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Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy: A Graphic Novel #1
Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A Graphic Novel, Book 1
The official graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. This is book 1 of 2. Both books also were combined into a single volume.
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
146 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2012
About the author
Denise Mina
112 books2,385 followersDenise Mina was born in Glasgow in 1966. Because of her father's job as an Engineer, the family followed the north sea oil boom of the seventies around Europe
She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs, including working in a meat factory, as a bar maid, kitchen porter and cook.
Eventually she settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.
She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs, including working in a meat factory, as a bar maid, kitchen porter and cook.
Eventually she settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
November 21, 2018
2 stars
For the record, I own the entire Millennium book trilogy and the Swedish movie trilogy. It's one of my favorite series and Lisbeth is hands down an all-time favorite character. My review treats this graphic novel as an adaptation of an original work, not an original or stand-alone work because that's not what it is.
That being said, while I do enjoy quite a few graphic novels, I don't usually read comic versions of books because I find them lacking in content and not close enough to the original -- even more than some movie adaptations -- so they become more like condensed, spin-offs to me.
I picked this up because of the badass cover art and the first few pages seemed accurate to the book. Unfortunately, it left me pretty disappointed for the above reasons and I will be returning this.
This definitely does not deserve the 4- and 5-star ratings people who haven't read the books or even seen the movies have been giving it. I don't want to make this a long review since there are others out there who've already expressed the same opinions, so in a nutshell, this got 2 stars because:
The character of Lisbeth was portrayed as more frail and emotional than she is in the book. She does not go dancing and she does not cry.
Too many panels looked the same, like they were copied, pasted, and zoomed in even though I can tell they weren't. I actually went back to previous pages to make sure I wasn't looking at the same illustration on a different background.
The art actually becomes lazy after a while. It just gets flat and less detailed as if they decided to stop shading, especially the parts with Mikael. If you're drawn in by the cover, don't expect the inside to be the same.
The character's mouths aren't open when they're talking. This may seem like a minor detail, but I feel like the most basic thing an illustrator should know is to make the characters look animated, not like statues. People are just sitting there while speech bubbles are floating around them. If it weren't for the speech bubbles pointing to the tight-lipped character who's supposed to be talking, you wouldn't know whom the words belong to.
Finally, too many details are just not accurate, such as the tattoo Lisbeth cuts into Bjurman.
If you want a visual adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, try the Swedish films; they're accurate to the book minus a few minor details, and I personally think Noomi Rapace portrays Lisbeth flawlessly, right down to her small height, muscular build, punk hair, and icy, take-no-prisoners attitude.
For the record, I own the entire Millennium book trilogy and the Swedish movie trilogy. It's one of my favorite series and Lisbeth is hands down an all-time favorite character. My review treats this graphic novel as an adaptation of an original work, not an original or stand-alone work because that's not what it is.
That being said, while I do enjoy quite a few graphic novels, I don't usually read comic versions of books because I find them lacking in content and not close enough to the original -- even more than some movie adaptations -- so they become more like condensed, spin-offs to me.
I picked this up because of the badass cover art and the first few pages seemed accurate to the book. Unfortunately, it left me pretty disappointed for the above reasons and I will be returning this.
This definitely does not deserve the 4- and 5-star ratings people who haven't read the books or even seen the movies have been giving it. I don't want to make this a long review since there are others out there who've already expressed the same opinions, so in a nutshell, this got 2 stars because:
The character of Lisbeth was portrayed as more frail and emotional than she is in the book. She does not go dancing and she does not cry.
Too many panels looked the same, like they were copied, pasted, and zoomed in even though I can tell they weren't. I actually went back to previous pages to make sure I wasn't looking at the same illustration on a different background.
The art actually becomes lazy after a while. It just gets flat and less detailed as if they decided to stop shading, especially the parts with Mikael. If you're drawn in by the cover, don't expect the inside to be the same.
The character's mouths aren't open when they're talking. This may seem like a minor detail, but I feel like the most basic thing an illustrator should know is to make the characters look animated, not like statues. People are just sitting there while speech bubbles are floating around them. If it weren't for the speech bubbles pointing to the tight-lipped character who's supposed to be talking, you wouldn't know whom the words belong to.
Finally, too many details are just not accurate, such as the tattoo Lisbeth cuts into Bjurman.
If you want a visual adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, try the Swedish films; they're accurate to the book minus a few minor details, and I personally think Noomi Rapace portrays Lisbeth flawlessly, right down to her small height, muscular build, punk hair, and icy, take-no-prisoners attitude.
Read
January 12, 2022Good adaption of a great novel. It is extremely hard, I'd say impossible, to put Stieg Larsson's masterwork between only 146 pages. I liked the comic but it could not transmit all the feelings, the rawness, the cruelty and genius of the original work.
March 27, 2018
Excelente adaptación de la novela Los Hombres que no Amaban a las Mujeres, libro que estoy leyendo a la par, pero me fui hacia la novela gráfica en formato online, por lo cual estuvo bueno ver en formato gráfico parte de lo que fui leyendo. Otras partes, *SPOILER* como la violación de Lisbeth ya me la había spoileado con la película, por lo que igualmente fue igual de shockeante. Los diseños no son de lo más lindos ni coloridos, pero estaban bien. Las portadas son las mejores.
