Neverwhere

Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere #1-9

by Neil Gaiman

Under the Streets of London.
Richard Mayhew is an unassuming young businessman living in London, with a dull job and a pretty but demanding fiancée. Then one night he stumbles across a girl bleeding on the pavement. He stops to help her and the life he knows vanishes like smoke.

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Graphic Novels Comics

Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed seeing this depicted graphically. I thought it was an excellent story. Neil wrote this to highlight homelessness I remember he said. It is a topsy turvy world where there is more going on beneath the real world than we know. The magic is under the sewers.

It was interesting to see the pictures represented. What I like about graphic novelizations of actual novels is that you can read them so much more quickly and remember the story well. They did a good job with everything in this story. They don't shy away from the grit one bit.

It's a very creative story and world and I am interested in reading the sequel he is putting out to this. I bet they do another graphic novel. I thought this was good and anyone who read the book might enjoy the novel. There are angels and demons, good vs evil and what is reality. It is interesting.

[Algernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

[7/10]

I have already reviewed the novel version by Gaiman.

my review here

This now is the comic book adaptation of the same story of a regular Johnny from London getting in trouble for playing the Good Samaritan and helping a girl in trouble. When Richard Mayhew becomes invisible to all his friends and work colleagues, he turns to a parallel world, London Below, full of wacky characters and unspeakable horrors, where he is still trying to help his damzel in distress - a highborn lady of the underworld with a talent for opening doors.

Either because I was too familiar with the subject, or because the graphic art format is too limited to capture all the nuances of Gaiman's writing, I was not as enchanted this time as on the first trip to Neverwhere. Mike Carey, the writer of the comic, touches on all the salient points of the novel and keeps the pacing fast, but the characters loose some of their depth and nuance in the translation. Glen Fabry's art is excellent : he is a long time collaborator of Gaiman. I particularly liked his portraits of the scary assassin duo Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar - key characters in the horror part of the tale.



conclusion : I would recommend reading the novel first and using the comic book as a companion piece and quick reminder of the plot and characters.

INCEPTION: checking out a little background into the story, it turns out the the TV series comes before the novel which comes before the comic. So now I need to go deeper, and check out the BBC production. An there's an even deeper level: Gaiman quotes Gene Wolfe as an inspiration with his story "Free Live Free"

[TheNeverendingTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the novel and I thought this adaption was well done, it's a beautifully illustrated interpretation of the book.

The setting of 'London Below' is awesome. Such a fantastic idea.

It's quirky and twisted in the very best way.

I would suggest reading the full length book version first before this though, it's spectacular storytelling.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhhhhhhh...

This graphic novel adaptation of the wonderful world of London Below is beautifully captured. Yes, Carey has made quite a few changes along the way but he outlines these in the introduction and Gaiman was consulted on these so it does have the author's seal of approval.

I wouldn't go as far as to say the illustrations are pretty but they are magnificently drawn - especially the Marquis de Carabas, Door, Hunter (who was exactly how I imagined her) and Islington, and perfectly captured the essence of London Below. I loved the atmosphere of the floating market and the meetings with the Rat Speaker and the Earl of Earl's Court. Old Bailey was hilarious and Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar were bone-chilling villains you wouldn't want to encounter day or night. *shudders* Richard was loveable (as always) and his fiance Jessica was still the haughty nightmare we met in the original novel.

If you loved the novel, I would guess you would love this adaptation too. Overall, it's very faithful to the original story and an absolute delight to read. It now sits beside Gaiman's novel on my ridiculously crowded shelves but I shall treasure it always.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Gaiman's book Neverwhere and I've enjoyed Mike Carey's books so I thought this would be a slam dunk of a graphic novel. Unfortunately, the art really ruins the book. The biggest problem for me is that the Marquis of Carabas looks like someone in black face. No really. His skin is flat black, with full red lips and stark white eyes. At first I thought this was a coloring error but nope. He just looks like a old fashioned dandy wearing black face. The TV version the Marquis played by a black actor. The novelization describes him as having very dark skin. However the comic decided BLACK FACE IS GREAT. I found it offensive and incredibly distracting. My other major complaint is that Door is scantily clad and reminiscent of Death from the Sandman. The book has her wearing a hodge podge of layered clothing not a jacket over a bustier, filmy skirt and thigh high stockings. She does wear flat heeled boots at least. So somewhat yay?

I wouldn't suggest anyone read this. It's a poor adaption of the material. I'm glad I checked this out from the library instead of wasting my money. Feh.

