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American Gods: Shadows
American Gods: Shadows #1
WAR IS COMING!
Shadow Moon just got out of jail, only to discover his wife is dead. Defeated, broke, and uncertain as to where to go from here, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who employs him to serve as his bodyguard—thrusting Shadow into a deadly world of the supernatural, where ghosts of the past come back from the dead, and a brewing war between old and new gods hits a boiling point.
The Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, and Nebula award–winning novel and upcoming Starz television series by Neil Gaiman is adapted as a comic series for the first time!
NEIL GAIMAN! P. CRAIG RUSSELL! SCOTT HAMPTON!
Shadow Moon just got out of jail, only to discover his wife is dead. Defeated, broke, and uncertain as to where to go from here, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who employs him to serve as his bodyguard—thrusting Shadow into a deadly world of the supernatural, where ghosts of the past come back from the dead, and a brewing war between old and new gods hits a boiling point.
The Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, and Nebula award–winning novel and upcoming Starz television series by Neil Gaiman is adapted as a comic series for the first time!
NEIL GAIMAN! P. CRAIG RUSSELL! SCOTT HAMPTON!
37 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2017
174 people are currently reading
996 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
June 26, 2017
3,5/5 stars.
Neil Gaiman is a brilliant storyteller. Although artwork was not really appealing... and so far as I know story is not different from novel itself or TV show.
I highly recommend to watch a TV show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyoXU... it's so aesthetically pleasing work of art and actors are fabulous. Just try it.
Neil Gaiman is a brilliant storyteller. Although artwork was not really appealing... and so far as I know story is not different from novel itself or TV show.
I highly recommend to watch a TV show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyoXU... it's so aesthetically pleasing work of art and actors are fabulous. Just try it.
January 9, 2022
Relectura en enero de 2022
Creo que fui generosa con la puntuación que le di en el pasado, pero digamos que respeto a mi yo de hace dos años y no voy a cambiarla. Hoy en día le daría un 3/5, ya que me ha parecido un cómic normalito para pasar el rato. También es cierto que esa indiferencia que me ha provocado puede que se deba a que ha perdido el factor sorpresa. Se dan pocos sucesos, pero ninguno es irrelevante y yo recordaba casi todo lo que iba ocurriendo. Además, una escena en concreto es tan brutal y memorable que es imposible olvidarla.
Si buscáis algo que capte vuestra atención y que se lea rápido, vale la pena que lo tengáis en cuenta.
Mi opinión cuando lo leí en abril de 2020
Tenía ganas de distraerme un rato y este cómic resultó ser una buena opción. Ni he visto la serie ni he leído la novela, pero este cómic ha logrado que me sienta más interesada por la historia.
No puedo contar mucho porque no llega a las 50 páginas y tampoco es que pase gran cosa… a ver, no es que no pase nada, pero digamos que es todo muy introductorio. Eso no significa que aburra, al contrario, las viñetas saben captar rápidamente la atención y en todas pasa algo que te hace querer saltar de inmediato a la siguiente.
Un hombre que acaba de salir de la cárcel, otro con una misteriosa propuesta, una ambientación oscura que te hace pensar que se avecina algo malo y un final brutal… ¿a qué esperáis para darle una oportunidad? :) Lo acabé en menos de media hora y reconozco que he quedado con ganas de leer los siguientes cómics.
Creo que fui generosa con la puntuación que le di en el pasado, pero digamos que respeto a mi yo de hace dos años y no voy a cambiarla. Hoy en día le daría un 3/5, ya que me ha parecido un cómic normalito para pasar el rato. También es cierto que esa indiferencia que me ha provocado puede que se deba a que ha perdido el factor sorpresa. Se dan pocos sucesos, pero ninguno es irrelevante y yo recordaba casi todo lo que iba ocurriendo. Además, una escena en concreto es tan brutal y memorable que es imposible olvidarla.
Si buscáis algo que capte vuestra atención y que se lea rápido, vale la pena que lo tengáis en cuenta.
Mi opinión cuando lo leí en abril de 2020
Tenía ganas de distraerme un rato y este cómic resultó ser una buena opción. Ni he visto la serie ni he leído la novela, pero este cómic ha logrado que me sienta más interesada por la historia.
No puedo contar mucho porque no llega a las 50 páginas y tampoco es que pase gran cosa… a ver, no es que no pase nada, pero digamos que es todo muy introductorio. Eso no significa que aburra, al contrario, las viñetas saben captar rápidamente la atención y en todas pasa algo que te hace querer saltar de inmediato a la siguiente.
Un hombre que acaba de salir de la cárcel, otro con una misteriosa propuesta, una ambientación oscura que te hace pensar que se avecina algo malo y un final brutal… ¿a qué esperáis para darle una oportunidad? :) Lo acabé en menos de media hora y reconozco que he quedado con ganas de leer los siguientes cómics.
