Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Fool Moon, Vol. 1

The Dresden Files Graphic Novels #2.1

by Mark Powers, Jim Butcher, Chase Conley (Illustrator)

Harry Dresden`s life is a mess. His top client (and close friend), Lt. Karrin Murphy, no longer trusts him. Chicago`s underworld and the cops alike think he's mobster Johnny Marcone's supernatural enforcer. And the enigmatic White Council continues to view him with suspicion. If all that weren't enough, a pack of werewolves have unleashed a wave of terror on the Windy City. But as is always the case when it comes to the creatures of the Nevernever, there's far more going on than meets the eye. Before it's all over, Harry will find himself caught between friends, enemies, and arcane forces bent on his destruction. Is it any wonder he can't find a date?

Expanding on Book Two of Jim Butcher's New York Times bestselling saga, and featuring writer Mark Powers and artist Chase Conley, Fool Moon collects the first half of the 8-issue series in one volume, complete with bonus material and a cover gallery.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Comics, Mystery, Fiction, Paranormal

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2011

About the author

Mark Powers is the writer who created several of the graphic novels adapted The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher and co-writer of The Encoded from Devil's Due comics. He is a writer at Mega Powers Entertainment and a producer at Volta. At Mega Powers Entertainment he has written comic books and graphic adaptations for various companies including Drafted, Rest, GI Joe, and adaptations of The Dresden Files. He was also a Senior Editor at Marvel managing the X-Men line of titles.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty faithful translation of the novel to the comic. I definitely suggest reading the novel first though as the Dresden Files are fantastic. I always liked how Butcher mixes in the various types of werewolves. Going back to read this again, you can really see how you lays the groundwork for reoccurring characters. The art is dark and alternates between cartoony and moody. I still feel like they haven't gotten Dresden's look just right.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

An excellent graphic novel version of a excellent book, been along time since I read the book so it’s a nice refresher.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first half of a comics adaptation of Butcher's second Dresden novel. You know, the one with all the different kinds of werewolves. It's a pretty short volume, containing only the first four issues of the series, and just stops rather than ending at a stopping place, so I wouldn't recommend picking it up unless you have the second volume at hand. I didn't much care for the art, which struck me as too cartoonish for an adult-themed novel, but it's a pretty faithful and well-written adaptation.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the graphic novel version of the second book in the Dresden Files series. I loved the book and the graphic novel does a satisfying job of representing the prose version. Of course, the story is paired down, but the artwork makes up for it. It's interesting the way Dresden is represented in the graphic novel. It's not quite how I see him. He's more macho and superheroic-looking in this incarnation. One notable aspect of book is the action scenes. Right on par with the written narrative. The colors are vivid and active. In conclusion, these graphic novels don't take the place of the prose books, but they are a nice adjunct to them.

[Sandee is Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I guess I was expecting more since The Dresden files is a popular urban fantasy novel. The art was good, storywise though, I think it took a long time for something to happened.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a fan of the artwork but still enjoyable.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess Dresden Files has finally grown on me. I'm not sure I would have appreciated this story nearly as much if I had read it first. But reading it now, it's like visiting with an old friend. It is a pretty direct interpretation of the book it is based on. But a good one. And they have managed to capture how tall Dresden is at least some of the time. And we get to see a whole bunch more of the cast. Our first look at the werewolves as humans is actually pretty good.

[♛ Garima ♛]

No matter how hard I try, I cannot get into this...it feels like there is a lot of background story and it doesn't feel like reading #1...

[Tyrell ⚔️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

See Volume 2 for review on Fool Moon (graphic novel).

[Sara Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you followed any of the Dresden Files formats from the books to the tv show, then the graphic novels are a perfect addition. I love these books. The only complaint I have is they are not long enough. This particular volume is equal to four issues.
Fool Moon starts with a series of deaths that occur during the full moon. Dresden suspects a werewolf but he doesn’t know that much about them. The killer might be a werewolf but Dresden’s going to discover that there are many types and he has no idea how many are in Chicago.
I love the humor and the realism Jim Butcher tosses into his fantasy/mystery stories. I so wish the tv show had lasted because I just love the character. Time to dig into more of the books but do I really have time for another series.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

The adaptations of the Dresden Files books continues here, but it doesn't work quite as well as the first book did - the visuals here aren't as inspiring of the artwork, and the look of Murphy and Susan (and Dresden) is pretty different from the first collections, to greater and lesser advantage depending on the character. The writing still comes almost word for word from the book, which is good, and the abridging manages to wipe out some of Butcher's more annoying habits from the earlier collections. It's still kind of annoying to see each book broken into two volumes, but it does let the story breathe, which is probably for the best. So all in all, a decent adaptation of a decent book that doesn't add a whole lot to the original novel, but definitely doesn't hurt it either.

