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Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy: A Graphic Novel #4
Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest: A Graphic Novel
In this final graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's international bestseller, Lisbeth Salander lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: If and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that nearly destroyed her life.
Written by novelist Denise Mina (The Field of Blood) and illustrated by Andrea Mutti and Antonio Fusso, this epic graphic novel concludes Vertigo's critically acclaimed adaptation of The Millenium Trilogy.
Written by novelist Denise Mina (The Field of Blood) and illustrated by Andrea Mutti and Antonio Fusso, this epic graphic novel concludes Vertigo's critically acclaimed adaptation of The Millenium Trilogy.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2015
27 people are currently reading
926 people want to read
About the author
Denise Mina
110 books2,537 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
October 16, 2016
I was curious about this graphic novel since I loved the book trilogy. This is third and last graphic novel, but I have read the book so I didn't have any problem reading The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.
What I did have problem with was the art, it was really terrible. It's like who cares about the art, the story is good in itself. I would never ever buy this graphic novel despite how much I love the book. Not even the cover is any good.
Also let's not forget that this is based on a 700 pages long book and it's been a while since I read the book, but I bet that quite a lot of the books story had to be left out or simplified. Which is really bad, because the book is good.
I gave it 3 stars because the story in itself is good even in this scaled down version. Would have given it an extra star if the art had been better.
So read the trilogy before reading the graphic novels!
I received this copy Vertigo through Edelweiss in return for an honest review! Thank you!
What I did have problem with was the art, it was really terrible. It's like who cares about the art, the story is good in itself. I would never ever buy this graphic novel despite how much I love the book. Not even the cover is any good.
Also let's not forget that this is based on a 700 pages long book and it's been a while since I read the book, but I bet that quite a lot of the books story had to be left out or simplified. Which is really bad, because the book is good.
I gave it 3 stars because the story in itself is good even in this scaled down version. Would have given it an extra star if the art had been better.
So read the trilogy before reading the graphic novels!
I received this copy Vertigo through Edelweiss in return for an honest review! Thank you!
July 28, 2015
I never really understood the whole Stieg Larsson phenomenon. He wrote a trilogy of books that were bloated first drafts of some bad CSI episodes, threw in a ridiculous goth chick hacker character, and then died. Lisbeth Salander’s a sort-of interesting character (though that rests largely on her appearance in contrast to the staid looks of everyone else in the series) but the others? Not even slightly.
Well good news because she’s barely in this final volume! After being admitted into the ICU after being shot in the head (because bullets in the head aren’t ever fatal in fiction), she spends most of the book in a hospital bed doing nothing! At one point she goes on the internet with her phone (her “superpower”). Later she’s in a boring courtroom telling us things we already know about her life! And then she’s done. That’s the most interesting character in this book.
Mikael Blomkvist, the other main character, spends time retelling a convoluted plot to some faceless cops in an interrogation room. Then he goes to cafes and his office. His also goes to his flat. All the while, he doesn’t do or say anything worth reading. And then he goes to court to listen to Lisbeth’s testimony. That’s the second most interesting character in the book.
There are meetings between lawyers and cops, cops and suspects, journalists and cops, all of them so utterly inane to read. There’s even a bafflingly large amount of space given over to Erika’s totally disposable subplot about becoming an editor at a larger magazine, not fitting in, and leaving. Oh, she got a threatening email from a co-worker. Riveting stuff… zzz… This is why this series needed serious editing before being published but Larsson was dead by then so we got all the drek as is.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is an incredibly bland police procedural. I suppose I should be glad that the however-many-hundreds of pages that the Larsson novel had has been compressed to 250 in this graphic adaptation but Denise Mina’s script still feels rushed and unimpressive. It doesn’t help that the plot is dreary and all of the characters are despicable and/or drearier.