March 17, 2017
Story good, naturally. Art not so good. I'm not feeling Scott Hampton's work on this. A shame.
March 18, 2017
Full review: https://midnightvoltage.wordpress.com...
4.5/5.
I had seen a lot of negative reviews about this online, and I don't really understand why. Yes, it's a very literal adaptation, but Gaiman's prose is so good and works so well I didn't mind. I guess in that sense this is less of a comic and more of an illustrated novel, because the art doesn't really add anything new to the story, but just sort of enhances the words--which I'm fine with.
The only negative thing for me was actually the art itself...which at the beginning made me rate this 3 stars, then slowly 4, but at the end I decided to go with 4.5. No, I wasn't a huge fan of the art, but despite all that, once I got into it I loved it. Sure, this is one of my all-time favorite books, and I really, really wish it could've had amazing art by Chris Riddell or Dave McKean or Greg Capullo (oh man that would be so utterly amazing) or any number of other artists.
I'm not a huge fan of Russell in general (though he's good at adapting things text-wise), and that's definitely the biggest hurt to this book. The backgrounds were fairly bland, and I'm not a fan of the style used for the faces. There were some really innovative things done in the last scene (which, warning, it is incredibly graphic, as is the novel itself), though, and I'm hoping the future issues are more like that.
Maybe I'm blinded in my love for the book and for Gaiman. But I don't care, because at the end of the day I loved it, despite the disappointing art.
4.5/5.
I had seen a lot of negative reviews about this online, and I don't really understand why. Yes, it's a very literal adaptation, but Gaiman's prose is so good and works so well I didn't mind. I guess in that sense this is less of a comic and more of an illustrated novel, because the art doesn't really add anything new to the story, but just sort of enhances the words--which I'm fine with.
The only negative thing for me was actually the art itself...which at the beginning made me rate this 3 stars, then slowly 4, but at the end I decided to go with 4.5. No, I wasn't a huge fan of the art, but despite all that, once I got into it I loved it. Sure, this is one of my all-time favorite books, and I really, really wish it could've had amazing art by Chris Riddell or Dave McKean or Greg Capullo (oh man that would be so utterly amazing) or any number of other artists.
I'm not a huge fan of Russell in general (though he's good at adapting things text-wise), and that's definitely the biggest hurt to this book. The backgrounds were fairly bland, and I'm not a fan of the style used for the faces. There were some really innovative things done in the last scene (which, warning, it is incredibly graphic, as is the novel itself), though, and I'm hoping the future issues are more like that.
Maybe I'm blinded in my love for the book and for Gaiman. But I don't care, because at the end of the day I loved it, despite the disappointing art.
April 14, 2017
Read this last night. Faithful adaptation of the novel (read it though!). Can't wait for the Starz series (read the book though; was fortunate to have it handed to me many years ago!). Was a big fan of mythology... it helps; not necessary. Gaiman is a magical storyteller.
March 17, 2017
I really enjoyed the novel, though it has been many years since I read it. Still, the plot remains with me in most aspects and I went into this adaption very pleased with how the creative team chose to present the story. The art is good, fitting the dreary position that Shadow is now in. The pacing is good, and what narration they've used is beautiful. What surprised me was my disappointment at the follow-up. I love Russell's work and there is nothing inherently wrong with it. I still could not accept that version as equal to how I had envisioned the scene in my head when I had read it. Again, the goddess story at the end is adequate, but not my favourite adaption.
August 22, 2017
Huge fan of Neil Gaiman and AG, so I had to get the comics too (though I'm getting them very slowly).
Not that crazy about the art tbh. I wish David Mack (who does the variant covers) would do the whole comic, his style is absolutely amazing.
Not that crazy about the art tbh. I wish David Mack (who does the variant covers) would do the whole comic, his style is absolutely amazing.
February 7, 2018
4/5
Me ha gustado mucho, necesito ya el 2º^^
Me ha gustado mucho, necesito ya el 2º^^
April 25, 2018
I have read the book and watched the TV series. Now, I have read the first issue of the graphic novel.
It was good. I don't like the art though!
It was good. I don't like the art though!
February 7, 2019
Maybe 2.5 stars - a significant aspect is my disinclination to supernatural fiction. The picture of the world is unique, there are good aspects to the writing. It wasn't such an effort to finish it despite the length, but I care more about "the picture" than the "brushstrokes."
The premise is that over the centuries as various peoples came to North America, their belief in / worship of ancient gods caused those gods to exist in America. Over time, belief / worship for these gods waned and these gods became weaker / demoralized from insufficient worship and tribute. America now has new "gods" - technology, media, etc. The forces for these new gods want to finish eliminating the old gods.
