American Gods: Shadows #4

American Gods: Shadows

by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, Scott Hampton (Illustrator)

Neil Gaiman! During an overnight stay at their home, Shadow awakens to a visit from the third of the Zorya Zorya Polunochnaya. The Midnight Sister’s advice is ethereal and strange, yet vital . . . and Shadow can’t seem to separate reality from the dream world. The Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, and Nebula Award—winning novel and upcoming Starz television series by Neil Gaiman adapted as a comic series for the first time! * A Starz TV show! "Russell’s lyrical layouts bring Gaiman’s visual, vivid prose to life like no other artist."—Comic Book Resources

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Gods

29 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2017

Reviews

[Omaira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Para distraerse un rato es una opción aceptable, pero no acabo de pillarle el sentido a la historia. Siendo ya el 4º cómic de la saga, no es lógico que todavía ni se tenga clara la misión del protagonista.

Sombra sigue junto a Wednesday en casa de la familia rarita… ¿sucede algo relevante? Ni sí ni no. A ver, todo se reduce a una escena que presuntamente tiene un significado especial, pero yo por lo menos no supe interpretarlo. Y ya está, no esperéis más acontecimientos porque, literalmente, no pasa nada más con Sombra. Hay momentos en los que me parece un simple personaje secundario por lo poco que aporta. No sé qué sentido tiene lo que vemos sobre él y Wednesday ni a dónde pretende llevarnos el autor.

Por otro lado, se nos muestran unos acontecimientos del pasado, los cuales están protagonizados por unos personajes cuya conexión con el presente es todo un misterio. Esa parte al menos engancha más porque se dan más sucesos y se distingue una línea argumental clara. En este caso, esas páginas estuvieron protagonizadas por una mujer que, aunque no era una santa, tuvo que superar situaciones complicadas. A pesar de que no se me ocurre nada que la vincule con lo de Sombra, no pude evitar sentir curiosidad por su destino, y eso me hacía leer con más ganas.

Puede que en los últimos cómics le vea un gran sentido a todo, pero ahora mismo es como si estuviera ante una obra en la que se va improvisando. Le hace falta ritmo, intriga y un objetivo definido.

[Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zorya Polunochnaya " It is the wisest thing to ask the dead. Sometimes they will tell you."

The graphic novel adaptation of American Gods. Shadows 4/9: Love the writing and exposition by Gaiman but the art is a little flat and lets down the storytelling. At Chicago, Shadow plays some high stakes checkers! Who would have thought Neil Gaiman could make checkers such a nail biting, exciting game? Nothing like gambling to get one's blood up, right? None of the family is who they seem. The second half of this is the very enchanting tale of Essie.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got sent a signed copy of this by Colleen Doran from her patreon. I read the original novel when it came out many years ago and I remember not being a huge fan of it then. I just found it too American and I preferred older mythologies. I also felt that Neil wrote better for graphic novels than actual novels, so I did enjoy reading this as a comic instead. Colleen's story was a historical flashback about how some of the Little Folk came over to the states and I really loved it. I think I will definitely get the complete graphic novel when this has finished as I'd like to read the story again in this format.

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still very much enjoying the series. Book is on the to read list. So far the comics are a fairly close adaptation of the tv series - or vice versa. Certainly, I'd expect the comic characters to look more like the actors if it was tv first? The "American History" side story is folded in differently than the tv series, so I wonder how the connection between the storylines will play out here.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think reading this while watching the show is good for me. I'm instinctively making comparisons and it's almost worse when they are too similar because I zone out due to having just seen this on TV.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series feels uneven so far the story taking place in the present are odd but interesting.The stories taking place in the past make more sense but dont really seem relevant to the overall story arc.Still interested to see where things go.

[20hrsinamerica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover art again has nothing to do with the story within.

The Zorya Polunochnaya and Essie Tregowan stories translated to the page better. It felt like the artist had a bit more fun and the text wasn't quite as dense.

[Casey Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accidentally left this review on the previous one, had them mixed up.
Enjoyed this one a lot. I felt like this is the first one where we really get drawn into the world that he is building. It's here where I started to feel the magic I know is part of this story.

[Paulia BSN-RN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly different and the comics do add a little more to the tales both literary and visually.

[Nettels · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star

[Kevin Shackelford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I've always loved Neil Gaiman's books, now I've got American Gods as a graphic novel!!!
Can't wait to get the next one!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essie's story is so beautifully illustrated.

[Dkolacinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent graphic adaptation of a true classic novel.

[Aura Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.2)