Meżczyźni, którzy nienawidzą kobiet

Millennium: Sylvain Runberg's Adaptation #1-2

by Sylvain Runberg, José Homs, Maria Mosiewicz-Szrejter (Translator)

Pierwszy zbiorczy tom komiksowej adaptacji powieści Millennium, której autorem jest szwedzki pisarz Stieg Larsson. Album zawiera dwa tomy francuskiego wydania. Dziennikarz śledczy Mikael Blomkvist przegrywa proces z wpływowym przedsiębiorcą Wennerströmem. Jest to nie tylko jego osobista porażka, ale także potężny cios dla miesięcznika „Millennium”, którego Blomkvist jest współwłaścicielem. Szybko jednak dostaje szansę na odbudowę wizerunku zawodowego i zdobycie wsparcia dla pisma, kiedy zjawia się u niego pewien adwokat z dość nietypowym zleceniem. Tak rozpoczyna się śledztwo, które doprowadzi Mikaela do krwawych tajemnic od dziesięcioleci skrywanych przez jedną z najbogatszych rodzin Szwecji. Równolegle toczy się wątek uznawanej za chorą psychicznie i nieprzystosowaną społecznie Lisbeth Salander, młodej pracownicy prywatnej firmy detektywistyczno-ochroniarskiej. Drogi tych dwojga bohaterów w końcu się połączą, aby doprowadzić do mrocznego finału...

Autorami serii są Sylvain Runberg, urodzony w 1971 roku belgijski scenarzysta kilkudziesięciu serii kryminalnych, historycznych i fantastycznych (m. in. znanej w Polsce trylogii Konungowie) oraz José Homs, hiszpański rysownik (rocznik 1975) znany z ilustracji do kilku cykli, w tym komiksu fantasy Red Sonja, stworzonego na podstawie prozy Roberta Howarda.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Comic Book

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2013

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

After bad customer service experiences with three of the last four novels I've read, it was time to run for cover with my favorite literary character: Stieg Larsson's data security consultant and amateur vigilante Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. For a different take, I purchased a well-reviewed graphic novel adaptation of Larsson's trilogy by Belgian author Sylvain Runberg, with artwork by Spanish illustrator José Homs and English translation by Rachel Zerner published in 2017 by Titan Comics and Hard Case Crime.

I loved this graphic novel, which holds the same sort of kinetic thrill for me as rocketing underneath a city on the subway, complete with a few of sketchy-looking characters or strange smells along with it. If Larsson's detective story was too graphic in print for your taste (or the Swedish or U.S. film versions starring Noomi Rapace or Rooney Mara as Salander) the graphic novel won't change your mind. I'll talk about why I love this character and some of the changes Runberg made to the story. If I repeat myself from my review of the novel, ask me to stop.



What's your deal with Lisbeth Salander? Do you have a Goth fetish?

The reason Lisbeth Salander is my favorite literary character has to do with her abilities and moral code, not her looks. Lee Child's Jack Reacher is a literary cousin, but unlike Reacher, an ex-soldier helping the little guy, I identify with Salander, a solitary alpha female more comfortable with watching and helping from afar. Like the best literary vigilantes, she uses her skills set (data analysis, computer hacking) to avenge victims of the rich and powerful. She keeps those she likes at a remove, but as her partnership with Mikael Blomkvist grows, she craves connection. In spite of her looks, she's not a vampire, but a human. Larsson completes that loop, and so does Runberg.

Isn't this story about financial crime and serial murder and Swedish weather and other things that are gross?

Yes. It's not for everyone. By necessity, Runberg's adaptation distills much of the detail of the novel while Homs' panels bring others life in living color. The story juxtaposes the rape of a nation by a financial criminal with the rape or murder of marginalized women by an unknown criminal and how in a just world, we'd prosecute both with equal force. We need activist journalists like Blomkvist and antisocial data hackers like Salander. Without a free press or free Internet, the people lose. The story ultimately says that no matter how terrible the world seems, reconciliation is possible, hope is sometimes rewarded and people from disparate backgrounds can learn from and comfort each other.



Okay, smart guy. Why should I buy the Runberg/ Homs adaptation if I already read the novel or saw the movie?