November 15, 2012
I am a very big fan of Stieg Larsson's original series, as well as the films. I was very excited to read the graphic novel adaptation, even though it seemed a bit pointless. To me, releasing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in such a form threatened to deter people from reading the actual novel and simply picking up the comic version. Indeed, skimming through the reviews thus far, many have either only seen the films, or are completely new and this is their introduction to the series.
What a shame.
Throughout reading the graphic novel, I wondered multiple times to myself, "How was this allowed to publish?" And the primary reason I wondered this was due to the very poor quality of writing. Denise Mina's characterization of Lisbeth Salander is entirely, well, out of character. Mina's Salander has a far more comfortable social life. She makes witty quips, smiles, even goes dancing at a club. Anyone who has read the books (or even if you've only seen the films, Swedish or American) will understand how far off this portrayal is.
Another egregious flaw is the actual adaptation. Of course, all adaptations, especially when converting mediums, will require some amount of condensing. This is particularly true with Larsson's books, as they are lengthy and very densely plotted. I thought the way the American film handle this condensing of plot was superb. Things that work in novels won't consistently translate onto the screen well. So I understand and fully embrace the necessity of condensing plot and story in adaptations. But in Mina's so called adaptation, I would say that what she has done is, not condense, but paraphrase. This adaptation reads like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo SparkNotes.
Despite my extreme disappointment, I will still most likely purchase and read the next Book, and the next, and so on. But I would recommend people who are interested to devote the time to Larsson's brilliant trilogy, watch the films (Swedish and American), and steer clear of the graphic novel.
What a shame.
Throughout reading the graphic novel, I wondered multiple times to myself, "How was this allowed to publish?" And the primary reason I wondered this was due to the very poor quality of writing. Denise Mina's characterization of Lisbeth Salander is entirely, well, out of character. Mina's Salander has a far more comfortable social life. She makes witty quips, smiles, even goes dancing at a club. Anyone who has read the books (or even if you've only seen the films, Swedish or American) will understand how far off this portrayal is.
Another egregious flaw is the actual adaptation. Of course, all adaptations, especially when converting mediums, will require some amount of condensing. This is particularly true with Larsson's books, as they are lengthy and very densely plotted. I thought the way the American film handle this condensing of plot was superb. Things that work in novels won't consistently translate onto the screen well. So I understand and fully embrace the necessity of condensing plot and story in adaptations. But in Mina's so called adaptation, I would say that what she has done is, not condense, but paraphrase. This adaptation reads like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo SparkNotes.
Despite my extreme disappointment, I will still most likely purchase and read the next Book, and the next, and so on. But I would recommend people who are interested to devote the time to Larsson's brilliant trilogy, watch the films (Swedish and American), and steer clear of the graphic novel.
December 1, 2012
Ugh. Bad characterizations for most of the characters, all of the characters with the exception of maybe Lisbeth look they've stepped out of a 90's era coloring book, and the dialogue (excepting the parts taken verbatim from the book) is AWFUL. But worst of all, Denise Mina has tamed this story to mediocrity. I'm all in favor of changing the story to fit the medium where it's necessary, but Mina seems to have made changes just to make things easier for herself. For example:
That's not to say Mina didn't get some things right, but all in all, this is a pretty poor adaptation of a much loved story. If I had been a first-time reader, I'm not even sure I would have understood what was going on. Or if I did, cared at all. The bones of the story are all there, she just takes all the goodness out of it. My advice: don't bother.
• Holger Palmgren doesn't have a stroke. He and Lisbeth visit merrily in the beginning of the story and discuss her new guardian, Nils Bjurman. This means that Lisbeth goes to see Nils Bjurman with someone still in her corner. The whole point of Lisbeth in the first half of book one is that there is literally NO ONE in her corner. She goes to Nils Bjurman because she has to. Moreover, if Palmgren had still been alive (as Lisbeth thought he was dead after his stroke in the books), she would very possibly have gone to him for help as she thought of him like a father. The entire rest of the book makes no sense with Palmgren still an active player.
• She tames Lisbeth down. Instead of her laptop being broken by a mugger whom Lisbeth then chases and attacks back, she gets knocked down by an old lady in the street and the laptop falls in a puddle. She also has Lisbeth nominally socially functional with people she interacts with, giving Plague social advice, actually exchanging words with Bjurman . . .
• When she's on the phone with Bjurman asking for money to replace the laptop, she starts crying, and a black mascara tear streams down her face. This is incredibly out of character. Lisbeth is stoic and badass and does what needs to be done. She doesn't stand out in the snow crying and feeling sorry for herself.
• She then goes grovelling for money from Plague, Mimmi, and Armansky. Again, not something Lisbeth would do.
• Mina skips straight over the BJ in the office and jumps right to Bjurman raping Lisbeth in his apartment. This takes all the agency away from Lisbeth's decision to tape her encounter with him, and if it does turn out that she caught it on tape, that doesn't even make any sense.