Or at least that's how it appears for most of the book. The book has various threads, sub-stories/components, etc. A number of them seem to be heading in one direction, then detour or just run out. An omnious thing doesn't happen, but has no definitive resolution.
It seems like a few ideas expended into a substantial novel, but which only hold together as a single story if one has more "suspension of disbelief" than I have to offer.
Some readers will like the hints scattered through the book. Perhaps, because this wasn't "my kind of book," some of the hints led to threads which seemed unnecessary to me.
There's a point in the book at which the protagonist [sort of] chooses non-existence over having to go on. That wouldn't be a feel-happy ending. But when the book ends, the protagonist seemed adrift - maybe not ready to call it a day, but unsure what he's going to do with himself. You'll have to decide if that's a better ending.
The premise is that over the centuries as various peoples came to North America, their belief in / worship of ancient gods caused those gods to exist in America. Over time, belief / worship for these gods waned and these gods became weaker / demoralized from insufficient worship and tribute. America now has new "gods" - technology, media, etc. The forces for these new gods want to finish eliminating the old gods.
Or at least that's how it appears for most of the book. The book has various threads, sub-stories/components, etc. A number of them seem to be heading in one direction, then detour or just run out. An omnious thing doesn't happen, but has no definitive resolution.
It seems like a few ideas expended into a substantial novel, but which only hold together as a single story if one has more "suspension of disbelief" than I have to offer.
Some readers will like the hints scattered through the book. Perhaps, because this wasn't "my kind of book," some of the hints led to threads which seemed unnecessary to me.
There's a point in the book at which the protagonist [sort of] chooses non-existence over having to go on. That wouldn't be a feel-happy ending. But when the book ends, the protagonist seemed adrift - maybe not ready to call it a day, but unsure what he's going to do with himself. You'll have to decide if that's a better ending.
May 30, 2018
The imagery in this book is macabre and beautiful and I liked being able to immerse myself for a few hours a day in Gaiman's world.
I especially enjoyed the origin stories for the old Gods and the new, and I loved anytime
Laura stepped into the story. A few of my friends thought American Gods had a lot of downtime between action with Shadow's time spent undercover or driving, but I really loved that aspect of the story. Seeing the "behind the scenes" and the "in-between."
It was interesting to see how he interacted with the normal, small-town folk of Lakeside, and I really enjoyed learning how the old Gods evolved through time as they were forgotten.
I was irritated by the anticipatory build-up fueling this nearly 800-page story for a "huge battle" that never happened. It was anti-climatic, short-lived and a major let down despite enjoying the twist that came with it. Out of the whole book, the ending chapters with Shadow and the tree were by far my favorite.
I especially enjoyed the origin stories for the old Gods and the new, and I loved anytime
Laura stepped into the story. A few of my friends thought American Gods had a lot of downtime between action with Shadow's time spent undercover or driving, but I really loved that aspect of the story. Seeing the "behind the scenes" and the "in-between."
It was interesting to see how he interacted with the normal, small-town folk of Lakeside, and I really enjoyed learning how the old Gods evolved through time as they were forgotten.
I was irritated by the anticipatory build-up fueling this nearly 800-page story for a "huge battle" that never happened. It was anti-climatic, short-lived and a major let down despite enjoying the twist that came with it. Out of the whole book, the ending chapters with Shadow and the tree were by far my favorite.
February 8, 2020
No soy de leer cómic o novela gráfica, y me pareció que éste era un buen material para iniciar en el mundillo.
También es la primera vez que leo algo de Neil Gaiman y la verdad es que me he quedado sorprendida a pesar de que me autoespoileé mirando la última página del cómic. Aún así me gustó bastante.
La pega que le pongo es que los dibujos los ví un poco feucos, sobre todo los de Sombra, el protagonista de la historia.
También es la primera vez que leo algo de Neil Gaiman y la verdad es que me he quedado sorprendida a pesar de que me autoespoileé mirando la última página del cómic. Aún así me gustó bastante.
La pega que le pongo es que los dibujos los ví un poco feucos, sobre todo los de Sombra, el protagonista de la historia.
December 12, 2017
Brilliant!
If you like Neil Gaiman, you'll love this comic. The story is enchanting. The art is vivid and juicy. The characters are instantly engrossing. I highly recommend it.
If you like Neil Gaiman, you'll love this comic. The story is enchanting. The art is vivid and juicy. The characters are instantly engrossing. I highly recommend it.
February 6, 2021
I have a limit on the number of f-words that I can hear in the first ten pages before I will stop reading a book. That limit is somewhere below fifty.
April 25, 2022
No me convencen el formato comic ni el dibujo, me quedo con la novela original.