The same reason you'd watch a favorite play interpreted by more than one cast. My favorite aspect of Larsson's novel is intact: the gender reversal. Salander is the hard-boiled sleuth and Blomkvist is the hot reporter in over their head. She rescues his investigation and his newspaper. She saves him from death. She asks for nothing in return, or does she? Among Runberg's alterations, Salander's estranged mother and twin sister make appearances, while Blomkvist's relationship with his married managing partner Erika Berger is also developed. I love the way Homs depicts Erika and how no one is possessive about who, when or where someone else fucks, at least a no-strings-attached sexual partner. Northern Europeans are ahead of Americans on that.

I'm on to Runberg/ Homs' The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest next, three terrific books to run for cover with, particularly during winter. This will conclude my jag through novels set against freezing weather. If you're a fan of Stieg Larsson's original trilogy, I'd highly recommend this adaptation. The artwork is by and large lavish and the story compelling. Beware a graphic novel adaptation of the trilogy that exists by DC Comics/ Vertigo adapted by Denise Mina, which Ashley warns takes ill liberties with Larsson's text.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic adaptation of the first novel in the Millennium trilogy is SO MUCH BETTER than the Denise Mina version, which I actually busted out the one star rating for. I still think graphic novels aren't the best format for this story, which is heinously detailed, but it's fun for an existing fan of this story to read it in another format. Mostly it just made me want to re-watch the movie, and re-read the books. Thanks to Joe for the heads up that this even existed!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo graphic novel actually contains both parts 1 and 2 of this story.

These Sylvain Runberg comics have been translated from the French versions.

I am a big fan of the Millennium novels by Stieg Larsson. I have read the books and seen the various move adaptations. So I was very excited to get another set of graphic novels (I have also read the Vertigo graphic novels by Denise Mina).

I really loved the Vertigo The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo graphic novel so I was excited to get to see another version.

There were definitely many things to like about this Sylvain Runberg graphic novel. The story was very clearly displayed. There was a lot of information and lots of details (more than I would have thought would be in a graphic novel).

Could you easily follow this without having read the books? That I am not sure (but I think so). But for big fans of the series this is an amazing adaptation of the first book.

The illustrations and the colors used are my biggest issue with this graphic novel. The colors are very light and not bold like I would have expected. There are lots of greens, yellows, oranges and browns vs the darker colors that I would have wanted.

Also the faces are quite big and out of proportion. I didn't totally mind this, but it took some time to get used to it.

My favorite thing about the illustrations is that it is very easy to tell the characters apart. Often times the illustrators will draw characters that look too similar to each other and then it can be confusing for the reader.

Overall, the storytelling is amazing. The pictures are an accurate description of what is happening. And there is so much detail. It is like getting to relive the story all over again.

[Geo Kwnstantinou · Rating 5 out of 5]

ότι πρέπει για να κάνεις μία γρήγορη επανάληψη του βιβλίου!

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Translated from the French, this is supposedly better than the English adaptation by Denise Mina. For me, despite my adoration of Lisbeth Salander, this one fails because there is simply too much story for a 128-page graphic novel, and I think much is sacrificed in the story's condensation, especially the psychological elements. I also feel like Mikael Blomkvist isn't illustrated in a way that justifies his serial dalliances. On the other hand, the illustrations were clear enough that there was never any question about which character was which, which is sometimes a problem with graphic novels.

[kimera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jakie to było dobre!

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be clear, I've read the novel twice and seen the movie at least three times, so I should have this plotline basically memorized by now. And yet...Runberg and Homs make it all fresh and exciting again. I think the majority of the credit is due to the artist, Homs. The characters are slightly cartoony, but absolutely distinct. They stand out from each other and their surroundings a way that many artists can't achieve. Those surroundings are incredibly detailed as well, and beautifully colored. It's truly a marvel to behold. And, you know, the story may be well-trod by this point, but it's still a dark, exhilarating tear through Sweden's dark past. Put the plot and illustrations together and you've got a wild, beautiful ride.

[Erofan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Lisbeth Salander! The plot of the comic is a little different from the books of Stieg Larsson in the part of the sister of the protagonist. But everything else was just perfect: the style and rigidity of the plot!