• Even in the middle of the brutal rape scene, Mina manages to make Bjurman less despicable by having him treat the rape like he thought Lisbeth wanted him, instead of the real motivation, which was he just liked taking advantage of her, assuming she was mentally challenged. She also makes him seem like a crappy D-movie villain, making him say things like "Are you read to party, gorgeous. Because I like to part-ay." I mean, what the fuck?
• The whole reason the Bjurman/Salander dynamic is so terrifying and frustrating in the novel is that Lisbeth is utterly at his mercy in terms of power, and Mina completely undercuts that dynamic, turning it into one of sexploitation instead.
• Lisbeth would never say things like, "Say hello to my little friend." Seriously? She does not do quippy. Did you even read the source material, lady?
• Mikael's sections are just boring.
That's not to say Mina didn't get some things right, but all in all, this is a pretty poor adaptation of a much loved story. If I had been a first-time reader, I'm not even sure I would have understood what was going on. Or if I did, cared at all. The bones of the story are all there, she just takes all the goodness out of it. My advice: don't bother.
June 14, 2021
Not as spectacular as the source material, but still gives one the fix needed.
December 3, 2022
I read the novel a few years ago and just today, I added another star to my rating. I really enjoyed the artwork, especially of the Swedish scenery and the buildings. I have become a fan of Denise Mina after reading Rizzio and I thought she did a terrific job on this. I noticed a complaint in another review that she had just pasted and copied from Larsson's novel. So what's wrong with that? I think that she was just showing respect to the original author. Now I'm on to the next volume.
June 16, 2013
Ok I've read the millennium trilogy, seen the Swedish versions of all three films including the extended cuts and the Hollywood version, so I was interested to see how the graphic novel adaptation was handled.
Lisbeth Salander is probably one of the most intriguing heroines ever put down on paper, socially inept, a moody genius, hard as nails and prone to the odd spot of violence when threatened.
The graphic novel relies heavily on the fact that the reader is intimately familiar with the storyline and would understand what is going on when confronted with page after page with little or no dialogue. A little more explanation of what is happening was required, if you've not already bought into the franchise and its your first experience of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo then this I'm afraid is not going to pull you in and leave you desperate for more.
On to the artwork, which is where my main problem lies, Looking at the cover I thought I was in for a treat with the fantastic drawing of Lisbeth smoking a cigarette but the cover had the time spent on it, unfortunately the rest of the novel felt rushed and a little sloppy. There is one small panel where we see Lisbeths dragon tattoo in all its splendour and it looks fantastic but overall there is no consistency and she looks to different from page to page. Its almost like the artist has tried to combine the looks of Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara, some of it looks really good and some really bad. The same can be said of the artists rendering of Mikael Blomkvist almost as if the novel is aimed at the Hollywood versions audience with a blonde Adonis type figure.
The sexual violence is a big talking point of the novel and films, the rape of Lisbeth Salander by her evil guardian Nils Bjurman is handled slightly differently in the graphic novel. Bjurman is a woman hating sadist who in the book makes a conscious decision to abuse someone in his care, yet here he is portrayed as a guy with mental problems who thinks Lisbeth is attracted to him. Can't really understand why this change in character profile from the source material was done, Bjurman is an evil man who has committed an atrocious act that deserved suitable punishment and now the whole concept is changed, it doesn't diminish the act but changes the perception. Lisbeth has her revenge in the same fashion but this change was not done well and was another negative aspect of the adaptation.
There is obviously some great source material for this graphic novel and I thought it would be extremely difficult to f**k this up but I was left disappointed, even more so because I bought volume 2 and both of them are expensive but I will read to see if they destroy it any more.
Lisbeth Salander is probably one of the most intriguing heroines ever put down on paper, socially inept, a moody genius, hard as nails and prone to the odd spot of violence when threatened.
The graphic novel relies heavily on the fact that the reader is intimately familiar with the storyline and would understand what is going on when confronted with page after page with little or no dialogue. A little more explanation of what is happening was required, if you've not already bought into the franchise and its your first experience of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo then this I'm afraid is not going to pull you in and leave you desperate for more.
On to the artwork, which is where my main problem lies, Looking at the cover I thought I was in for a treat with the fantastic drawing of Lisbeth smoking a cigarette but the cover had the time spent on it, unfortunately the rest of the novel felt rushed and a little sloppy. There is one small panel where we see Lisbeths dragon tattoo in all its splendour and it looks fantastic but overall there is no consistency and she looks to different from page to page. Its almost like the artist has tried to combine the looks of Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara, some of it looks really good and some really bad. The same can be said of the artists rendering of Mikael Blomkvist almost as if the novel is aimed at the Hollywood versions audience with a blonde Adonis type figure.
The sexual violence is a big talking point of the novel and films, the rape of Lisbeth Salander by her evil guardian Nils Bjurman is handled slightly differently in the graphic novel. Bjurman is a woman hating sadist who in the book makes a conscious decision to abuse someone in his care, yet here he is portrayed as a guy with mental problems who thinks Lisbeth is attracted to him. Can't really understand why this change in character profile from the source material was done, Bjurman is an evil man who has committed an atrocious act that deserved suitable punishment and now the whole concept is changed, it doesn't diminish the act but changes the perception. Lisbeth has her revenge in the same fashion but this change was not done well and was another negative aspect of the adaptation.