[Cora Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite intense and I loved the graphics, but...
...volume 2 is 32$ CAD on amazon.ca
I know the Canadian dollar is very low these days, but still...
I'd love to read the rest of it, because I loved volume one, so I'll have to ask the library to buy it...

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great graphic novel adaptation of book #2 in the Dresden Files

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit up front that I am *not* into graphic novels and usually only read them for a challenge. So this month's genre is fantasy and graphic novels - and this one hits both. I must also admit that I am a HUGE fan of the Harry Dresden series and hate that the series has stalled again....I realize that there are other demands on the author's time and attention, but it's been nearly 3 years since his last novel (Battle Ground). So I was looking forward to visiting the Dresden-verse, even if it is in comic book graphic novel format.

This was good enough for 3 stars, but I do have reservations.

⛧ It's an easy read - but if you are not familiar with Harry Dresden and the other characters in his universe, you are likely going to be lost.
⛧ The illustrations are dark and moody, but I don't feel like the illustrator has captured Harry. Of course, that's probably just me because over the course of 17 novels I've developed my own version oF Harry.
⛧ This is volume 1 - so I was aware that there is more to go in the Fool Moon series. However, it just stops. It feels like a cliffhanger to me and I *hate* those. In one of those things that make no sense, the public library that I borrow many of my books from (many online - such a wonderful service) ONLY has volume 1 so it's unlikely that I'll be reading further in the comic book series.

So this one is only recommended for hard-core Harry Dresden fans who need filler between novels.

[Vikas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Harry and what now Werewolves and other beings from the supernatural world. This is another wonderful addition to the Dresden Files. I had read the book long back so it was fun to dive back into the world once again. The artwork is very good and suits the world created by Jim Butcher.

I finally decided to read few books for Halloween month because I am in India, October is never the horror month for us but I could read a few scary or works set in the supernatural world and this book just falls especially in the zone.

I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to the bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good volume.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad story. The comic had unnecessary and excessive gore. Not my thing

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author managed to recycle boring old monsters into something not only cool, but modern and entartaining. This story isn't a run-of-the-mill urban fantasy. It's suspenseful, smart and even funny at times.

A string of brutal murders are dubbed the Lobo killings. Dresden finds evidence of warewolves of the most dangerous variety. He has little help or tolerance from Karrin Murphy whose past dealings with Dresden are being investigated by Internal Affairs. When the FBI and Johnny Marcone get involved, it looks like Dresden can't catch a break. He won't give up the fight through.

The FBI has more info on the murders, but their lead guy Denton isn't sharing it with Dresden. Agent Roger Harris agrees to work with Dresden unofficially if the latter looks into a feared street gang named Street-Wolves. They aren't involved in the killings, but that doesn't prevent Dresden from making a new enemy.

When one of Dresden's friends turns up dead, mauled by the warewolf Harley MacFinn, the author of the Lobo murders, Murphy arrests Dresden for not revealing everything he knew about the case. Harley's fiancee Tera West, a woman he saw in the metro with the other warewolfs, helps him escape.

Tera needs Dresden to keep Harley under control before he kills again on the next full moon. She keeps secrets from him, like the fact she is not human, but also loves him. The police and FBI track Harley down and capture him. Dresden and Tera must hurry to him before the full moon.

[Otherwyrld · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but 3 stars is probably generous. There is nothing wrong with the story, as it's basically a pretty accurate retelling of the novel (as far as I can recall, it's been a while since I read it). The problem is that I didn't really like the art. I felt it was too cartoony when it needed to be much more grounded in reality (ironic, I know, for a book dealing with wizards and werewolves). Also, what worked in the book didn't work so well here, namely the fact that there are three different groups of werewolves in this story - the graphic novel makes it difficult to distinguish which group are which. Finally the werewolves were mostly just not scary enough.

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading the Dresden files for ten years now, ever since I discovered the series in 2009. Amazon recommended the graphic novels, but I wasn't ready to try those on. I was a fan of comic books from the time I could read, but when they cost more than a paperback, I found other ways to spend my money. They are now available from the library, interlibrary loan, and Hoopla so I have dipped my toe into the pool and found it to my liking. Aaronovich's River of London series, Kirkman's Walking Dead, and now Butcher's the Dresden File are a chunk of my reading time. The graphic novels are as entertaining as the novels.