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and in fact that original trilogy of novels by Steig Larsson) are favorites of mine-they are one of the reasons I became such a fan of Nordic crime fiction. It was fun to revisit the first book in graphic novel format. This was very well done though they shaved a little off around the edges-one of the joys of the Larsson novels is their complexity. Best of all the three books of the original trilogy (the other two parts are called The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) were runaway bestsellers here in the States-meaning you can probably find a cheap to free copy anywhere you turn. Your local library, Goodwill, or resale shop will likely have copies. These are books you should definitely pick up if you haven't already, Constant Reader.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

After giving up on trying to read the actual novel for the movie I really like (not even the original movie, the American remake for fuck's sake) as if I were an actual grownup, I decided to just try the comic adaptation instead. There's a Vertigo adaptation that's pretty easy to find here in the States, but despite the fact that I love me some Vertigo, I wasn't super excited about that one, which just looked like high-gloss storyboards to my withered eyes. Instead, I came across this earlier adaptation (newly translated from the original French, so take that, brah), which feels like it was drawn by an actual cartoonist, holy cow.

This version of Girl, in some ways, shouldn't work as well as it does -- Homs sort of draws like Mort Drucker (MAD Magazine , nerds), which shouldn't gibe with a story this bleak. But I think that's what's brave and interesting about the book -- adaptations are difficult, and doing them with any sort of flavor (especially a flavor that seems objectively incongruous) is, y'know. Bold. I dig that.

What doesn't work about the book is pretty much all narrative-based. On top of the fact that there's probably too much content to cram into such a short adaptation, it also made me realize that, if this is an indication of the original book's content, then Fincher & Co made a lot of prudent, evocative decisions that emotionally enhanced the original story to an impressive degree. There's a lot of extraneous crap in this version -- mostly, Blompkvist is presented as thoughtful, centered, and sympathetic, rather than the slightly aloof (and ultimately untrustworthy) Fincher/Craig version. He's a lothario, sure, but still more relatable that the comparatively unhinged Lizbeth (who is also unhinged on film, but ultimately benefits from Rooney Mara's empathetic portrayal).

But what do I know? I should read an actual book. Make an actual decision. Know a fucking thing for once in my life.

[Neyebur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído para el club de lectura.
Cuando se estrenó la primera adaptación de "Millenium"recuerdo que no me gustó mucho. Entre varios motivos, la lista de sospechosos era demasiado larga y al ser nombres suecos me costaba recordarlos, y además el tono era demasiado oscuro y dramático para mi propio gusto.

Considero que este cómic cambia esos aspectos que no me convencieron. Al ser un cómic puedo volver más fácilmente atrás para recordar quiénes son los personajes. Y el cómic además pone algunos momentos divertidos o al menos no tan dramáticos, y sin quedar fuera de lugar. Y el coloreado es más cálido, lo cual es irónico por los colores fríos que utiliza, frente a la oscuridad de la película y su remake americano.

Sin embargo, si tengo que criticar algo, creo que toda la historia ocurre en algunas ocasiones demasiado rápido.

PD Si pudiera valorar sobre 10 este cómic tendría una valoración de 7.

[Anna Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

Brings an element to the story that the book and film didn’t touch!

At first I was a bit concerned, the art style is different from the cover. But, whilst not my favourite I soon began to really enjoy it. There’s a nod to Noomi Rapace which I thought was fantastic, a brief moment but there. They manage to encapsulate the story whilst adding a little more depth to Lisbeth which I wasn’t expecting. This is why I read graphic novels they are a medium which allow you to experience a story you love whilst adding something more. I’d recommend if you’ve read the book first!

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entry in the Hard Case Crime graphic novel division of books and it's done well. A colorful (literally) retelling of the Stieg Larsson book. It plays close enough to the book where there is darkness and complexity which can be difficult to delve into in a graphic novel. The more I think about it, this graphaic novel could be thought of as storyboards for the movies.

Engaging with excellent art work, this is recommended.