[HaMiT · Rating 0.5 out of 5]

تصویرسازیش خیلی ضعیف بود و حتی یه ذره هم حس و حال کتاب رو منتقل نمی‌کرد
نهایتاً به درد این می‌خوره که سال‌ها بعد از خوندن کتاب به عنوان یه خلاصه از اینکه توی داستان چه اتفاق‌هایی افتاد، خونده بشه

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, it is easy to forget what an amazing artist Glenn Fabry is....his work in this adaptation ranks as some of the finest sequential art I've ever laid eyes on.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent enough adaptation, but very bare bones. Is missing some of my favorite little lines and bits, and lacks Gaiman's prose and descriptions, which really adds a lot.

I also thought the interpretation of a lot of the characters was, well, odd and didn't suit the descriptions from the book very well and I didn't like some of the changes that were made.

If you just want a general outline of the plot and characters then this is ok - but if you really want to experience the story then you should really read the original book.

[R J Royer · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I have not had the chance to read the original story I now know that I must because this was a great story and is just way too short. I want so much more. More amazing art, characters and storytelling from two masters of the art. I really don't think that I have anything bad to say about this other than it was way too short.

ilu eh

[El Tapiz de Fionavar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una excelentísima adaptación de la novela de Neil Gaiman.

Mike Carey ha hecho un trabajo sublime al guionar este cómic. Había leído el libro hace varios años atrás y esta reversión me recordó todas aquellas cosas que me gustaron en su momento.

Esta es la historia de Richard, un londinense medio que prácticamente se tropieza con otra realidad, con otra ciudad en la ciudad. Y ese encuentro se produce de la mano de Puerta, una chica muy extraña que lo conducirá a la aventura de su vida, junto al Marqués de Carabás. Puerta está huyendo y a la vez buscando respuestas.

La trama es atrapante y súper dinámica, con giros argumentales fantásticos. Carey ha sabido sintetizar lo principal de la novela y no nos quedan cabos sueltos en ningún momento. Quizás faltan aquellos momentos de tensión y algunas descripciones del Londres de abajo o de los mercados que están en la novela y que nos sitúan en esa extraña realidad creada por Gaiman. Aquí las ilustraciones cumplirían esa función. Por ello, mención aparte merece Glen Fabry, quien recrea muy bien a todos nuestros personajes y a los paisajes donde se desenvuelve el relato.

Cinco 🗝️🗝️🗝️🗝️🗝️

[Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though there were some scenes from the book that I wished were in it, there were also a lot of new scenes that weren't in the book, that I really liked.
Above all, great adaptation of an amazing book.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. If you loved the novel, then you will probably want to read this.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than the novel, but I wonder if I would enjoy the novel more now I’ve had the visuals of this. Great art work.

[Ed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know Neil, but I'm pretty sure that when he refers to the Marquis of Carabas in the text of Neverwhere as being "very dark", he was probably being subtle in referring to the skin colour of Paterson Joseph, the actor who originally played the Marquis...not indicating that the Marquis is a sinister blackface minstrel.

That's about all I have to say regarding this. Apart from that, pretty much everything else in it is so mediocre as to be a waste of paper. When you can't even just *copy* someone's else's work without reducing the quality, you're probably in the wrong business.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colourful, dense, character heavy, very nice artwork. I haven't read the novel yet, but listened to the BBC audio dramatization. I liked it, but it didn't really grab my attention. I am not sure if that was just me, because I knew the plot, or if it truly lacked suspense.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good adaptation except for the truly baffling character designs for Door and the Marquis. Especially the latter, who was originally pretty clearly described to be a Black man, that is somehow a blackface caricature in this one?? What's even more baffling is that when he dies, the pitch black colour goes away in patches, and his skin underneath looks exactly as it should, only for the pitch black "cover" to return as he recovers. That implies that it's some sort of charm he applies himself, on purpose? ....Why?? I really don't understand and I hate it.
Door isn't offensive, but she's pretty far off as well. No idea where the Harley Quinn split colour corset look came from when her description is that of a young woman who wears a huge coat and a ton of layers underneath, "like she just robbed a clothing museum and is wearing all she snagged at once".

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

have you read the original book?
- no? do it ASAP if you are a fan of fantasy-meets-reality
- yes? then read the graphic novel as well

In short, "Neverwhere" started as a mini-radio series in the english radio, it went on as a mini tv-series, it became a book, then a graphic novel, then again it was transfered on the radio. It takes place in the deep sewages of London, that are inhabited by outcasts and various magical beings. An accountant - Richard - finds himslef there by mistake, but finally he discovers his true self.

If you think you are too old or too busy to read the whole novel, try this graphic novel: it has pictures!!!!!!! (which are also magical). It reminded me of the Sandman (the most famous graphic novel by Gaiman, before the graphic novels existed as a genre)

[Jirka Hiemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je to vizualne moc povedene, desne me bavilo se tim procitat uz z potechy oka. Dej pro me nebyl novy, jelikoz Nikdykde je moje top kniha a cetl jsem ji asi 100x. Patricne zde je jasne zjednoduseni a i mensi vychylky oproti knize. Prectete to za dve cesty metrem, ma to peknou tvrdou vazbu, ale musite si zvyknout na ten styl kresby, pak budete spokojeni :) PS: a super je psany uvod o neznamem Gaimanovi od Careye :-D

[Omaira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pocas novelas gráficas me han aburrido tanto como ésta. No he leído el libro original en el que se basa, pero ahora no me acercaría a él ni en broma. La historia me ha resultado enrevesada y ni los personajes me han parecido bien perfilados.