[Molli B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this at the library and figured I’d give this book a try in this format. Why not?? This is only part one of two, but the story is good so far. Werewolves! I still don’t know how I feel about Murphy. I know she’s his friend but she’s so up and down and all over—she was in book one, too. I think I have to stop expending emotional energy on trying to like her and expecting her to be on Harry’s side. It’s tiring.

The art in this is the kind I’m used to from cape comics. It works for this kind of gritty story. Also, maybe it makes all of the physics-defying large breasts seem less out of place.

[Ford Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adaptation!

Part one of two that adapts the second Dresden book full moon. This is a great story and introduces some of Dresden's long term friends of the Dresden files novels. Great job on keeping the feel of the novel but art work is bit off.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was something fun about rereading this story in a different format. Loved it both as a book and a graphic novel. Even if most of the characters look nothing like they do in my head

[Sidsel Sander · Rating 4 out of 5]

En fin fortolkning af Butchers bøger😄

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another of Butcher's Dresden Files novels that's been adapted into a graphic novel. Again, it's like having an illustrated Cliff Notes version of the book. It's a good story, but you simply can't get as emotionally attached to the characters, resulting in less of an impact with big events that should pack a punch.

Dresden is called in to assist the police in a string of murders...all of the victims having been torn apart on the full moon. Surprise, surprise, we have werewolves in Chicago! As always, Dresden walks the fine line of trying to protect Det. Murphy while not keeping essential information from her that would help the case. There's the additional complication that the Feds have been called in and have jurisdiction.

They've pulled in a new illustrator, Conley. He does a fairly good job, but we still don't have anyone who can draw Karrin Murphy correctly...she continues to look like a blonde elfin supermodel. I love his werewolves & demons, though.

Again, if you want to have a quick synopsis of Butcher's Fool Moon, this is a nice refresher for the plot.

[Daniel Hruskocy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Novelization of the second Dresden files book, Fool Moon. It should not be too spoiler-y to state this one introduces and focuses on the series werewolves and establishes the universe's rules and guidelines around them. It was not as beautiful artistically as "The Stand", "The Dark Tower" series or even the never finished "Talisman: Road of Trials" series, but it was OK.

Overall, I am struggling to buy into the Dresden Files concept of a modern-day crime genre with a supernatural horn-dog magician constantly leering at women and bedding them down in series... but the tales move fast, without a lot of fluff and the graphic novels are actually not too bad on the overall.

I have heard this series REALLY picks up in another couple books, and these are bite-size novels (around 300 pages total each one - which is blessedly short compared to the Stephen King works and bloated classics I have been reading lately!).

I'd say this is 3.25 out of 5, not terrible and a decent "in" for the series, but maybe my thoughts will grow fonder in time?

[Charlie Moses · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually read the omnibus volume that contained "welcome to the Jungle", "Storm Front" and "Fool Moon". Finding that particular edition to write a review for when it is exactly the same thing (except for printing all of it) as in this one wasn't happening. So: yes, interesting to compare what I remember of the written novel with the graphic novel version. Some of the artwork is gorgeous, but that also depends on the artist involved. They don't stay constant, which is the thing that bothers me most in this format. The other annoyance: the exaggerated figures and overly form-fitting clothes of women in the graphic format. Geez. Are all readers of graphic novels/comics teenage boys or men stuck in that same mental rut? And, yes, I did choose that particular word, with its alternate meaning, with malice aforethought. So: reasonably faithful to the book, with some great artwork and visuals. I'll still take the written novel.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and actually focuses on Harry as he is investigating deaths of a man named Spike, another of Johnny's men and well fun stuff with Kim and Murphy and finding its werewolves this time and we follow his investigations and what that leads to, plus new characters and new lore about these creatures. learning about the man named "Harley Macfinn" and later his fiancee Tora and how they are involved and maybe the suspect and learning of the diff kind of werewolves and I love the reveals of that, and the world building is insane here, and obv Harry vs Murphy yet again and then the chase and all that, one of the trio getting capture and someone else involved, so yeah another funcase for Harry and it will be fun to see how this all plays out!! Another brilliant setting but I love the art in this comic, truly magnificent stuff!!

[Julie Ditton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the first half of the original novel translated into a graphic novel format.
Frequently when a novel is transformed into a different medium, it suffers from the translation. Like a when making a movie, fitting a book into a graphic novel format requires massive editing. Despite the fact that the text is strait from the original books, the story suffers from this lack of detail. It is a great book, if one primarily loves graphic novels, it just suffers from comaprison.

Readers can also find this book included in Jim Butcher's the Dresden Files Omnibus Volume 1.