There is obviously some great source material for this graphic novel and I thought it would be extremely difficult to f**k this up but I was left disappointed, even more so because I bought volume 2 and both of them are expensive but I will read to see if they destroy it any more.
July 28, 2017
This book is perhaps the most pointless cash grab I've ever read in my whole life. I will concede that some of the illustrations - especially the cover - were gorgeous and obviously had been done meticulously and lovingly. However:
- This book is only HALF of a book I've already read. It's incredibly overpriced and, for that, I would recommend it to absolutely nobody. Dude, nearly ten pounds for half of a book I've already read? This "section" of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduces us to a couple of the Vangers, the mystery surrounding Harriet's disappearance, and the subplot of Bjurman's abuse of Lisbeth. It cuts off abruptly after that. This was so obviously done to pump more money mercilessly out of Lisbeth Salander fans, such as myself. What kind of publishing company who have respect for their readers would hack the (already extremely well known) plot of Dragon Tattoo in half and release them as two incredibly expensive separate graphic novels otherwise?
- That's bad enough, but so much of the graphic novel is simply the book, rehashed. It seemed to me that when Mina didn't have the books to copy, she would return to either of the two films (mostly the Swedish version) to crib whole lines of translated dialogue. This also returns back to the question of overpricing and who in hell thought it was a good idea to cut the book in half. I understand that manga frequently takes more than one volume to tell a story, which is fine, because God knows The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has a lot of stuff in it. However, because Mina follows the structure of the films so religiously, it was deja vu all over again. The feeling of having "half a book" is compounded by the paper-thin and incredibly superficial storytelling over the half a book we already have!
- Some of the drawings are gorgeous. I thought the artwork of the prologue was beautifully done, as was Lisbeth's rape by Bjurman. However, so much attention seemed to be lavished on Lisbeth - who, I will admit, did look different between panels but is also pretty much made for graphic novel format - that Mikael looked pathetic by comparison. I also liked the rendering of Henrik, but it seems if the artists aren't working with large, obvious shapes - such as the craggy, aged face of Henrik Vanger or Lisbeth's iconic appearance - they prevaricate into almost comic looking scribbles. It's hard to tell the Vangers apart - I thought Cecilia Vanger and Erika looked far too alike - and Mikael looked like a grownup Tintin. Harriet Vanger's face was so inexpressive that I was left with nothing but a feeling of deep disappointment.
- This book is only HALF of a book I've already read. It's incredibly overpriced and, for that, I would recommend it to absolutely nobody. Dude, nearly ten pounds for half of a book I've already read? This "section" of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduces us to a couple of the Vangers, the mystery surrounding Harriet's disappearance, and the subplot of Bjurman's abuse of Lisbeth. It cuts off abruptly after that. This was so obviously done to pump more money mercilessly out of Lisbeth Salander fans, such as myself. What kind of publishing company who have respect for their readers would hack the (already extremely well known) plot of Dragon Tattoo in half and release them as two incredibly expensive separate graphic novels otherwise?
- That's bad enough, but so much of the graphic novel is simply the book, rehashed. It seemed to me that when Mina didn't have the books to copy, she would return to either of the two films (mostly the Swedish version) to crib whole lines of translated dialogue. This also returns back to the question of overpricing and who in hell thought it was a good idea to cut the book in half. I understand that manga frequently takes more than one volume to tell a story, which is fine, because God knows The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has a lot of stuff in it. However, because Mina follows the structure of the films so religiously, it was deja vu all over again. The feeling of having "half a book" is compounded by the paper-thin and incredibly superficial storytelling over the half a book we already have!
- Some of the drawings are gorgeous. I thought the artwork of the prologue was beautifully done, as was Lisbeth's rape by Bjurman. However, so much attention seemed to be lavished on Lisbeth - who, I will admit, did look different between panels but is also pretty much made for graphic novel format - that Mikael looked pathetic by comparison. I also liked the rendering of Henrik, but it seems if the artists aren't working with large, obvious shapes - such as the craggy, aged face of Henrik Vanger or Lisbeth's iconic appearance - they prevaricate into almost comic looking scribbles. It's hard to tell the Vangers apart - I thought Cecilia Vanger and Erika looked far too alike - and Mikael looked like a grownup Tintin. Harriet Vanger's face was so inexpressive that I was left with nothing but a feeling of deep disappointment.
July 14, 2014
I won this book through Goodreads Firstreads.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Vol. 1 is a graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestselling book by the same title. It follows a murder mystery from decades past with the socially inept computer genuis Lisbeth at center stage. This volume covers half of that novel, with a second volume to be released in the future.
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+I have to say, this book is beautiful, from cover to cover. The character that sticks out as consistently awesome looking is the cover girl, Lisbeth. She looks amazing in every frame. This fact makes up for a lot of other little flaws in this volume, because Lisbeth is my fictional girl crush.
-That being said, the rewriting of her character was, well, bad. She was given cheesy quips and remarks that "real" Lisbeth would have kicked her ass for even thinking about saying. She was softened up, and I don't like that at all. TGWTDT is one of the few books with a strong heroine out there that gets the hype it deserves, but it doesn't reflect in this rendition.