[Senga krew_w_piach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ponieważ nie czytałam trylogii Millenium, nie oglądałam również filmów, kiedy natrafiłam w bibliotece na komiks postanowiłam go wypożyczyć o nadrobić braki w popkulturze.
Nie będę pisać o fabule, bo na pewno zna ją każdy poza mną, ale jest tu fajna intryga, zwroty akcji i niebanalni bohaterowie o skomplikowanych portretach psychologicznych, więc wszystkie elementy porządnego kryminału.
Narysowane jest w stylu komiksów sensacyjnych, które były popularne na przełomie lat 80/90, ale z nowoczesnym sznytem. Podobało mi się, że autor dużą wagę przykłada do anatomii, a także, że nie epatuje okrucieństwem i sceny przemocy przedstawia bez chęci porażenia czytelnika.
Oczywiście zostałam fanką Lisbeth, bo forever punk.
Na pewno przeczytam kolejne tomy.

[Raisu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the English translation, but goodreads doesn't seem to have that, and I'm too lazy to add it. I don't know how this compares to the book and the movies, but as comics it was firmly middle of the road stuff.

[J.B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great, but not terrible. I recommend reading or listening to the book. The writers did their best, but impactful moments were missing in a story whose origins had many. That's not good. And the way it was wrapped up, well, that was lazy as hell in my opinion.

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante historia, que se queda el lector de principio a fin esperando el desenlace

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adaptation. Larsson would approve

[Syeda Sumayya Tariq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. I haven't read the original or watched the movie but I always wanted to get into it, this graphic novel was the best idea.

Great graphics, everything nicely condensed into under 200 pages, and neatly tied up. What else can you ask for.

[Craig Childs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stieg Larsson’s popular Millennium Trilogy has been adapted into the graphic novel format twice. The French version by Sylvain Runberg generally received much acclaim and has been translated and published in 13 countries. However, for five years it was unavailable to American and British readers because there was already a completely different English-language adaptation in print from DC comics and author Denise Mina. Hard Case Crime has translated Runberg’s version, meaning there are now two different English comics available today.

The Goodreads product page for this book is a little unclear. The first two issues of the Runberg comic (about 130 pages combined) contain the complete adaptation of the first Millenium novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The graphic novel contains both issues. It is not really "part 1 of 2".

I have never read the source novel, only seen the rather insipid David Fincher movie starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. (I wanted to read the books but truthfully the movie turned me off the idea, which I now realize was probably a mistake.)

I can only say the comic version captivated my attention in a way the film did not. This is a story of psychological suspense and mystery, built on intricate characterization and relationships rather than complex plots and action. The artist Jose Homs deserves a lot of credit for making sure the reader never has difficulty telling the characters apart (which actually happens quite often in some graphic novels) or distinguishing between the flashbacks and the present-day action—except in a few panels when it was intentionally supposed to be unclear when the action is occurring. The author Sylvain Runberg did an admirable straightforward adaptation, ensuring almost of all of the narrative is easily related through dialog.

This is another worthy, entertaining entry in the Hard Case Crimes library of pulp novels and graphic novels.

[Sibisse Cándida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puedo entender por qué este libro ha gustado tanto. Puedo entenderlo, pero a la vez le veo las cuerdas, como en un espectáculo de títeres. Están los cliffhungers, la información que se suelta poco a poco, las escenas tórridas, las nuevas pistas... No puedo negar que está bien construido y que sabe cómo enganchar al lector, aunque le falta un pelín de caos, para mi gusto, de ese qué-se-yo incontrolable que realmente se te clave dentro.

[Zéro Janvier · Rating 4 out of 5]

L’adaptation en bande dessinée du best-seller de Stieg Larsson : un polar scandinave qui fonctionne très bien, mais que je suis plutôt content d’avoir pu découvrir dans un album de BD en 130 pages plutôt que de devoir passer par la longue lecture d’un roman plus épais et son suspense savamment étiré.

[Hunnapuh Xbal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karl Stig-Erland Larsson, periodista sueco autor de la trilogía Millennium: ” Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres, la chica que soñaba con una cerilla y un bidón de gasolina y La reina en el palacio de las corrientes de aire” , saltó a la fama mundial después de morir, su vida de por sí es toda una novela desde joven se identificó como un activista político de izquierda de su país, enemigo declarado de los movimientos racistas y neofacistas, llegando incluso a ser consultor de Scotland Yard’s por sus amplios conocimiento sobre ese tema. Participó en la creación de la revista Expo con la finalidad de fiscalizar a los grupos de ultra derecha. Su vida desenfadada trabajador compulsivo, fumador empedernido y amante de la comida chatarra fue demasiado para su corazón, un paro cardíaco puso fín a su existencia sin embargo para entonces había escrito tres memorables libros los cuales no alcanzó a ver publicados, la serie, según su compañera de vida, sería de nueve libros, lamentablemente no se logró, aunque con los tres que publicó se consagró como escritor.