Andrea Mutti and Antonio Fuso’s art is simply terrible. Blomkvist’s character design is used more than once for other characters so he’s there on one page doing something and on the next, he’s doing something else – but it’s not him. Character designs in general are forgettable at best and there are random streaks of black ink daubed in the background for some reason. Flat colours, dull layouts, this is the most workmanlike approach to adaptation.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is laughably labelled a “thriller”. It was thrilling to finish it, I’ll give it that! The real mystery of why these books were ever popular at all remains unsolved.
Well good news because she’s barely in this final volume! After being admitted into the ICU after being shot in the head (because bullets in the head aren’t ever fatal in fiction), she spends most of the book in a hospital bed doing nothing! At one point she goes on the internet with her phone (her “superpower”). Later she’s in a boring courtroom telling us things we already know about her life! And then she’s done. That’s the most interesting character in this book.
Mikael Blomkvist, the other main character, spends time retelling a convoluted plot to some faceless cops in an interrogation room. Then he goes to cafes and his office. His also goes to his flat. All the while, he doesn’t do or say anything worth reading. And then he goes to court to listen to Lisbeth’s testimony. That’s the second most interesting character in the book.
There are meetings between lawyers and cops, cops and suspects, journalists and cops, all of them so utterly inane to read. There’s even a bafflingly large amount of space given over to Erika’s totally disposable subplot about becoming an editor at a larger magazine, not fitting in, and leaving. Oh, she got a threatening email from a co-worker. Riveting stuff… zzz… This is why this series needed serious editing before being published but Larsson was dead by then so we got all the drek as is.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is an incredibly bland police procedural. I suppose I should be glad that the however-many-hundreds of pages that the Larsson novel had has been compressed to 250 in this graphic adaptation but Denise Mina’s script still feels rushed and unimpressive. It doesn’t help that the plot is dreary and all of the characters are despicable and/or drearier.
Andrea Mutti and Antonio Fuso’s art is simply terrible. Blomkvist’s character design is used more than once for other characters so he’s there on one page doing something and on the next, he’s doing something else – but it’s not him. Character designs in general are forgettable at best and there are random streaks of black ink daubed in the background for some reason. Flat colours, dull layouts, this is the most workmanlike approach to adaptation.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is laughably labelled a “thriller”. It was thrilling to finish it, I’ll give it that! The real mystery of why these books were ever popular at all remains unsolved.
December 20, 2021
Lizbeth Salander is barely in this book after being seriously wounded at the end of the last book. The book is about her being used as a scapegoat by a rogue cabal within SAPO, the Swedish version of the CIA. Her friends band together to uncover the conspiracy and defend her in court.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who hasn't read the book first. The art does a terrible job of conveying the story. Half the people in the book look like Mikael Blomkvist. It's really difficult to tell who's who in a scene. These books have a large cast and the character designs do a terrible job of making everyone look distinctive. The difference in art between Andrea Mutti and Antonio Fuso is jarring as well. The two have completely opposite styles that don't mesh at all. I was constantly needing to flip back to see if I missed an indicator of who the characters in each new scene were, especially when the artist changes as well.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who hasn't read the book first. The art does a terrible job of conveying the story. Half the people in the book look like Mikael Blomkvist. It's really difficult to tell who's who in a scene. These books have a large cast and the character designs do a terrible job of making everyone look distinctive. The difference in art between Andrea Mutti and Antonio Fuso is jarring as well. The two have completely opposite styles that don't mesh at all. I was constantly needing to flip back to see if I missed an indicator of who the characters in each new scene were, especially when the artist changes as well.
October 5, 2015
I received this from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Really liked this graphic adaptation of the book. It captures the gist of the story pretty well, not everything, of course, but enough to be able to follow the story. It helps to have read the book first, I'm sure.
The artwork was okay, and it struck me that it was very dark when it appeared Lisbeth was in deep trouble, and brightened when she wasn't.
Overall, this series of adaptations has been very satisfying.