-+The plot is a bit scattered and choppy. It's not necessarily a bad thing, because I felt way about the novel at times too. But because of a lack of actual chapters, it was a bit hard to keep up. Doable, but a bit flustering if not paying super close attention.
This book should NOT be read in place of the novel. It acts as an illustrated guide, and the summarized plot is basically effective. However, it is like reading the Sparknotes without reading the book. You will be missing out. PLEASE read the novel first, and read this after.
I recommend it for fans of graphic novels and fans of Lisbeth. People who are going to compare tiny details to the book should pass this up, it won't be for you. Thank you to Goodreads for my copy- I will definitely be picking up the other volumes in the future.
This review can also be found on my new blog, Bitches n Prose.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Vol. 1 is a graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestselling book by the same title. It follows a murder mystery from decades past with the socially inept computer genuis Lisbeth at center stage. This volume covers half of that novel, with a second volume to be released in the future.
---
+I have to say, this book is beautiful, from cover to cover. The character that sticks out as consistently awesome looking is the cover girl, Lisbeth. She looks amazing in every frame. This fact makes up for a lot of other little flaws in this volume, because Lisbeth is my fictional girl crush.
-That being said, the rewriting of her character was, well, bad. She was given cheesy quips and remarks that "real" Lisbeth would have kicked her ass for even thinking about saying. She was softened up, and I don't like that at all. TGWTDT is one of the few books with a strong heroine out there that gets the hype it deserves, but it doesn't reflect in this rendition.
-+The plot is a bit scattered and choppy. It's not necessarily a bad thing, because I felt way about the novel at times too. But because of a lack of actual chapters, it was a bit hard to keep up. Doable, but a bit flustering if not paying super close attention.
This book should NOT be read in place of the novel. It acts as an illustrated guide, and the summarized plot is basically effective. However, it is like reading the Sparknotes without reading the book. You will be missing out. PLEASE read the novel first, and read this after.
I recommend it for fans of graphic novels and fans of Lisbeth. People who are going to compare tiny details to the book should pass this up, it won't be for you. Thank you to Goodreads for my copy- I will definitely be picking up the other volumes in the future.
This review can also be found on my new blog, Bitches n Prose.
November 17, 2012
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Graphic Novel) / B009DNVXX8
I'm a big fan of the Millennium Trilogy, having read the novels several times, listened to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, and own the original movies with Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace. (I have not, for the record, seen the American remakes.) I selected this graphic novel at NetGalley with a great deal of excitement, fully expecting to enjoy it, but... well, I won't say I'm disappointed exactly, but I'm not enthralled.
This installment of the series takes us from the opening (with Vanger receiving the yearly flower) to maybe about a third of the way through the novel (where Lisbeth revenges herself on Bjurman). I want to recognize upfront that adapting this much material into a ~150 page graphic novel could not have been easy, and I think the adaptation author did about as good a job as could be hoped for.
The story and characters have been altered pretty radically, though, in order to convey emotion and urgency "on screen" through facial expressions and dialogue rather than narration. Erika Berger talks candidly about sex with Mikael Blomkvist and Christer Malm's sexuality at board meetings, Dragan Armanskij openly flirts with Lisbeth at work, Henrik Vanger cries on receiving the yearly flower, Lisbeth dances and laughs and flirts with Mimi in public, and so forth. Everyone feels like they're wearing their heart on their sleeve and that change doesn't really work well with the tenor of the story, I think.
The dialogue, too, has been changed pretty radically to support the format of the adaptation. Cecilia Vanger contributes more proactively to the investigation, and the old friend who sets Blomkvist off after Wennerström in the beginning has an entirely different story to tell. I think all these changes are fair enough, given the needs of an adaptation, but I'm less enthused about some strange Americanisms creeping into the dialogue. When Lisbeth confronts Bjurman, for example, she quotes Al Pacino from "Scarface" by saying "say hello to my little friend!" Things like that ended up jarring me out of the narrative, though others may feel differently.
A word on the art in this novel: it's not really my cup of tea. There's a lot of heavy use of shading and shadowing in panels to prevent having to draw facial details beyond a rough outline. Lisbeth is rendered very well, and her facial expressions are extremely vivid, but Blomkvist's face (and even the shape of his head!) seems to shift and change a little too much from panel to panel. It's also worth noting that the scenes of Lisbeth's rape are extremely graphic, with blood covering much of the panels -- this isn't a criticism so much as a caution to know what you're getting into if you purchase this volume.
On balance, I'm glad this graphic novel exists but it doesn't really "feel" like the story I know. I think this will be a great introduction to the series for people who are curious about the story but weren't able to get into the densely detailed books, and I consider that to be a good thing. But if you are a hardcore fan of the books, whether or not you like the adaptation will boil down to how you feel about the changes made in service to the new format. I'd give this book 3.5 stars, but I won't be picking up the next installment for myself personally.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.
~ Ana Mardoll
I'm a big fan of the Millennium Trilogy, having read the novels several times, listened to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, and own the original movies with Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace. (I have not, for the record, seen the American remakes.) I selected this graphic novel at NetGalley with a great deal of excitement, fully expecting to enjoy it, but... well, I won't say I'm disappointed exactly, but I'm not enthralled.