November 7, 2018
“I believe in a personal god who cares about me and worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn't even know that I'm alive. I believe in an empty and godless universe of causal chaos, background noise, and sheer blind luck... I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.”
“Religions are, by definition, metaphors, after all: God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you—even, perhaps, against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, business, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition. Religions are places to stand and look and act, vantage points from which to view the world. So none of this is happening. Such things could not occur. Never a word of it is literally true.”
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods
I had to open up with those two quotations which, I feel, are true renditions of what Neil Gaiman tries to capture in his novel. The image of God as we know it, painted against the backdrop of the Gods our forefathers worshipped. On it, Neil writes;
It's about the soul of America, really. What people brought to America; what found them when they came; and the things that lie sleeping beneath it all.
I think I should start with the fact that I am a denounced Roman Catholic; born into it with no choice as to what I believe - as we all all are - I can honestly say I was devout in every sense of the word. Believing what I did, blindly and unashamedly, I even went as far as to teach it to those younger than me.
But let me tell you how things started to fall apart...
I was chilling with a guy I had known for well over a year and on one random day, out of the blue, he told me he was Atheist. At first, the Catholic in me was appalled but, pragmatism overcame my instinct to cuss him out for having "kept this from me for so long" - whatever. When I asked him why he believed in what he didn't believe he said that, 'religion is for sheep and people who choose to suffer'. That, 'the bible is a sad excuse for barbaric behaviour and record of a merciless God'. Okay, i'm pretty sure that's not how he put it but, at the time, that is how I felt I had heard it. All-in-all, none of it makes sense to him. He believes purely in human nature and things that he can feel i.e. love and joy and and and and.. to top it all off; when I tried to argue about the mercies of God and the beauty of being pious he diagnosed me with cognitive dissonance.
Never. Have I. Ever 😕
During this period in my life, I joined a student-led organisation in my school which dealt with issues of black identity in the built environment (to put it simply). Here, I encountered black consciousness for the first time, in its purest form. Two generations of people who were aware of their pigment, the power of melanin and the significance of knowing where you're from.
Additionally, I took part in a daily yoga routine with the campus Bhakti yoga society where I learnt of Krsna for the first time.
So why are all these things important?
They led me to the end of my belief in White Jesus.
What is so significant about all this and Neil Gaiman's, American Gods??
I have been searching for literature, literally anything and everything that discusses different religions - this novel quenched a thirst I had felt for months after abandoning my religion. Although, I must I admit I only decided to read the book after watching the series but, I digress.
American Gods is food for the soul. If you want to learn something without having to go through the trouble of reading academic text, try this. I think it offers a very broad introduction to what God is for all of us, how She exists and if She actually cares what we think and feel.
I won't go as far as to say this book answers existential questions, it simply acknowledges that those questions exist. A true rendition on Religious Darwinism
There is a lot to be said about old Gods and the new. We can't deny the fact that White Jesus has infiltrated human beings to an unshakable depth. My family, despite my leaving the faith, stand by it and I respect them for that, not having a religion is the scariest thing on this earth. Everything inside you that is human yearns for faith and repentance and those cannot be achieved if you believe in nothing.
Currently, I am a Christian, to be quite honest - I'd rather the devil I know. Not only that, I read and ask and read and ask and I see similarities in religious sects and deities that affirm, for me, that there is indeed a God in many a shape and form. The choice is yours. If there is anything Gaiman echos in his book it is his insistence that all Shadow has to do is BELIEVE.
God indeed only has power if we deem it so and that power is equal to the faith, belief and sacrifice we offer her. Whatever you feel in your heart and see in your minds eye, that is what will meet you when you die - if you do.
“Religions are, by definition, metaphors, after all: God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you—even, perhaps, against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, business, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition. Religions are places to stand and look and act, vantage points from which to view the world. So none of this is happening. Such things could not occur. Never a word of it is literally true.”
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods
I had to open up with those two quotations which, I feel, are true renditions of what Neil Gaiman tries to capture in his novel. The image of God as we know it, painted against the backdrop of the Gods our forefathers worshipped. On it, Neil writes;
It's about the soul of America, really. What people brought to America; what found them when they came; and the things that lie sleeping beneath it all.
I think I should start with the fact that I am a denounced Roman Catholic; born into it with no choice as to what I believe - as we all all are - I can honestly say I was devout in every sense of the word. Believing what I did, blindly and unashamedly, I even went as far as to teach it to those younger than me.
But let me tell you how things started to fall apart...
