When did zombie comics become so popular, by the way? There must have been half a dozen different zombie series on the shelves. I wish Lovecraftian or high fantasy comics were that popular.
Yeah, speaking of high fantasy, I espied this comic on the shelf. My husband Chris and I both enjoyed Feist's writing for a while (though he unfortunately seemed to eventually get formulaic), so we decided to grab this adaptation and see if it was any good.
Turns out it's by the same people who adapted George RR Martin's "Hedge Knight" story in comic form. I have the first issue or two of that, and really need to collect the whole thing. Anyway, that comic did so well that these guys apparently realized they'd found the perfect niche and were able to get deals to adapt the works of many other famous fantasy authors. The ads in the back include comics based on the works of Orson Scott Card and Laurell K. Hamilton.
For what it's worth, I'd much rather see Barbara Hambly's "Dragonsbane" get an adaptation.
Then again, after looking at Magician: Apprentice, maybe I wouldn't.
It's not that the story gets a bad treatment or anything. Admittedly, it's been about 7-8 years since I read the book originally, but from what I remember, they followed the story pretty fairly. And it's a very high-quality comic, full color, shiny magazine paper, heavy cardstock cover.
The problem is the art. It's not bad, it's just inappropriate. You see, they've adapted this fantasy series with what really feels like super-hero comic artwork. The people look too perfect. The main character, Pug, is supposed to be a scrawny orphan. Looking at the wiry muscles on that kid, though, you'd think that he was an Olympic gymnast or the next martial arts sensation. And my husband says that the cook's wife looks like a villainess. Of course, the fact that she's beheading chickens might help.
Quite simply, when you read a book, you get a certain mental image of the characters therein. I enjoyed the BBC mini-series "Neverwhere," but few of the actors looked like how I pictured the characters. It's the same thing with this comic. The characters on the page just don't look like the ones in my mind. They're too perfect.
That said, the comic is probably a good buy for Feist completists. As I said before, the quality is high and they seem to greatly respect the author and his story. Of course, the $5.95 cover price is almost as much as the paperback which holds the entire story . . .
Now, to divert from my review of the comic and on to the concept of novel-to-comic adaptations.
On the one hand, I think that Dabel Brothers is relying a little too heavily on their niche market. Almost every one of their titles is based on an existing novel or written by someone famous. I do applaud them for realizing that the super hero genre is flooded, but I would have more respect for them if they had more original work in their line (that said, I haven't been to their website, so I don't know the complete line-up available. My deadline is fast looming, so I don't have time to research. Feel free to flame me).
Overall, I feel that if it's well-done, a novel-to-comic adaptation is great for both industries. Think about it. Comic fans might very well pick it up, discover they like the author, and head out to the bookstore. But also, fans of the author might hear about the adaptation, go into the comic store, and discover a whole new world.
My main thing would be to stress that the characters have to look how they're written. Give me scrawny orphans and dumpy cooks and all that good stuff. Oh, and above all else, please give me a comic with a two-page spread of the great dragon Morkeleb the Black. That would rock!
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