Really liked this graphic adaptation of the book. It captures the gist of the story pretty well, not everything, of course, but enough to be able to follow the story. It helps to have read the book first, I'm sure.
The artwork was okay, and it struck me that it was very dark when it appeared Lisbeth was in deep trouble, and brightened when she wasn't.
Overall, this series of adaptations has been very satisfying.
August 31, 2015
This graphic novelization does a great job at showcasing the interesting parts of this novel. I remember reading this book and it felt very long, just by how much it went over the laws of Sweden and such. Great crisp artwork on display here. If you're a fan of Lisbeth Salender, and the Millennium series, definitely check this out. You will enjoy it.
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher.
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher.
July 29, 2015
Before I even talk about the actual book, let's take a moment to look at that cover. I know that's not how I'm supposed to judge a book but I mean look at it! It's gorgeous. I want a print of it for my wall. It's so eye-catching and is a good representative of the story.
I'm a big fan of The Millennium Trilogy. Lisbeth Salander is one of my absolute favorite book characters. So, when I saw the graphic novel versions of this hit series, I knew I had to have them. I've reviewed a few in the past and really enjoyed them, and I'm happy to say that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is a great addition to the rest of the series.
The illustrations are gorgeous. There's a really nice variety of bright colors and dark dreary panels, dependent on what the text is saying alongside it. They're gritty and super detailed. It honestly took me a while to get through this one. It wasn't complex or confusing to read, but I took forever to look at all the effort put into each drawing. I loved them.
As I've mentioned in previous discussions about this book, I recommend this as a supplement to the novels, and not a replacement. If you've read the novels, you know the full story, so the comic text is easier to follow because you can fill in the blanks. If you haven't read the books, you can definitely still understand this book, but you're getting an (understandably) more watered down version of a great story. The text does a pretty good job of giving you the novel in a nutshell. It's well paced and easily understood.
This particular book is an adaptation of the third and final book in this trilogy, so I'd recommend reading its predecessors, whether it is the full novels or the graphic novels. I think fans of the series will eat it up, and fans of good artwork will too.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose.
I'm a big fan of The Millennium Trilogy. Lisbeth Salander is one of my absolute favorite book characters. So, when I saw the graphic novel versions of this hit series, I knew I had to have them. I've reviewed a few in the past and really enjoyed them, and I'm happy to say that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is a great addition to the rest of the series.
The illustrations are gorgeous. There's a really nice variety of bright colors and dark dreary panels, dependent on what the text is saying alongside it. They're gritty and super detailed. It honestly took me a while to get through this one. It wasn't complex or confusing to read, but I took forever to look at all the effort put into each drawing. I loved them.
As I've mentioned in previous discussions about this book, I recommend this as a supplement to the novels, and not a replacement. If you've read the novels, you know the full story, so the comic text is easier to follow because you can fill in the blanks. If you haven't read the books, you can definitely still understand this book, but you're getting an (understandably) more watered down version of a great story. The text does a pretty good job of giving you the novel in a nutshell. It's well paced and easily understood.
This particular book is an adaptation of the third and final book in this trilogy, so I'd recommend reading its predecessors, whether it is the full novels or the graphic novels. I think fans of the series will eat it up, and fans of good artwork will too.
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. This review can also be found on my blog, Bitches n Prose.
March 1, 2016
Moje recenze - http://sheisbookaholic.blogspot.cz/20...
June 1, 2018
I started to read the books but I stopped pretty quickly because they were excruciatingly boring so I thought I would read the graphic novels to give it a bit of “oomph” as I heard they were great stories. I had to read all four just to feel like I accomplished something but these books were brutal. I could not differentiate any of the characters either than Lisbeth (obviously. She’s the only one that has any sort of personality, and her personality is that of a saltine cracker...) as they were basically all blonde or bald. It was also hard for me to tell the emotion going on with the characters and I didn’t even know when a dramatic scene happened as it ended as abruptly as it began. Shitty.