I was chilling with a guy I had known for well over a year and on one random day, out of the blue, he told me he was Atheist. At first, the Catholic in me was appalled but, pragmatism overcame my instinct to cuss him out for having "kept this from me for so long" - whatever. When I asked him why he believed in what he didn't believe he said that, 'religion is for sheep and people who choose to suffer'. That, 'the bible is a sad excuse for barbaric behaviour and record of a merciless God'. Okay, i'm pretty sure that's not how he put it but, at the time, that is how I felt I had heard it. All-in-all, none of it makes sense to him. He believes purely in human nature and things that he can feel i.e. love and joy and and and and.. to top it all off; when I tried to argue about the mercies of God and the beauty of being pious he diagnosed me with cognitive dissonance.
Never. Have I. Ever 😕
During this period in my life, I joined a student-led organisation in my school which dealt with issues of black identity in the built environment (to put it simply). Here, I encountered black consciousness for the first time, in its purest form. Two generations of people who were aware of their pigment, the power of melanin and the significance of knowing where you're from.
Additionally, I took part in a daily yoga routine with the campus Bhakti yoga society where I learnt of Krsna for the first time.
So why are all these things important?
They led me to the end of my belief in White Jesus.
What is so significant about all this and Neil Gaiman's, American Gods??
I have been searching for literature, literally anything and everything that discusses different religions - this novel quenched a thirst I had felt for months after abandoning my religion. Although, I must I admit I only decided to read the book after watching the series but, I digress.
American Gods is food for the soul. If you want to learn something without having to go through the trouble of reading academic text, try this. I think it offers a very broad introduction to what God is for all of us, how She exists and if She actually cares what we think and feel.
I won't go as far as to say this book answers existential questions, it simply acknowledges that those questions exist. A true rendition on Religious Darwinism
There is a lot to be said about old Gods and the new. We can't deny the fact that White Jesus has infiltrated human beings to an unshakable depth. My family, despite my leaving the faith, stand by it and I respect them for that, not having a religion is the scariest thing on this earth. Everything inside you that is human yearns for faith and repentance and those cannot be achieved if you believe in nothing.
Currently, I am a Christian, to be quite honest - I'd rather the devil I know. Not only that, I read and ask and read and ask and I see similarities in religious sects and deities that affirm, for me, that there is indeed a God in many a shape and form. The choice is yours. If there is anything Gaiman echos in his book it is his insistence that all Shadow has to do is BELIEVE.
God indeed only has power if we deem it so and that power is equal to the faith, belief and sacrifice we offer her. Whatever you feel in your heart and see in your minds eye, that is what will meet you when you die - if you do.
January 20, 2026
Loved the novel and loved the TV show, so despite what the author did or didn't do, I had to read the comic. So far, it is the same as both the book and tv series, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
April 6, 2017
Hermit living and general, hedonistic ignorance have kept me largely oblivious about the criteria on which comic books win prestigious awards, but while I’m not privy to those esoterics, I have no problem singing the praises of the comic book adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.
There’s some kind of TV adaptation of American Gods in the pipleline isn’t there? This might have some clue as to the origins of this comic series from Dark Horse Comics. As such, you’d wonder why they didn’t come out with the comics sooner, because by all standards, this is a comic of fantastic quality. Gaiman and P Craig Russell have been credited as the comic’s writers, but anyone who’s read the novel lately (yes Mrs English teacher, give me a gold star!) might recognise large portions of the novel being paraphrased or straight up lifted directly from the source pages. This isn’t something to take lightly, as exemplary editorial skill would’ve been necessary to decide what makes the cut from the novel to the literal drawing board (unless of course Scott Hampton exclusively uses digital media). Speaking of magnificent artwork, Hampton’s contributions display a deep sense of care and ambition. His choice of angles, colour combinations, and a range of strokes result in images that feel realistic, vivid and textured. This is not the kind of artwork that features in too many comics these days, and this comic is all the better for it.
As someone who’s read the book fairly recently (a month or so ago, without a clue that the comic was out) there was nothing I could fault with this comic. I was happy to learn that the artist’s depiction of Wednesday wasn’t as unkind as my own mental image of the character. (I actually pictured Wednesday as a Rodney Dangerfield type, with the bulging eyeballs that are perfect for leering at small town motel front desk clerks and barely legal waitresses.) So I doubled back and pulled up the novel to skim through the opening chapter. What happens next will shock you! No, please don’t stop reading - that was just a shoutout to the lame headline writers of clickbait infamy, but you already know that don’t you, you intelligent so-and-so! All dicksucking aside, I discovered during my skim that there were some inconsistencies between Gaiman’s descriptions of character appearances in the novel and in the comic. While this has mostly only been seen with a couple of jailbirds, I wonder if I’m allowed to feel as dissatisfied as I did with the depiction of Shadow. I always pictured him as more of a line-backer, or a meathead marine with a heart of gold, but the artist had different ideas.