Mikael Blomskvits es periodista y socio de la revista mensual Millenniun, especializada en temas económicos, donde ejerce un periodismo investigativo actividad que le ha acarreado no pocos enemigos. Sin embargo está pasando tiempos malos, en una desafortunada publicación de la revista donde ha denunciado delitos de cuello blanco que involucra un oscuro personaje y una inmensa organización empresarial que como una cebolla esta cubierta capas y capas de corrupción, trafico de armas, trata de blancas etc. Estos alertados por un infiltrados le ponen una trampa haciendo que Mikael siga pistas falsas y luego es acusado de difamación, en el juicio y ante la imposibilidad de presentar pruebas es condenado a tres meses de prisión y ver reduccido su patrimonio económico significativamente, pero el golpe más duro lo recibe en su reputación y credibilidad, también la revista recibe el impacto, los patrocinadores comienzan a corrersele.

En esta situación, cuando esta en el fondo del pozo recibe una extraña oferta, un viejo y retirado empresario le ofrece trabajo, en realidad son dos trabajos uno de ellos solo será una cortina de humo, le solicita realizar la biografía de la familia Vanger, su verdadero objetivo será investigar un crimen ocurrido hace unos 30 años.

Henrik Vanger el director de una gran empresa familiar ha puesto los ojos en su sobrina, una brillante joven, como la posible sucesora del emporio familiar, viven en una isla conectada a tierra por un puente, en un aciago día un accidente de tránsito acapara toda la atención de la comunidad Harriet la sobrina desaparece misteriosamente sin dejar ningún rastro, Vanger desde entonces dedica su vida al esclarecimiento del supuesto crimen, ya viejo y presintiendo su próximo fin decide hacer su último intento.

Blomskvits en el trajinar de su misión conoce a Lisbeth Salander, la verdadera Heroina de la trilogia, es una muchacha de unos 25 años, de unos 42 kilos 150 cm de estatura, cuya primera impresión que causa en aquellos que la ven por primera vez es de una adolecente anorexica, punk pircing y tatuajes incluidos y con una actitud muy mala hacia las relaciones con sus semejantes. Lisbeth tiene bien guardados sus dones, posee una memoria eidética y es una Hackers de alto calibre, cualidades que le sirven en su trabajo en una empresa dedicada al ramo de la seguridad. Lo que comenzó como un simple crimen se va volviendo en algo más tenebroso, ambos encuentran el rastro de un asesino en serie transgeracional.

En la sigiente novela va desarrollando más la compleja personalidad de Salander, el oscuro pasado de su padre un espia desertor de la antigua Unión Soviética, y la victimización a que es sometida por las instituciones Suecas. La frágil figura de Salander oculta a una verdadera arma humana de exactitud milimétrica y contundencia letal, en una acción decisiva salva la vida de Blosmkvits de un psicópata asesino, en medio de un huracan en el caribe salva la vida de una mujer del intento de asesinato por parte de su esposo, en otra ocasión deja neutralizado a un par de sicarios y peligrosos delincuentes a uno de ellos le achicharra los coyoles con un arma electrica, en la tercera novela literalmente sale de su propia tumba con un balazo en la cabeza, deja literalmente clavado al suelo al neardental mutante de su hermanastro.


Las novelas no dan concesiones es un estilo duro y crudo, sin embargo su desarrollo es muy lineal los buenos siempre triunfan y los malos reciben la paliza que merecen.

[Zoë Birss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit.