This installment of the series takes us from the opening (with Vanger receiving the yearly flower) to maybe about a third of the way through the novel (where Lisbeth revenges herself on Bjurman). I want to recognize upfront that adapting this much material into a ~150 page graphic novel could not have been easy, and I think the adaptation author did about as good a job as could be hoped for.
The story and characters have been altered pretty radically, though, in order to convey emotion and urgency "on screen" through facial expressions and dialogue rather than narration. Erika Berger talks candidly about sex with Mikael Blomkvist and Christer Malm's sexuality at board meetings, Dragan Armanskij openly flirts with Lisbeth at work, Henrik Vanger cries on receiving the yearly flower, Lisbeth dances and laughs and flirts with Mimi in public, and so forth. Everyone feels like they're wearing their heart on their sleeve and that change doesn't really work well with the tenor of the story, I think.
The dialogue, too, has been changed pretty radically to support the format of the adaptation. Cecilia Vanger contributes more proactively to the investigation, and the old friend who sets Blomkvist off after Wennerström in the beginning has an entirely different story to tell. I think all these changes are fair enough, given the needs of an adaptation, but I'm less enthused about some strange Americanisms creeping into the dialogue. When Lisbeth confronts Bjurman, for example, she quotes Al Pacino from "Scarface" by saying "say hello to my little friend!" Things like that ended up jarring me out of the narrative, though others may feel differently.
A word on the art in this novel: it's not really my cup of tea. There's a lot of heavy use of shading and shadowing in panels to prevent having to draw facial details beyond a rough outline. Lisbeth is rendered very well, and her facial expressions are extremely vivid, but Blomkvist's face (and even the shape of his head!) seems to shift and change a little too much from panel to panel. It's also worth noting that the scenes of Lisbeth's rape are extremely graphic, with blood covering much of the panels -- this isn't a criticism so much as a caution to know what you're getting into if you purchase this volume.
On balance, I'm glad this graphic novel exists but it doesn't really "feel" like the story I know. I think this will be a great introduction to the series for people who are curious about the story but weren't able to get into the densely detailed books, and I consider that to be a good thing. But if you are a hardcore fan of the books, whether or not you like the adaptation will boil down to how you feel about the changes made in service to the new format. I'd give this book 3.5 stars, but I won't be picking up the next installment for myself personally.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.
~ Ana Mardoll
January 4, 2013
Hitchcock said the perfect literary complement to the full length (which is to say, 90-120 minute) film is the short story. And people keep adapting huge novels (the Harry Potter series, Lord the Rings... Larsson's Dragon Tattoo!) into films that don't quite satisfy if we use certain criteria. But using OTHER criteria, well sometimes it works out just fine, and some people might even say Jackson's Lord of the Rings improve on Tolkien's (boringly) detailed, almost scholarly books. I liked the Harry Potter books, thought it would be impossible to adapt, was disappointed by what I missed, but eventually came to like them very much as film versions. Different strokes. Can you say the same for either of the film versions of the Tattoo stories? I think you can. Some of the writing of the books is a little less than polished, though they are surely successful and compelling page turners. But I liked both film versions a lot, I really did (preferring the Swedish, but maybe because I saw it first? Just as that I preferred the books to the films?).
So this graphic novel version represents yet another challenging reduction yet again, a little like condensing a full length film/novel into a short story. I might have said, as with novelizations of films done by studios, that this was just an opportunity to make a quick buck, like a t shirt or movie poster or temporary tattoo, but this project was taken on by respected crime graphic novelist Denise Mina, and two fine artists illustrate it. Is it ridiculously reductive? Well, we get the basic most of the main story arcs, and we get the basic emotions we get in the other versions. We are missing a lot of details, and our main character seems a little different in places, but I think this is an interesting version of the core of the book. Challenge met, basically. Is it as good as the films or book? No, but I liked it and found it thoughtful and artistically powerful in places. Others disagree, clearly, at a glance at other reviews, and I probably will change my views as I read yours. But I am led to wonder: when will see the Dragon sonnet? The haiku? The Fractured Larsson Company's Seven Minute Dragon? There's already several parody film and novels. And you know, why not? I liked this, so there!
So this graphic novel version represents yet another challenging reduction yet again, a little like condensing a full length film/novel into a short story. I might have said, as with novelizations of films done by studios, that this was just an opportunity to make a quick buck, like a t shirt or movie poster or temporary tattoo, but this project was taken on by respected crime graphic novelist Denise Mina, and two fine artists illustrate it. Is it ridiculously reductive? Well, we get the basic most of the main story arcs, and we get the basic emotions we get in the other versions. We are missing a lot of details, and our main character seems a little different in places, but I think this is an interesting version of the core of the book. Challenge met, basically. Is it as good as the films or book? No, but I liked it and found it thoughtful and artistically powerful in places. Others disagree, clearly, at a glance at other reviews, and I probably will change my views as I read yours. But I am led to wonder: when will see the Dragon sonnet? The haiku? The Fractured Larsson Company's Seven Minute Dragon? There's already several parody film and novels. And you know, why not? I liked this, so there!
March 11, 2016
I wanted to revisit The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo before I started The Girl Who Played With Fire. So I decided to experience via another medium: the graphic novel. I have read the book, I have seen the movie (the Swedish one), and now I have read the the first graphic novel of two.