Interestingly, at one point during the reading, I marvelled at the word count per page and thought for an instasec that maybe it was a little too verbose. These foul thoughts soon vanished when good sense returned, with the realisation that those were more likely the thoughts of inane selfie-addicts and twitter-freaks. (These special breeds no likey words but likey hashtags and likes very much). I can happily report that this comic was a fun parallel to the novel, and I’m hoping that all further instalments feature the little chapterettes at the end of chapters like the novel did. If the success of the American Gods novel was anything to go by, then it’s a safe bet that Neil Gaiman can look forward to a string of accolades for the comic book adaptation of the story of Shadow.
And so, gentle reader, I’d highly recommend that you go outside to your nearest comic shop and buy American Gods now! Spend time outdoors, life is too short and you’ll never be as young as you are right now. In fact, buy this book and read it during a picnic or something.
There’s some kind of TV adaptation of American Gods in the pipleline isn’t there? This might have some clue as to the origins of this comic series from Dark Horse Comics. As such, you’d wonder why they didn’t come out with the comics sooner, because by all standards, this is a comic of fantastic quality. Gaiman and P Craig Russell have been credited as the comic’s writers, but anyone who’s read the novel lately (yes Mrs English teacher, give me a gold star!) might recognise large portions of the novel being paraphrased or straight up lifted directly from the source pages. This isn’t something to take lightly, as exemplary editorial skill would’ve been necessary to decide what makes the cut from the novel to the literal drawing board (unless of course Scott Hampton exclusively uses digital media). Speaking of magnificent artwork, Hampton’s contributions display a deep sense of care and ambition. His choice of angles, colour combinations, and a range of strokes result in images that feel realistic, vivid and textured. This is not the kind of artwork that features in too many comics these days, and this comic is all the better for it.
As someone who’s read the book fairly recently (a month or so ago, without a clue that the comic was out) there was nothing I could fault with this comic. I was happy to learn that the artist’s depiction of Wednesday wasn’t as unkind as my own mental image of the character. (I actually pictured Wednesday as a Rodney Dangerfield type, with the bulging eyeballs that are perfect for leering at small town motel front desk clerks and barely legal waitresses.) So I doubled back and pulled up the novel to skim through the opening chapter. What happens next will shock you! No, please don’t stop reading - that was just a shoutout to the lame headline writers of clickbait infamy, but you already know that don’t you, you intelligent so-and-so! All dicksucking aside, I discovered during my skim that there were some inconsistencies between Gaiman’s descriptions of character appearances in the novel and in the comic. While this has mostly only been seen with a couple of jailbirds, I wonder if I’m allowed to feel as dissatisfied as I did with the depiction of Shadow. I always pictured him as more of a line-backer, or a meathead marine with a heart of gold, but the artist had different ideas.
Interestingly, at one point during the reading, I marvelled at the word count per page and thought for an instasec that maybe it was a little too verbose. These foul thoughts soon vanished when good sense returned, with the realisation that those were more likely the thoughts of inane selfie-addicts and twitter-freaks. (These special breeds no likey words but likey hashtags and likes very much). I can happily report that this comic was a fun parallel to the novel, and I’m hoping that all further instalments feature the little chapterettes at the end of chapters like the novel did. If the success of the American Gods novel was anything to go by, then it’s a safe bet that Neil Gaiman can look forward to a string of accolades for the comic book adaptation of the story of Shadow.
And so, gentle reader, I’d highly recommend that you go outside to your nearest comic shop and buy American Gods now! Spend time outdoors, life is too short and you’ll never be as young as you are right now. In fact, buy this book and read it during a picnic or something.
February 28, 2019
Another really nice book I am glad I readlistened to. In 2001 Neil Gaiman published this book, American Gods, and then,ten years later, a special tenth anniversary edition, with the "author's preferred text" and including an additional 12,000 words, was published by William Morrow in June 2011. Both versions of the book were adapted to audiobooks, the first just narrated, the second with a full (and talented) cast. This second version I listened to, on YouTube no less. Long story short, I liked the book a lot, even if it was a bit too long winding.
The story is not only interesting in concept - gods being created and fed by people's beliefs, then being forgotten and dying as belief wanes, but also in its many details borrowed from the world's superstitions and religions. We start with a man in prison, a calm, cerebral man, but also big and muscular. He is about to be freed from prison and return to his wife and his best friend to start his life anew. From then he is just thrown into this crazy world of supernatural beings, but not like all these lazy TV shows where there are vampires and werewolves at war, but slowly and subtly. Gods are at the same time what we remember them to be: big spiders, thunderbirds, gods of war, but also men and women that can be killed. They can be pitiful beings, old creatures that resent the newness of the world and of its people. I also liked that there was not a lot of the major religions, just a few hints at the end. No Christian or Muslim stuff, I mean. At the end of the audio book there is an appendix, Shadow meeting Jesus, that the author wrote but decided to keep out of the book because it didn't feel like it was part of it. I agree with him.