Please do not read the American comics adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This French adaptation, only recently translated to English, written by Sylvain Runberg and illustrated by Jose Homs, is more than just a superior adaptation. It's literally the best adaptation to any medium of this story. Its superior to either of the films. This is something that has to be seen.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was originally written by Swedish anti-fascist and journalist Stieg Larsson, and published posthumously. It was the first of three novels he finished as a personal project to deal with his anger at white supremacism and misogyny as he encountered it in Sweden as a far left activist and journalist every day. He saw this as his perspective on the real Sweden, often unseen, and an explosive reaction against it in ways he simply could not communicate in a nonfiction medium. Explosive it is. Noir. Raw. Bloody. Disgusting. Very very angry.

The story introduces us to Lisbeth Salander, angry punk hacker and genius investigator. She is hired to help solve a disappearance and murder, in a case closed twenty years before. For anyone who hasn't read it, I do not wish to say more. It is a story with reading.

The art in this book is the only truly flawless element. It is simply gorgeous. Double light sources on almost every panel give every subject a demonically dramatic, almost metallically shiny appearance. Grotesqueries of caricature remind one of Norman Rockwell, but at sever angles, on speed, blasting hardcore anarcho-punk. The colourist is equally talented and suited to the job. It's like punk rock album or poster art. Perfection. I will read everything I can find with this illustrator's name on it, starting now.

The writing is as good as I believe it could be for such a dense story in so few pages. It moves at incredible speed. Somehow, it contains more material, nuance, and incidents than even either of the films, in the equivalent of only a few comics issues. Therefore, to fit it all in, there are places that become unfortunately heavy with exposition. However, I found this very easy to forgive. The sort moves so fast, and grabbed me so much, I never felt bogged down by these captions, flying through them and easily capturing everything to move on to the next exciting piece. For what it is worth, any time text does need to be more heavily used than it might be had the piece been longer or fewer details included, it is written with as clear and concise a language as could possibly be used. Its as frugal with words as it can possibly be to cram this much story into these few pages. And yet I was never lost, confused, overwhelmed, nor bored. It's the best comics adaptation I've ever read.

Besides having more exposition than I prefer, the dialogue and other language elements are precise, clear, beautiful, elegant, and creatively done. Characters have clear unique voices without being caricatures. It's all very believable and engaging. And the story pacing is phenomenal. It's fast, but very appropriately so for each scene as it develops.

I absolutely would recommend this adaptation to anyone brand new to this series, to any fans of the series and/or character of Lisbeth Salander, and even to anyone who has encountered this story or character in any other medium and didn't like it. This is good enough to thrill fans, create new ones, and convert skeptics. Read it.

[Severind Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been years since I read the original book, and it became an instant favorite, in part because of Lisbeth Salandar. I'd been meaning to reread the book for ages, but just never seemed to get around to it. Partly because my reading tastes have changed, and partly because I have so many other books to read, I imagine. But then I discovered, very belatedly, that the Millennium trilogy was also turned into a graphic novel series. Two things went into my head about this:

1. How the hell did I NOT know that my girl, Lisbeth Salander, one of my favorite characters in fiction, was ILLUSTRATED in all her glorious badassness?
2. How did I not come across these editions sooner?

Well. Like I said, it's been years since I read this book and I've been meaning to reread it, just never got around to it. So of course this was the perfect opportunity to do so, in a new and exciting illustrated format. I'd forgotten most of the plot, so it was kind of cool how it all came back to me as I was reading it. And yes, the plot is VERY condensed. I think that's to be expected though, when you find a book in graphic novel form. And I found that was just fine. It was easy to follow and it gave me all the pertinent information I needed to get the gist of the original book without feeling lost or like something was missing. Maybe if it hadn't been so long and I had a better memory of the book, I'd have been irritated by it being so condensed, but as it stands right now, I was not in the least bit annoyed.

Also, the artwork, while gritty and making some of the characters look rather unattractive and unappealing at times, was actually rather stunning on a grander level. And the artist did Lisbeth justice, so that's all I needed to be satisfied.

Overall, this book still holds up. I love Lisbeth. Mikael isn't my favorite person ever, and I don't know what Lisbeth sees in him. But they have a good dynamic. They're entertaining to watch. And the crime they were trying to solve was actually still interesting. Sometimes it's hard to reread thrillers because that spark of interest can be lost. But not this time. It was fun connecting the pieces and watch the characters at work.