It was enjoyable: the way everything unfolded and the way it left you reeling with questions. It was, at times, mostly on Lisbeth's end - if you are familiar with the story, you know what I mean - disturbing.
I would recommend this graphic novel adaptation: it is certainly a great way to revisit the story without going through the book again. I don't usually enjoy graphic novels as much as books, but I manage to find enjoyment in this particular one. I really need the second half of it now.
It was enjoyable: the way everything unfolded and the way it left you reeling with questions. It was, at times, mostly on Lisbeth's end - if you are familiar with the story, you know what I mean - disturbing.
I would recommend this graphic novel adaptation: it is certainly a great way to revisit the story without going through the book again. I don't usually enjoy graphic novels as much as books, but I manage to find enjoyment in this particular one. I really need the second half of it now.
September 3, 2018
4.5/5 stars
One of my favorite things is to read the graphic novel version of my favorite books. I absolutely loved the Millennium series. So I was very excited to read this series in graphic novel format.
The version I read is listed as Volume 1.1. It is not the complete first book (Volumes 1.1 and 1.2 were later combined to make one The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo graphic novel).
I thought that this book was amazing. The illustrations were great and I was able to easily follow the story. Although I'm not sure how easy it would be to follow without having read the books.
I can't wait to continue this series.
One of my favorite things is to read the graphic novel version of my favorite books. I absolutely loved the Millennium series. So I was very excited to read this series in graphic novel format.
The version I read is listed as Volume 1.1. It is not the complete first book (Volumes 1.1 and 1.2 were later combined to make one The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo graphic novel).
I thought that this book was amazing. The illustrations were great and I was able to easily follow the story. Although I'm not sure how easy it would be to follow without having read the books.
I can't wait to continue this series.
October 4, 2016
Not gonna lie, I have no clue what's going on. I hear the books are really good, but I've never been able to get past the Swedish names and stuff. I was having a hard time keeping the two story lines separate and also not confusing the 2 blonde guys. Oh well, maybe I'll go ahead and read the second volume and see how it goes.
December 2, 2012
I thought Denise Mina did a very good job of adapting the novel 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' into a graphic novel. The artistry is fantastic and the story is very readable. I don't know when Vol 2 will be released to finish the story but hopefully it will be soon.
April 28, 2013
Great artwork! A few changes from the book, but Lisbeth is still kick ass and Blomkvist is still racking up the honeys!
December 22, 2015
I am a huge fan of the original book series, and did enjoy this graphic novel. It does help to have read the novels first, as a few characters are drawn quite similarly.
March 8, 2023
Part of best trilogy ever.
April 25, 2018
I actually read the comic that collects volume 1 and 2, but didn't see the option. Anywho, I've seen the movie with Daniel Craig. And I've seen the miniseries starring Noomi Rapace. As different as those movies are from each other, so is this comic from the movies. I've read MIna's novels before, and have a great respect for her ability to tell a good crime story. I did not expect the comic adaptation to be so different from the movies. I think she gives the story a more haunting tone. It actually has more in common with the Swedish mini than the American movie. Also, Manco and Mutti's art is impeccable. Clean when Blomkvist appears, and gritty when Salander does her thing. It's a very pleasant oil and water feeling. I'm certainly not sorry I read it.
March 28, 2017
oijoi miten tarina veti mukanaan.
October 8, 2021
Jeżeli komiks jest tak świetny, to czym są książki. 😊
October 11, 2023
It's great but I'd rather watch the movie, there's nothing really added reading this in comic book format.
January 30, 2024
Aceasta carte este atat de buna! Ataaat de buna! OMG! Mi-a placut la nebunie. Te tine acolo desi e kilometrica. Unul dintre cele mai bune thrillere pe care le-am citit vreodata!
March 7, 2023
Huge improvement on the actual novel
April 28, 2013
I liked this book, but I didn't love it; it was really just okay. It was somewhat hard for me to follow and understand due to a lack of captions on some of the illustrations. And then others of the illustrations were either too "close in" or too busy for me to fully make sense of them. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy it more, since the novel form of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was excellent. So far I'm two for two as far as not enjoying graphic novels goes. Perhaps I just am not the sort of audience they're intended for? I'll try some more before I give up on this format completely. Review written 04/26/2013.
Update 04/28/2013:
Please read Gally's review of this book. The comments she made about it really resonated with me and I agree 100% with what she wrote, especially the reasons she gave for giving the book two stars. My only complaint is that I couldn't articulate these points for myself! I only knew I didn't care for the book but wasn't able to really pinpoint exactly what it was about it that left me dissatisfied. Thank you, Gally, for opening my eyes by writing such a great review!!
Update 04/28/2013:
Please read Gally's review of this book. The comments she made about it really resonated with me and I agree 100% with what she wrote, especially the reasons she gave for giving the book two stars. My only complaint is that I couldn't articulate these points for myself! I only knew I didn't care for the book but wasn't able to really pinpoint exactly what it was about it that left me dissatisfied. Thank you, Gally, for opening my eyes by writing such a great review!!
November 21, 2012
I really really enjoyed this book.