There is also a kind of Lord of the Rings ending to the book. Even if the main story arches ended, there are still several chapters after that. I could have lived without them, I guess. This verbosity is also the problem with the book. Laden with details and side stories and keeping the pace slow can be slightly boring. I never read the version published in 2001, but it was shorter, which was probably for the better. I liked that Gaiman left a lot of hints in his writing and even I was able to see through them. That was maybe another reason why the pace felt too slow, since I've glimpsed a little of the whole story and then just waited for it to reach that point. However, that is the exact reaction of the protagonist, when he figures stuff out. He feels like he already knew, but refused to actually bring it into consciousness.
The adaptation of the book was top notch, the protagonist, but more than this the man called Wednesday, were interpreted by talented actors and I found myself drawn into the story like a man slowly being pulled down in quicksand. Give it a try.
The story is not only interesting in concept - gods being created and fed by people's beliefs, then being forgotten and dying as belief wanes, but also in its many details borrowed from the world's superstitions and religions. We start with a man in prison, a calm, cerebral man, but also big and muscular. He is about to be freed from prison and return to his wife and his best friend to start his life anew. From then he is just thrown into this crazy world of supernatural beings, but not like all these lazy TV shows where there are vampires and werewolves at war, but slowly and subtly. Gods are at the same time what we remember them to be: big spiders, thunderbirds, gods of war, but also men and women that can be killed. They can be pitiful beings, old creatures that resent the newness of the world and of its people. I also liked that there was not a lot of the major religions, just a few hints at the end. No Christian or Muslim stuff, I mean. At the end of the audio book there is an appendix, Shadow meeting Jesus, that the author wrote but decided to keep out of the book because it didn't feel like it was part of it. I agree with him.
There is also a kind of Lord of the Rings ending to the book. Even if the main story arches ended, there are still several chapters after that. I could have lived without them, I guess. This verbosity is also the problem with the book. Laden with details and side stories and keeping the pace slow can be slightly boring. I never read the version published in 2001, but it was shorter, which was probably for the better. I liked that Gaiman left a lot of hints in his writing and even I was able to see through them. That was maybe another reason why the pace felt too slow, since I've glimpsed a little of the whole story and then just waited for it to reach that point. However, that is the exact reaction of the protagonist, when he figures stuff out. He feels like he already knew, but refused to actually bring it into consciousness.
The adaptation of the book was top notch, the protagonist, but more than this the man called Wednesday, were interpreted by talented actors and I found myself drawn into the story like a man slowly being pulled down in quicksand. Give it a try.
May 8, 2017
Anansi is an Ashanti folktale character. Often a spider and considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories. One of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklores. Tooday a central character in American Gods, the titular character of the spin-off novel Anansi Boys: Coffret, 2 volumes (American Gods #1-2) by Neil Gaiman. To The Dark Horse Comic American Gods: The Shadows by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell (Artist), P. Russell, Scott Hampton (Illustrator), Glenn Fabry (Illustrator).
#1 I read after watching episode 2 where Orlando Jones on the TV series and dropped his anecdote of concouisness, which is why I started to really like like American Gods, a delight of hardcore action, sex and social commentary that riles me to action and maybe gets me to put me on a hiatus from normal activity scheduled, i could be too busy reading because of this...
#1 I read after watching episode 2 where Orlando Jones on the TV series and dropped his anecdote of concouisness, which is why I started to really like like American Gods, a delight of hardcore action, sex and social commentary that riles me to action and maybe gets me to put me on a hiatus from normal activity scheduled, i could be too busy reading because of this...
April 1, 2017
Given I've just re-read chapter 1 of AG, this is a remarkably accurate adaptation. Some things are interesting, where P.Craig chooses to turn text into thought bubbles or speech for example. Also an odd switch where Iceman is black and Johnnie Larch is white (I only noticed having just reread the chapter, but it does stand out as strange; Iceman as described in the novel does seem to fit the comments he makes) I imagined the Minotaur to be more frightening; in this the cover art was better than the comic art. However, the Bilquis scene was fantastic. It reminded me of 80's style art, something that might be drawn in a Dr Manhatten scene from the Watchmen comic perhaps, fantastical yet literal at the same time.
I'm eager to read more, to see the chapters come to life so accurately. I'm going to just gorge myself on this story between the comic, my re-read, and the TV show.
I'm eager to read more, to see the chapters come to life so accurately. I'm going to just gorge myself on this story between the comic, my re-read, and the TV show.
April 11, 2021
Shadow, quoting Herodotus "Call no man happy until he is dead."
The graphic novel adaptation of American Gods. Shadows 1/9: After spending 3 years in prison, Shadow is due to be released, but an unfortunate event happens and he gets out a little early. Now with nowhere left to go and nobody to return to, he gets an unexpected job offer.