[Jane Vellichor · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, this seemed like a good version of Stieg Larsson’s book but it ultimately disappointed. Key portions of the story’s events and characters have been watered down in what I assume was an attempt to make the horror more palatable. Personally, I feel this does a disservice to the morality of Larsson’s story which steadfastly presents the reader with the darkest possibilities, and indeed the realities, of violence committed against women. On the whole Sylvain Runberg doesn’t seem to share Larsson’s staunch approach with his adaption. In fact, it’s safe to assume that Runberg cannot handle the grittier aspects of Lisbeth Salander’s character. He goes so far as to rob Lisbeth of her agency by rewriting the aftermath of the murder mystery conclusion. While it’s possible to argue that Runberg’s intentions were an attempt to contrive a “happier ending” for the victims of the original tale. Runberg’s decision to further deviate from the original text by providing the murderer with a final girl negates this theory. By making the murderer’s final act to kill an innocent woman while going out in a blaze of glory Runberg’s version becomes a perversion of Larsson’s original message. It becomes a clear illustration of the normalization of violence against women. Perhaps too clear to be dismissed as mere irony?
If you want a more accurate adaption that can handle badass women taking down evil men read the Denise Mina version. Unlike Runberg, if Mina ever met Lisbeth in the flesh you can bet she wouldn’t flinch.

[alexander shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why the ISBN says this is part one of two, both are collected in this volume. But anyway, the art is kind of weird, not like what you see on the front cover. It's mostly realistic, but also stylized so that it's kind of anime, with very curvy women and heads too big for shoulders. It took a little getting used to, and it's a bit difficult to tell some of the characters apart. Probably very hard to follow if you haven't read the novel already, in terms of trying to keep track of all the Vanger family, since the novel is hard enough and this is an extremely abbreviated version.
I haven't read the novel recently enough to remember everything they might have changed, but I have a feeling it was a fair bit. Harriet's career being the big one I caught. To be fair, the title page does say based on, giving them creative license to change things, but it doesn't feel fair to me for them to do that for some reason. Some stuff had to be changed, given the very small page count to get the whole novel into while still allowing the comic to make sense, but other things didn't. It gets the general sense of the plot correct, so it makes a good re-cap for anyone rusty on the novel and not wanting to read the huge book again. I wouldn't recommend reading this before having read the novel, though.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non sapevo esistesse un altro adattamento a fumetti di Millennium. Qualche anno fa avevo letto un'altra versione di stampo americano, se non ricordo male. Questa, invece, viene dalla Francia.

Non credo che i disegni mi piacciono, anche se sono piuttosto morbidi. Tutte le facce sembrano piene di rughe e persino la mano di Lisbeth, a pagina 28, sembra la mano di mio nonno. I colori sono molto scuri anche se cambiano a seconda della scena.

Gli omicidi precedenti vengono infilati nella storia senza spiegazioni e i numerosi flashback senza avviso rendono un po' difficile la lettura. Appunto perché compaiono senza spiegazioni. Ovvio che bisogna aver letto il romanzo originale per riuscire a orientarsi leggendo questo fumetto.

D'altro canto, in questo adattamento ci sono dei dettagli che avevo dimenticato. La storia tra Cecilia e Micke, ad esempio. Ma anche la sorella gemella di Lisbeth.

Sembra che in italiano sia stato tradotto solo questo. Gli altri li recupererò in spagnolo perché voglio finire la serie.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the Millennium series novels, so I can't compare this graphic novel to the original book, but I really enjoyed the story and art! I'll definitely be reading the other two volumes. This may lead me to read the original series as well!


I got this series as part of a humble bundle, which is raising money for the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, who amongst other things, are fighting for LGBTQ and reproductive rights, including fighting to stop the new abortion ban in Texas.


https://www.humblebundle.com/hard-cas...

[Bibliotekarien läser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eftersom jag faktiskt inte läst originalromanen (än) kan jag inte uttala mig om hur väl serieversionen följer den historien, men den skiljer sig i alla fall markant från filmmanuset.
Jag är också evigt tacksam över att illustratören Josep Homs gett sin version av Blomkvist och Salander, och inte försökt att göra huvudpersonerna så lika skådespelarna som möjligt. Även Sylvain Runberg har gjort ett lysande jobb med manuset.
Ser med spänning fram emot att läsa del 2, Flickan som lekte med elden.