Richard es un hombre dominado por la apatía y la desmotivación. Está sumido en la monotonía y en una relación en la que su novia lo trata como a una marioneta. Un día, su camino se cruza con el de Puerta, una mujer misteriosa que esconde muchos secretos y que es la llave a otros mundos. Tras encontrarla malherida, decide darle cobijo en su casa y ayudarla, pero acabará formando parte de una misión que le hará conocer una versión de Londres que nunca imaginó...

A pesar de que el inicio fue medianamente interesante, el desarrollo de la historia me pareció bastante cuestionable. Fantasía y realidad se entremezclan sin que nunca se llegue a explicar correctamente el mundo al que pertenece Puerta. Van apareciendo personajes extravagantes sin ton ni son y da la impresión de que se da por hecho que ya los conocemos y que sabemos a qué bando pertenecen y cuáles son sus capacidades. No hay una presentación propiamente dicha de cada uno. Ni siquiera ahondamos en Puerta, que es la protagonista principal junto a Richard. Únicamente vemos un pequeño retazo de la tragedia que ha marcado su destino, nada más.

La misión que se persigue está algo desdibujada, es cierto que luego va cobrando más sentido, pero me faltó sentimiento y más información. En verdad, el ritmo de la trama no es malo porque se van dando varios acontecimientos, lo que me atascaba en la lectura era que no entendía bien lo que ocurría porque no había una buena base argumental que respaldara lo que iba surgiendo. Lamento sonar cruel, pero era como ver a una panda de gente disfrazada y estrafalaria en un mundo decadente. No llegué a saber cuál era la estructura de la sociedad ni la relevancia real de algunos personajes.

Y del final prefiero ni opinar, ya que es de esas veces en las que siento que faltan páginas. Lo más surrealista es el modo en el que Richard se lanza a tomar una decisión sin meditar el tema ni un solo segundo.

A nivel artístico, pues no hay nada que me haya disgustado. No sé cómo estarán descritos los personajes en el libro original, pero es que aquí eso es lo de menos. El dibujo es claro y hay buena combinación de colores. Lo que no me convenció es la trama.

Puede que, sencillamente, no sea una historia para mí, y entiendo que otras personas la disfruten más.

[Lisa Jacovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read it two or three times and I actually want to again. One of my favorite books of all time, the story is incredible and captivating. I couldn't recommend it more

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful, awful artistic interpretations of the characters from the television mini-series. AWFUL. Especially the decision to make the Marquis a Gollywog (look it up, Americans), which i found profoundly offensive and unnecessary.

I was excited when I heard about this project, because I adored the mini-series (which was a collaboration between comedian Lenny Henry and Neil Gaiman) and really liked Neil Gaiman's novelization of the show. This graphic novel interpretation is just terrible however, and I cannot recommend it to anyone.

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great alternate view of the novel, but CANNOT be fully appreciated and understood without reading the book first. Just as like when a movie is adapted from a book, visuals have their pros and cons. Probably the biggest con of the graphic novel was that the characters looked nothing like I imagined them when reading the novel. I got over this after about 4 chapters, but it prevented me from fully connecting with the characters. Although I think I liked the novel better, nothing can replace Gaiman's remarkable skill with prose and expressions, I see this graphic novel as a fresh new look on the beloved (to me) book.

One of my friends was talking to me today about a scene he wrote and he said he wanted to see other actors (not himself) perform the scene to see their take on it. He didn't expect them to be very good compared to the vision he had for the scene, but he wanted to have a fresh take on it. He remarked that it was like seeing a movie based off a book, you don't expect the movie to be on par with the book (in fact it is generally much worse) but you want to compare the visions of the movie to the visions you had while reading the book. And sometimes, the movie surprises you. This graphic novel surprised me.

[Sumit Singla · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a total annihilation of Gaiman's book! Why is the Marquis a gollywog? Why does Lady Door dress like a stripper?

I thought the art was hopelessly bad, and destroyed a very good storyline. Islington was hardly threatening, and the bad guys were very disappointing too.

In addition, much of Gaiman's storytelling nuances were lost in the graphic novel.

I'd say, AVOID THIS.

[Greg (adds 2 TBR list daily) Hersom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the concept of a world within out world or is our world within another? Not a bad read, but this graphic novel version felt a little like something was left out, which most likely was the case sense it was adopted from a prose novel.