Love the writing and exposition by Gaiman but the art is a little flat and not very detailed. Also it feels like words were just copy pasted into dialogue and the art "drawn" around the words, not a true, artistic adaptation but a paint by numbers method of doing this. I was hoping for more, I guess.
The graphic novel adaptation of American Gods. Shadows 1/9: After spending 3 years in prison, Shadow is due to be released, but an unfortunate event happens and he gets out a little early. Now with nowhere left to go and nobody to return to, he gets an unexpected job offer.
Love the writing and exposition by Gaiman but the art is a little flat and not very detailed. Also it feels like words were just copy pasted into dialogue and the art "drawn" around the words, not a true, artistic adaptation but a paint by numbers method of doing this. I was hoping for more, I guess.
December 17, 2018
This book was confusing. Shadow is a man who is being released from prison. We never learn why he was in prison in the first place. Before he is released, he finds out that his wife Laura has died in a car accident. The job that is awaiting him outside of prison is now gone because the man who was going to hire him to work for him is now dead (he was in the car crash with Laura). A mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday hires Shadow to work for him. Mr. Wednesday wants Shadow to protect him. Mr. Wednesday is not who he says he is; he is a God. There is a war between new Gods and old Gods. The new Gods don't think the Old Gods are important anymore.
April 18, 2017
A good start and a good adaption (so far) of the original novel (it's been a while since a read it but this is as close as you can get to the original.
I didn't get the Gaiman vibe at first, not until the side story at the end. But that is ok, I'm sure it will come in the next issue.
Oh almost forgot, the art, well to be honest I didn't like it allt that much, the faces were a bit blurred and the style is a bit to bland for my taste. But as with the story that changed in the end, that bit really felt and look like the Gaiman I lover! (think Sandman)
All and all, a good start.
I didn't get the Gaiman vibe at first, not until the side story at the end. But that is ok, I'm sure it will come in the next issue.
Oh almost forgot, the art, well to be honest I didn't like it allt that much, the faces were a bit blurred and the style is a bit to bland for my taste. But as with the story that changed in the end, that bit really felt and look like the Gaiman I lover! (think Sandman)
All and all, a good start.
January 27, 2019
I love American Gods. Turning it into a graphic novel is genius. That said, this GN is pretty text heavy, mostly verbatim from the book. Which is fine. If I hadn’t read the book in a while and I wanted a quick visual read, this would be great. But I read the book pretty recently, so I pretty much skimmed and just focused on the art. Which was good. Not my favorite, but good. But the chapter covers? I’m pretty GN illiterate, but the art at the beginning of each chapter that is different that the rest of the art? Those were mind-blowingly fantastic.
April 3, 2017
I picked this up on a whim* at the comic book store having not read the book (although I keep meaning to - I think iI may even have a copy on the kindle) and quite enjoyed it. The art is good, but there's not enough story in this to really get into it and work out if I'm going to like it. Equally there wasn't enough there to make me immediately search out a copy of the book. I'm still on the fence for now.
*Ok, because the comic book guy suggested it because I read Rivers of London
*Ok, because the comic book guy suggested it because I read Rivers of London
April 19, 2017
I have kept starting but not finishing the original novel. I keep getting out off by the vulgarity that just seems gratuitous. In any case, I discovered that this graphic adaptation has come out so I started reading it. Story is good; however, for some reason I find that a lot of Gaiman's graphics work suffers from art that doesn't live up to his story telling. I am hopeful of the rest of the story though.
May 10, 2017
Wow! A truly great first issue! I've never read the book & don't know anything about what it's supposed to be about. So I'm starting this series with just a big question mark. There was alot of story in this first issue & the writing was excellent, the artwork is pretty good but I wish it was a little sharper but that's ok because between the story & the characters I'm hooked. Looking forward to the next issue with great anticipation, highly recommend!
July 6, 2017
While I am equally grossed out and intrigued by the television series, the novel itself had failed to make an impression on me. The graphic novels seem to be going down the same windpipe. The only positive thing I have to say about them is that they stay true to the book. Surprisingly, as I had expected, the art isn’t to die for. It could be that the tv series and its amazing cast has me spoiled. I mean, look at the graphic novel version of Mr. Wednesday!
January 8, 2018
I don't often read fantasy. This is the second Neil Gaimen book I have read. I listened to it. It was the 10th anniversary edition recording with full cast. I enjoyed it because it was different for me. Sometimes too violent and strange sex. I liked Shadow, Wednesday, Laura and Sam. I do not have a very good background in Norse Gods, which would have helped. I did understand the gods of tv, cars, and media to name a few of the new American gods. I will consider more fantasy.
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