While it was a little hard for me to follow (the names are all foreign and the movie was really over my head) I really really enjoyed all the artwork. I mean WOW!!! It reminded me of James O'Barr. Super loved!!!
I don't recommend this for the kiddies (of course). And the older teens? Well, that's up to you. There is the rape scene, 2 bits where Mikael is in bed with a chicky poo, and one where Lisbeth's woman is showing off her chest. (my husband was not impressed. He actually wanted to know why they even put it in there)
But wow!! Just the artwork alone makes me want to own this book. It's freaking fabulous! I love all the chains and spikes and collars and belts and earrings. Loves!!!
And the tattoo is just out of this world. I wasn't impressed by the movie one. Wasn't it just a tiny little thing? Made me want to know how anyone would remember Lisbeth as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. But in the comic book you would totally remember her with that.
If you are a fan of punk rock fashion, even if you don't dig the Dragon Tattoo story, I think you'll totally dig this!
While it was a little hard for me to follow (the names are all foreign and the movie was really over my head) I really really enjoyed all the artwork. I mean WOW!!! It reminded me of James O'Barr. Super loved!!!
I don't recommend this for the kiddies (of course). And the older teens? Well, that's up to you. There is the rape scene, 2 bits where Mikael is in bed with a chicky poo, and one where Lisbeth's woman is showing off her chest. (my husband was not impressed. He actually wanted to know why they even put it in there)
But wow!! Just the artwork alone makes me want to own this book. It's freaking fabulous! I love all the chains and spikes and collars and belts and earrings. Loves!!!
And the tattoo is just out of this world. I wasn't impressed by the movie one. Wasn't it just a tiny little thing? Made me want to know how anyone would remember Lisbeth as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. But in the comic book you would totally remember her with that.
If you are a fan of punk rock fashion, even if you don't dig the Dragon Tattoo story, I think you'll totally dig this!
January 26, 2016
I was feeling a bit like I was going through Lisbeth Salander withdrawal after reading the latest in the Millenium series. Even though I've already read the novel and watched both the Swedish and English versions of the movie, this graphic adaptation still added something. The major plot points were boiled down to a level where I could really understand what was going on - Swedish financial politics aren't exactly riveting. Lisbeth herself obviously is a very visually stunning character and that was certainly the focus in any scene involving her. This collection covers up to her revenge on her guardian. I wasn't planning on reading on in these comics, given that no libraries in our consortium have more than the first volume, but I just might have to...
Parental advisory: This is definitely an adult series, as it does include visual depictions of the rape scenes. However, these were possibly less graphic than the movies. Lisbeth's rape, especially, was less graphic although still effectively conveys what she endured, while a bit more lingering happens on her revenge.
Parental advisory: This is definitely an adult series, as it does include visual depictions of the rape scenes. However, these were possibly less graphic than the movies. Lisbeth's rape, especially, was less graphic although still effectively conveys what she endured, while a bit more lingering happens on her revenge.
January 8, 2013
I own a copy given as a Christmas present from my girlfriend, Jillyn.
I love The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books, the movie, and now the graphic novel. As one with ADHD it's sometimes very hard to follow just text or just moving pictures, there's so much to concentrate on and it doesn't always go at a slow enough pace. But, with the graphic novel, I was able to spend as much time on each page or cell as I needed to grasp the concept of the story. The art was beautiful, I loved it, but I wasn't as thrilled about the adaptation it took; although it was still easy enough to follow what was going on. I was very sad to see that I was out of pages and the story had not ended, I can't wait to get volume 2 and finish it.
I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books and movie, anyone who enjoys murder mysteries, and who appreciates a well illustrated graphic novel. Happy reading everyone!
I love The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books, the movie, and now the graphic novel. As one with ADHD it's sometimes very hard to follow just text or just moving pictures, there's so much to concentrate on and it doesn't always go at a slow enough pace. But, with the graphic novel, I was able to spend as much time on each page or cell as I needed to grasp the concept of the story. The art was beautiful, I loved it, but I wasn't as thrilled about the adaptation it took; although it was still easy enough to follow what was going on. I was very sad to see that I was out of pages and the story had not ended, I can't wait to get volume 2 and finish it.
I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books and movie, anyone who enjoys murder mysteries, and who appreciates a well illustrated graphic novel. Happy reading everyone!
September 20, 2012
I wasn't sure this would be adaptable into graphic novel form, but Denise Mina did a great job, I thought. I even learned something about the beginning of the book that I missed from previously reading the actual book because it wasn't bogged down in 60 pages of court proceedings.
I liked that it wasn't as graphic as I was expecting it to be. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty graphic, but it's not as bad as the movies.
I liked how they characterized Mikael and Lisbeth and how they didn't make them look like any of the actors that have played them before, but gave them their own look based on how the books describe them.
Overall, I would continue reading this series and especially look forward to when Mikael and Lisbeth meet for the first time.
I liked that it wasn't as graphic as I was expecting it to be. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty graphic, but it's not as bad as the movies.
I liked how they characterized Mikael and Lisbeth and how they didn't make them look like any of the actors that have played them before, but gave them their own look based on how the books describe them.
Overall, I would continue reading this series and especially look forward to when Mikael and Lisbeth meet for the first time.
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