[Alba Traver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuando leí la novela, hará algo más de un año, recuerdo quedarme entre sorprendida y algo fría. Lo primero por lo rocambolesco de la historia y lo pintoresco de los personajes; lo segundo por no conseguir entrar del todo en la novela. Me gustó, pero no la disfruté como esperaba. Ya lo dije, creo que me quedo con el Neil Gaiman de los cómics. Y este no lo guioniza él, pero hay que ver lo bien que le sienta el formato a sus ideas.
Mike Carey adapta la novela a cómic de forma sencilla pero efectiva, es cierto que no se complica, que no aporta nada nuevo, más bien sacrifica personajes ye elimina tramas, pero siempre en favor del formato aunque también en detrimento de la calidad del mensaje social que se palpa en la novela.
En cambio, Glenn Fabry,con su dibujo repleto de detalles, sí aporta, y mucho, al conjunto; para mí ha supuesto la diferencia entre reconocer y apreciar el valor de la obra, y, realmente, disfrutarla. Visualizar el Londres de abajo y esa amalgama de variopintos personajes, y más de la forma cuidada y detallista que propone el dibujante, ha sido el plus que necesitaba.
No veo mal leer este cómic por separado, pero tampoco le encuentro mucho sentido. Sin embargo, hacerlo como complemento a la novela lo encuentro muy muy recomendable.

[Leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abandoned for later.

[The Raven King - Feyzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐⭐⭐

Great illustrations. Plot was alright. Nothing out of the ordinary.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't seen the television show, read the novelization, or heard the radio dramatization. I haven't been particularly wow'ed by things I've read by Neil Gaiman (which, yes, I'm aware, makes me totally uncool). I had no intention of reading the graphic novel either except I was babbling about something at home and something I said inspired my boyfriend to say "YOU HAVE TO READ THIS". I'm not one to say no to such requests, so I sat down with it to (what is it the Brits say?) give it a go.

I still have no idea what it was that I had said that made my boyfriend insist I read this. I have no recollection of babbling about anything that is remotely similar to anything that happens in this graphic novel. Of course all my babbles are of utmost importance, but there was no talk of London, London Below, assassins, or marquises. Strangely enough.

This is actually pretty fun. Richard Mayhew is this sad sap whose life is boring beyond comprehension, but that hardly makes a story, so of course some stuff happened and he winds up in the underworld with a young woman named Door.

I want to be Door for Halloween someday.

All in all, this is a fun read. The graphics are certainly bright and move the story right along. I wish it had been a little less stylized than it was, but I'm just a pedestrian critic, so hey. I like with Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry did, so much so that I can see myself actually watching the television show and reading the book. I will most definitely want to hear the radio dramatization because I discovered that the crookedly lovely Natalie Dormer voices Door and I've had a bit of crush on her since I first saw her in The Tudors, and then again in Game of Thrones.

[Lars Guthrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Carey adapted this graphic novel version of Neil Gaiman’s original, and the art , which on first glance did not appeal to me, is by Glenn Fabry. His style grew on me, and he’s got great material in ‘Neverwhere.’

My only exposure to Gaiman outside of ‘Sandman’ has been children’s books, and I’ve always wanted to read some of his adult fiction. This great story gives me another push in that direction.

‘Neverwhere’ stars the mousy Richard Mayhew, pushed around by his domineering fiancée and his co-workers, who finds some gumption when he encounters the aptly named Door, a super-heroine type, sexy in looks but not in practice. She opens a portal into London Below, an alternate, fantastical version of the metropolis, and a quest that changes Mayhew into a daredevil.

Along the way, Door and Mayhew run into some distinctly unusual characters, strikingly lined out and vibrantly colored in by Fabry. I particularly liked the two villains, Mister Croup and Mister Vandemar.

If you like fantasy in comic book form, ‘Neverwhere’ fits the bill.

[Alimpic Srdjan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prilično loša adaptacija, ne toliko što se tiče samog scenarija koji je nekih 80% veran originalnoj Gejmanovoj priči, već moje zamerke idu na račun samog crteža. Crtež je loš, likovi su ružnjikavi, pozadine su prazne i monotone. Preovlađuju nijanse nebesko-plave boje što direktno utiče na građenje atmosfere koja je mahom odsutna. Neki delovi priče su zamenjeni jeftinim i prepoznatljivim klišeima. Promene u samoj priči su primetnije od polovine stripa ka kraju, a stičem i utisak da je zbrzan u tom delu. Nije se mnogo radilo na karakterizaciji samih likova, koji su od početka do kraja plitki, bez duše.

Preporučujem čitanje originalne Gejmanove novele, ali ovu adaptaciju ne preporučujem. Ovo je moglo biti odrađeno mnogo, mnogo bolje.