October 11, 2018
This is the final graphic novel in this Vertigo series. I absolutely loved the Millennium series that this graphic novels are based on. And I was looking forward to this conclusion.
However, this was by far my least favorite of the three comics. There was just too much detail that was not interesting to me. The hospital scenes went on for so long. I did like everything to do with Lisbeth. And everything to do with Mikael. And the court case was interesting. But there was just so much stuff that was less interesting. So much about the police, about Lisbeth's father, about the Section ... those parts just went on and on.
Overall this was a good read. But I enjoyed the Titan graphic novels by Sylvain Runberg a lot more.
July 7, 2018
This was the most entertaining of the series for me. The trial alone gave me so much satisfaction that I pumped my fist into the air with triumph. Lisbeth doesn't really do much or say much or have a lot of time dedicated strictly to her since the story is so much bigger than her at this point. There are way too many subplots but the book does its best to tie up any loose ends.
The ending was on course for both Lisbeth and Mikael. They were never quite friends but always looked out for each other and just had this connection from the moment they met. I'm glad i stuck it out with the graphic novel series as I doubt I'll ever read the novels themselves. But I can still say I know what happened and be happy with the story I got.
The ending was on course for both Lisbeth and Mikael. They were never quite friends but always looked out for each other and just had this connection from the moment they met. I'm glad i stuck it out with the graphic novel series as I doubt I'll ever read the novels themselves. But I can still say I know what happened and be happy with the story I got.
June 18, 2021
The girl who liked bagels.
Has one of the most thorough courtroom trouncings. Utter brilliance.
Has one of the most thorough courtroom trouncings. Utter brilliance.
February 4, 2023
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/Mm8U11FP6jE
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/Mm8U11FP6jE
Enjoy!
May 11, 2025
I was extremely disappointed in the artwork in this volume. Very one dimensional and a lot of the characters looked too alike to be able to tell who was who for many of the panels.
September 2, 2015
Kinda of a slow start but the ending was decent. Not as good as the other two books but a good conclusion. However, this book suffers from bad, horrible artwork from two artists. Now these artists are good in their own right and if the editors had had a better plan this art could have been great. But instead of each artist having one or two issues the art would literally switch page to page, making it nearly impossible to have flow between the pages. Which character is which? The perspective changes, what the heck am I looking at? Who is this guy? All things I said and things making it difficult to follow
July 28, 2015
Denise Mina's excellent adaptation ends here.
Great art and deft dialogue adapted from the prose make TGWKTHN an excellent read.
Great art and deft dialogue adapted from the prose make TGWKTHN an excellent read.
January 12, 2016
Shit! No more? C'mon Sony, get your act together, and make these movies already.
July 14, 2025
The girl who kicked hornets nest
This part is in continuation, and our heroine Lisbeth is bad shape , as her past came in front of her, her father and brother who used to agents of Russia during cold wars and then forgotten by Russian, and turn Rogue are willing to killing anyone come there way, Bloomvist try to save Lisbeth , here many times and she find a way to survive and take on her brother and father , this badass family take everything to keep the secret a secret and Lisbeth is problem child which make authorities to blame her for wrong that happened in the country but when kalle Bloomvist and millenium is there to help her, there is no chance one can put her behind bars and in this part kalle Bloomvist partner and friend Erika had a issue from past as an stalker try to get her, but she got saved , she parted way with Millennium but returns when her new job take toll of her, and situation at new office is not like in Millennium.
In this part Lisbeth after taking head shot survived and take on everyone who try to screw her..
This is most thrilling part and faced many ups and downs during the journey of 700 + pages.
August 27, 2023
In terms of the how this compares to the original text novel I feel like it is one to one and maybe a bit shortened but nothings appears completely cut out. So I am not going to review that already well discussed original. The art. Here there are only two artists, down from the three used in the previous installment. I enjoy both Antonio Fuso and Andrea Mutti's art. I just don't get the division of the work. But with only two artists this time there is not so much jumping around stylistically. Again art is good I am just not sure how using two different artists serves the story but it worked better this time so maybe the artists got a better understanding?
November 19, 2021
The story was good, and I got the main idea but my biggest complaint is that the the graphic novel kept switching between more realistic art (which I liked) and minimalist vector-looking art. This made it a little hard form me to tell apart characters (because there were quite a few just introduced in this book) and it was a big departure from the other style used mostly in the other two graphic novel books. I feel like I definitely lost track of some of the finer details because of the art switches 😕
July 29, 2024
I wasn't sure how I felt at first about this book with how much it jumped around and felt disjointed, but it made more sense by the end. No spoilers, but Lisbeth got the justice she so gravely deserved. I feel like a lot of the people leaving negative reviews don't understand fully the social commentary and messaging here about the treatment of women and the lengths men will go through to cover up their actions and crimes. I enjoyed the series quite a lot, personally!
October 15, 2018
The story was as compelling as the previous two novels, with tight, gripping action. I felt drawn in, connected to Lisbeth and Mikael. It was as good as the printed novel. How I dreaded the coming end of the novel...knowing a good story was coming to end.
My only complaint is with the drawing, the rendering, of the characters. The drawn characters seemed cartoonish at times.
My only complaint is with the drawing, the rendering, of the characters. The drawn characters seemed cartoonish at times.
May 29, 2021
i love this one too, idk , i really liked the second two better than the first, i liked how they were like one complete story broken up into two parts with the first kinda being a separate set up.
it left me wanting more in the best best way, like i could have spent so much time with M and S just then hanging out.
it left me wanting more in the best best way, like i could have spent so much time with M and S just then hanging out.
August 26, 2024
Pretty much in the same vein as the other books in the series. The artwork matches the tenor of the story, so that is a plus. However, great literature this is not. Salander continues as the primary antagonist, the anti-hero helped out by her journalist contact. Can be a fun read, but not much more than that. Not for the kids, this one.
April 7, 2025
the sheer magnitude depth & layers of the forgotten clandestine, deeper than you could ever fathom
and even worse than expectation
withered, hardened cold war operative past obscured ghost warrirors of enigmatic almost mythical proficiency and casually ruthless mentality: upholding meaningless codes, desperate for secrecy til the bitter end
A LONNGG HARD JOURNEYYYYY, thank u lisbeth!!
and even worse than expectation
withered, hardened cold war operative past obscured ghost warrirors of enigmatic almost mythical proficiency and casually ruthless mentality: upholding meaningless codes, desperate for secrecy til the bitter end
A LONNGG HARD JOURNEYYYYY, thank u lisbeth!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2017
I liked the first two in this series, but by this one I found that the drawings had degraded some what. It became very difficult for me to tell which character was which - that doesn't make it easy to follow along with the story.
March 31, 2021
Did not finish. Found this very difficult to navigate and the character names impossible to remember. I had to keep reading back to find out who was in the story. Had potential but I have too many other books to read to persevere.
January 23, 2022
Přišlo mi, že Millennium jako komisk výborně fungovalo v prvním díle, kdy byl příběh relativně přímočarý. Ve trojce už mi dost přišlo, že trpí přílišným rozkročením děje. A zatímco s málo postavami tolik nevadila jejich těžší rozeznatelnost, tak tady jsem tím docela trpěl.
November 21, 2023
It's not a patch on the book or Swedish movie version (the only correct version in my eyes) I refuse to watch the American remakes. I did enjoy it though because it made me want to read the books again and watch the movies again.
May 5, 2018
Rozuzlenie a pekná ukážka charakterov, že nie každý je sviňa a niektorí sa odvážia bojovať proti systému. Proces v súdnej sieni má zase raz dojal.
4.5 mŕtvych špiónov z 5
4.5 mŕtvych špiónov z 5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews