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Animorphs Graphix #1
Animorphs 1 . Invasjonen
The wildly popular, bestselling sci-fi series by Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant returns in a new full-color graphic novel series, adapted by Chris Grine.
Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He could tell you about the night he and his friends saw a strange light in the sky that seemed to be heading right for them. That was the night five normal kids learned that humanity is under a silent attack -- and were given the power to fight back.
Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco can transform into some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil greater than anything the world has ever seen. . . .
Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He could tell you about the night he and his friends saw a strange light in the sky that seemed to be heading right for them. That was the night five normal kids learned that humanity is under a silent attack -- and were given the power to fight back.
Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco can transform into some of the most dangerous creatures on Earth. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil greater than anything the world has ever seen. . . .
232 pages
First published October 6, 2020
127 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
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K.A. Applegate
251 books488 followersalso published under the name Katherine Applegate
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
December 17, 2021
Exquisite. I'll take 53 more, please.
August 26, 2022
As someone who had read this book and seen the show, I don't feel like this format added anything for me, and I wasn't wowwed by the art (nor did I hate, it's fine, just not very interesting). I thought the original text had more emotional depth. But hopefully this adaptation will bring the story to new audiences, so cool.
September 8, 2020
I was lucky enough to receive a digital ARC for this graphic novel adaptation of my favorite early childhood book series, and let me say, it did not disappoint.
The art is colorful and vivid, and it was so wild seeing not just the kids illustrated but the Taxxons, Hork-Bajir, and of course, Andalites! Sure I saw the tv series that was made back in the late 90s (we owned the VCR releases of them), but seeing the kids illustrated as KIDS in addition to the aliens is truly exciting.
Having not read the books in years, it was fun to read and remember as the story progressed. As far as I can recall, Grine is faithful to the overall story of the book. I loved how it was kept largely vague as to any period indications, since the series started in the 90s, but didn’t include anything that would be terribly out of place in either the 90s or today.
The explanations for how morphing worked, and the ability to communicate telepathically (thought-speak) was done well for a visual medium. It didn’t occur to me immediately that Grine assigned a specific color to each of the 5 kids thought-speak bubbles (Jake=orange, Rachel=red, Marco=brown, Cassie=purple, Tobias=green), but Grine did a good job placing those speech bubbles either on or right next to the specific morphs, making it easier to keep track of who the thoughts belonged to. Hmmm wonder what color Ax will get when he shows up? ;)
I think Grine did a wonderful job adapting the first book and still keeping it aimed at kids! It would be so, so easy to adapt it for the generation who grew up as the books came out, but honestly that would ruin the spirit of the series. It was written for kids approximately the same age as Jake, Rachel, Marco, Cassie, and Tobias. Half of the enjoyment was the idea that these 5 ordinary kids who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (or right place at the right time) were the primary hope of saving the human race. And as they grew up so did the audience. And now hopefully a whole new generation can experience that same joy, but in color and with the animals RIGHT THERE ON THE PAGE. I mean Jake in his tiger form, Marco in gorilla, Tobias!!!!! Rachel doesn’t get the bear in this book, but someday.
So yeah, I’m sold. Nothing would make me happier than this taking off and kids loving it and the adaptations continuing!
Pre-Reading: My 10 year old self is very, very, VERY excited about this. The children's librarian in me amplifies that excitement.
I mean, y'all: what if the kids love it so much they want to read the books and then they get reprinted??? I mean I'm fine, I still have all 54 books in mostly good condition (first few books are naturally rather worn). But my library only have about 15 of them still, and not the first 15 per se.
So yeah, very very excited.
The art is colorful and vivid, and it was so wild seeing not just the kids illustrated but the Taxxons, Hork-Bajir, and of course, Andalites! Sure I saw the tv series that was made back in the late 90s (we owned the VCR releases of them), but seeing the kids illustrated as KIDS in addition to the aliens is truly exciting.
Having not read the books in years, it was fun to read and remember as the story progressed. As far as I can recall, Grine is faithful to the overall story of the book. I loved how it was kept largely vague as to any period indications, since the series started in the 90s, but didn’t include anything that would be terribly out of place in either the 90s or today.
The explanations for how morphing worked, and the ability to communicate telepathically (thought-speak) was done well for a visual medium. It didn’t occur to me immediately that Grine assigned a specific color to each of the 5 kids thought-speak bubbles (Jake=orange, Rachel=red, Marco=brown, Cassie=purple, Tobias=green), but Grine did a good job placing those speech bubbles either on or right next to the specific morphs, making it easier to keep track of who the thoughts belonged to. Hmmm wonder what color Ax will get when he shows up? ;)
I think Grine did a wonderful job adapting the first book and still keeping it aimed at kids! It would be so, so easy to adapt it for the generation who grew up as the books came out, but honestly that would ruin the spirit of the series. It was written for kids approximately the same age as Jake, Rachel, Marco, Cassie, and Tobias. Half of the enjoyment was the idea that these 5 ordinary kids who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (or right place at the right time) were the primary hope of saving the human race. And as they grew up so did the audience. And now hopefully a whole new generation can experience that same joy, but in color and with the animals RIGHT THERE ON THE PAGE. I mean Jake in his tiger form, Marco in gorilla, Tobias!!!!! Rachel doesn’t get the bear in this book, but someday.
So yeah, I’m sold. Nothing would make me happier than this taking off and kids loving it and the adaptations continuing!
Pre-Reading: My 10 year old self is very, very, VERY excited about this. The children's librarian in me amplifies that excitement.
I mean, y'all: what if the kids love it so much they want to read the books and then they get reprinted??? I mean I'm fine, I still have all 54 books in mostly good condition (first few books are naturally rather worn). But my library only have about 15 of them still, and not the first 15 per se.
So yeah, very very excited.
October 13, 2020
This graphic novel adaptation is a faithful representation of the 1990s sensation (which I read for the first time as a mid-twenties woman and loved aggressively). Everything Animorphs fans remember is here: The terrifying introduction to a dying alien, the hope and fear of being given a beautiful and terrible weapon to fight the threat, the decision to fight and why, the exploration of the possibilities and limits of their new morphing skills, and the headfirst tilt into a horrific battle for the freedom of humanity.
The art really got pretty much everything right. It's detailed enough that it doesn't feel like simple cartoons, but it's not overly drawn either. I would have been frustrated if the art lingered too much on the plentiful violence and suffering--it's there enough that you don't feel like they're censoring what's happening, but I never felt like "wow, this person just really likes drawing gore." And it's pretty great that there's a decent amount of uncanniness to the morphing--in the books it's described as a pretty nasty-looking process, and this book doesn't shy away from depicting that, complete with sound effects.
I hope this series will have a nice long life. I want to read them all.
The art really got pretty much everything right. It's detailed enough that it doesn't feel like simple cartoons, but it's not overly drawn either. I would have been frustrated if the art lingered too much on the plentiful violence and suffering--it's there enough that you don't feel like they're censoring what's happening, but I never felt like "wow, this person just really likes drawing gore." And it's pretty great that there's a decent amount of uncanniness to the morphing--in the books it's described as a pretty nasty-looking process, and this book doesn't shy away from depicting that, complete with sound effects.
I hope this series will have a nice long life. I want to read them all.
March 27, 2021
Entertainment companies have a tendency to constantly reinvent the wheel.
If you don't believe me, just look at Disney's recent live-action remakes of animated classics, or Nintendo's constant re-releases of video games from the days of the NES or Super Nintendo, or how many albums contain covers or remixes of previously recorded songs.
Then again, as King Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun," so, maybe humankind has been doing that for ages, even before the dawn of audiovisual media.
With Scholastic's iconic girly series The Baby-Sitters Club getting the graphic novel treatment, it makes sense that the more guy-friendly Animorphs would as well.
To be honest, I wasn't into the series when it was originally popular; I got into it around 2009 after randomly deciding to pick up the first book from the library shelf. Over the next few years, I read the rest of the series, though some of the books were hard to find at times; there were even a few I had to inter-library loan. Still, I had fun with it, even if it did start to lose focus towards the end.
However, despite how great the books were, I'm glad I missed out on the Nickelodeon show back in the day. I made the mistake of purchasing the first episode from iTunes, only to be so disgusted by the shoddy special effects that I turned it off less than halfway through it. To this day, I'm glad I refrained from buying the entire series; otherwise, I'd be out even more cash!
So, with that said...did the graphic novel adaptation stack up to the original novels? In a word: Yes! Great artwork, a fun story, and likable heroes made this a winner. I hope that they continue adapting the rest of the stories into this format...
...however, with over fifty books, that could take a while!
If you don't believe me, just look at Disney's recent live-action remakes of animated classics, or Nintendo's constant re-releases of video games from the days of the NES or Super Nintendo, or how many albums contain covers or remixes of previously recorded songs.
Then again, as King Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun," so, maybe humankind has been doing that for ages, even before the dawn of audiovisual media.
With Scholastic's iconic girly series The Baby-Sitters Club getting the graphic novel treatment, it makes sense that the more guy-friendly Animorphs would as well.
To be honest, I wasn't into the series when it was originally popular; I got into it around 2009 after randomly deciding to pick up the first book from the library shelf. Over the next few years, I read the rest of the series, though some of the books were hard to find at times; there were even a few I had to inter-library loan. Still, I had fun with it, even if it did start to lose focus towards the end.
However, despite how great the books were, I'm glad I missed out on the Nickelodeon show back in the day. I made the mistake of purchasing the first episode from iTunes, only to be so disgusted by the shoddy special effects that I turned it off less than halfway through it. To this day, I'm glad I refrained from buying the entire series; otherwise, I'd be out even more cash!
So, with that said...did the graphic novel adaptation stack up to the original novels? In a word: Yes! Great artwork, a fun story, and likable heroes made this a winner. I hope that they continue adapting the rest of the stories into this format...
...however, with over fifty books, that could take a while!
August 11, 2023
#1 The Invasion ★★★★★
#2 The Visitor ★★★★★
#3 The Encounter ★★★★★
I forever love all things Animorphs, so when I saw these graphic novel adaptations at my library, I checked them out so fast! This story is perfect for a graphic adaptation. The artwork is gorgeous and does justice to the freaky nature of the kids' shifting in a way that CGI never could, plus the aliens all look incredible (especially the Andalites, who are perfectly illustrated). Needless to say, I loved this - both on its own, and as a faithful adaptation to the original first book - and I highly recommend it, whether you're a life-long Ani-fan like me or someone brand new to the franchise.
✨ Representation: Marco is Latinx, Cassie is Black
✨ Content warnings for:
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October 13, 2020They’re baaaaa-aaaack. Yes! Animorphs! My childhood heart thumps wildly. This graphic adaptation stayed true to the original opening book The Invasion. But the Scholastic-backed graphic adaptation has the potential to enchant another million readers. See the Animorphs the way you’ve always deserved—full-color, mid-morph, all adrenaline.
December 27, 2020
I was so excited to hear that Animorphs was getting a graphic novel adaptation, but also a little trepidatious about the project -- like, this children's series is actually so dark and filled with such visceral gore that I wasn't sure how it would work in a visual medium. I'm still not entirely sure how they're going to do the entire series this way, but I'm happy to report that, oh gosh, this is a wonderful adaptation of the first book.
Chris Grine has done such an excellent job adapting it, with his bright clean colourful art, which isn't grimdark but isn't too juvenile either. Like, seeing Elfangor get eaten alive in that full-page spread was truly just as horrifying as it should be!! Tobias and Rachel's character designs do look a little too similar to me, but that won't be an issue down the line for, well, Reasons.
A lot of the dialogue has remained the same from the original book, but the slight changes and additions are good. And some parts of it are just so exquisitely well-done: I got absolute chills down my spine at anything to do with Tom, and particularly when you see Tom fight the Yeerk for control over his face, that eerie way that his face is stricken and paralysed almost like he's suffering a stroke; and then you can see the quiet splintering devastation in Jake's eyes as he realises the truth in that moment. And then that ending is somehow possibly even more devastating in visual form. God. Just, well-done!!
And yet there's also cute comedy: the kids all just being kids together, the silly in-between morphs, Jake and Marco's friendly banter.
And Jake, as usual, continues to just destroy my heart. My boy, my poor boy:
Really great comic book so far, and I'm looking forward to however much of this they manage to get done.
Chris Grine has done such an excellent job adapting it, with his bright clean colourful art, which isn't grimdark but isn't too juvenile either. Like, seeing Elfangor get eaten alive in that full-page spread was truly just as horrifying as it should be!! Tobias and Rachel's character designs do look a little too similar to me, but that won't be an issue down the line for, well, Reasons.
A lot of the dialogue has remained the same from the original book, but the slight changes and additions are good. And some parts of it are just so exquisitely well-done: I got absolute chills down my spine at anything to do with Tom, and particularly when you see Tom fight the Yeerk for control over his face, that eerie way that his face is stricken and paralysed almost like he's suffering a stroke; and then you can see the quiet splintering devastation in Jake's eyes as he realises the truth in that moment. And then that ending is somehow possibly even more devastating in visual form. God. Just, well-done!!
And yet there's also cute comedy: the kids all just being kids together, the silly in-between morphs, Jake and Marco's friendly banter.
And Jake, as usual, continues to just destroy my heart. My boy, my poor boy:
Really great comic book so far, and I'm looking forward to however much of this they manage to get done.
January 27, 2021
Obviously I love the original Animorphs series and I really do hope the graphic novel adaptations brings it to a new audience. I think the Animorphs concept is just so cool and I think this book captures that and the tension of the plot pretty well. I didn't love the art? I felt like the human faces were...bad? I also kind of missed the internal narration of the non-GN books. But again, the originals are very dear to my heart. But I think for a younger audience who might encounter the story for the first time in this format, there's a lot to like.
October 1, 2020
This review originally published in Looking For a Good book. Rated 2.0 of 5
No. No, no, no.
I absolutely loved The Animorphs book series by K.A. Applegate. I worked in a book store when they first started coming out and I was constantly recommending the series.
The story in a nutshell: a group of young kids (Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco) witness an alien spacecraft coming down . A creature emerges - an Andalite (looks like a blue, short-necked giraffe). The Andalite is dying and he's escaping the evil Yeerks (they look like giant cockroaches). The Yeerks have already invaded Earth but they remain hidden and rely on their being able to control the humans unseen.
Before he dies, the Andalite gives the kids a unique ability ... when they touch an animal, they can capture the animal's DNA and then transform themselves into that animal. But if they stay in that animal form for longer than two hours, they will remain that animal for the rest of their lives. Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco may now be Earth's only hope to rid the world of Yeerks.
This story, originally by K. A. Applegate, is quite intense and actually very dark. While there's awe and wonder at exploring what it's like being an animal (what a cool idea!), the underlying threat is always present. And when the kids learn that some of the humans who are being controlled by the Yeerks are adults that they have trusted their whole lives, things get even darker and scarier.
There's a lot of 'cool things per page' - changing into animals, experiencing even the most common things through an animal's (or insect's) eyes, cool blue aliens, scary cockroach aliens - the book is full of wonders.
But at its core, this book is dark and scary as the fate of the earth is in the hands of frightened pre-teens.
Dark and scary is okay, even in children's literature. (Does anyone still read Grimm's Fairy Tales?) Let's just not pretend it's something other than this though.
And that's what this graphic novel does.
The artwork in a graphic novel sets the tone and whereas art that evoked Dark Knight would be apropos here, instead we get Scrooge McDuck.
I think that Chris Grine's artwork is totally wrong for telling this story. His animals are fine (hawk, tiger, gorilla, elephant, etc). In fact, they are the most realistic part of the book (I know ... somebody's going to write "maybe that's the point" -- really? the animal that was morphed from a child because of the stolen DNA is more real than the kids?). But his humans are very cartoon-y.
And can someone please explain to me why everyone, even these pre-teens, looks like an alcoholic with rhinophyma? Big, bulbous, bright noses on everyone, all the time.
This seriously bothered me the entire book - it was very distracting. When we first see the kids (page four), I honestly thought we were going to get a new story line about the kids having a cold. But it quickly became clear that this was just the art style.
I love the Animorph's series, and if this builds new readers who will check out the original books, then I'm all for it. But I don't believe that this style of reinterpretation does any favors for the franchise.
Hey kids ... your parents are actually just puppets to giant, alien slug-like creatures. Isn't that scary?
Looking for a good book? Go find one of the original Animorphs books and give that to the young reader in your life, and pretend the graphic novel, The Invasion, by K.A. Applegate and Chris Grine doesn't exist.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
No. No, no, no.
I absolutely loved The Animorphs book series by K.A. Applegate. I worked in a book store when they first started coming out and I was constantly recommending the series.
The story in a nutshell: a group of young kids (Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco) witness an alien spacecraft coming down . A creature emerges - an Andalite (looks like a blue, short-necked giraffe). The Andalite is dying and he's escaping the evil Yeerks (they look like giant cockroaches). The Yeerks have already invaded Earth but they remain hidden and rely on their being able to control the humans unseen.
Before he dies, the Andalite gives the kids a unique ability ... when they touch an animal, they can capture the animal's DNA and then transform themselves into that animal. But if they stay in that animal form for longer than two hours, they will remain that animal for the rest of their lives. Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco may now be Earth's only hope to rid the world of Yeerks.
This story, originally by K. A. Applegate, is quite intense and actually very dark. While there's awe and wonder at exploring what it's like being an animal (what a cool idea!), the underlying threat is always present. And when the kids learn that some of the humans who are being controlled by the Yeerks are adults that they have trusted their whole lives, things get even darker and scarier.
There's a lot of 'cool things per page' - changing into animals, experiencing even the most common things through an animal's (or insect's) eyes, cool blue aliens, scary cockroach aliens - the book is full of wonders.
But at its core, this book is dark and scary as the fate of the earth is in the hands of frightened pre-teens.
Dark and scary is okay, even in children's literature. (Does anyone still read Grimm's Fairy Tales?) Let's just not pretend it's something other than this though.
And that's what this graphic novel does.
The artwork in a graphic novel sets the tone and whereas art that evoked Dark Knight would be apropos here, instead we get Scrooge McDuck.
I think that Chris Grine's artwork is totally wrong for telling this story. His animals are fine (hawk, tiger, gorilla, elephant, etc). In fact, they are the most realistic part of the book (I know ... somebody's going to write "maybe that's the point" -- really? the animal that was morphed from a child because of the stolen DNA is more real than the kids?). But his humans are very cartoon-y.
And can someone please explain to me why everyone, even these pre-teens, looks like an alcoholic with rhinophyma? Big, bulbous, bright noses on everyone, all the time.
This seriously bothered me the entire book - it was very distracting. When we first see the kids (page four), I honestly thought we were going to get a new story line about the kids having a cold. But it quickly became clear that this was just the art style.
I love the Animorph's series, and if this builds new readers who will check out the original books, then I'm all for it. But I don't believe that this style of reinterpretation does any favors for the franchise.
Hey kids ... your parents are actually just puppets to giant, alien slug-like creatures. Isn't that scary?
Looking for a good book? Go find one of the original Animorphs books and give that to the young reader in your life, and pretend the graphic novel, The Invasion, by K.A. Applegate and Chris Grine doesn't exist.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
October 13, 2020
As a fan of the original, this graphic novel adaptation was fun and enjoyable! I feel like the graphic novel format is a really good choice for this content. I appreciated that there was this really skillful approach to not shying away from the grossness of the series (monsters eating good guys, morphing being gross, violent battles) and yet stopping short of 2edgy4u darkness that would feel like fetishization. I appreciated how faithful the graphic novel was to the original, and that there was absolutely nothing about it that made me go "HEYYYY, IT WASN'T LIKE THAT IN THE BOOK!" Unfortunately it DID mean a couple of the things I didn't think made a lot of sense in the original were reproduced in this (like a photo of Prince Elfangor's family and the fact that dog morphs could apparently pick up the scent of Yeerks when they're controlling people, which they proceed to never use as a spy method). I was also a little disappointed that there was a representation of "animal spirit" beliefs as having been a long-ago extinct belief system when plenty of modern traditions believe in guiding animal spirits today.
But except for a little bit of slight samefaceyness to some of the expressions and a little overreliance on shiny eyeballs, I think the art was really consistent, evocative, perfect for the story, and honestly a pleasure to look at. I didn't get QUITE as much of a sense of each character's personality in the graphic novel as I did in the print book, but everything was just how I'd hoped: Jake's the reluctant leader and remains loyal and brave despite his doubts; Rachel's the fearless one who can still offer compassion (especially to Tobias); Cassie's the animal geek and treehugger who's idealistic and kind; Marco's the funny one with a coldness to his realism knowing what's at stake; and Tobias is the loner who's never had anything like this to live for before who becomes trapped as a hawk. Jake's crisis with his brother was done very well, and the chase after acquiring animals at the Gardens and the terrible scene in the Yeerk pool was portrayed with the perfect amount of suspense.
I am jazzed to read more. This is an ambitious project and seems intimidating--and there are so many creatures, tough battles, and complex environments to figure out for this thing. The style, from the faces to the backgrounds, is not so heavily detailed that it would be prohibitive in getting stuff out at a decent rate, and I will keep buying them as long as they keep coming out.
But except for a little bit of slight samefaceyness to some of the expressions and a little overreliance on shiny eyeballs, I think the art was really consistent, evocative, perfect for the story, and honestly a pleasure to look at. I didn't get QUITE as much of a sense of each character's personality in the graphic novel as I did in the print book, but everything was just how I'd hoped: Jake's the reluctant leader and remains loyal and brave despite his doubts; Rachel's the fearless one who can still offer compassion (especially to Tobias); Cassie's the animal geek and treehugger who's idealistic and kind; Marco's the funny one with a coldness to his realism knowing what's at stake; and Tobias is the loner who's never had anything like this to live for before who becomes trapped as a hawk. Jake's crisis with his brother was done very well, and the chase after acquiring animals at the Gardens and the terrible scene in the Yeerk pool was portrayed with the perfect amount of suspense.
I am jazzed to read more. This is an ambitious project and seems intimidating--and there are so many creatures, tough battles, and complex environments to figure out for this thing. The style, from the faces to the backgrounds, is not so heavily detailed that it would be prohibitive in getting stuff out at a decent rate, and I will keep buying them as long as they keep coming out.
November 19, 2020
This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
I've already reviewed the source material for this, so I won't be talking about characterisation, plotting, the action, or anything like that.
Why I think this is great for existing Animorphs fans to read is because seeing things these drawings makes everything come flooding back: and yes, I am hugely nostalgic for Animorphs and I love it so very much, but it's still a very good graphic novel adaptation. Small details have been included that would just be exhausting and over the top in a written narrative meant for a novella aimed at middle-grade readers, such as Elfangor having stripes on some areas of his body. Not important in the books: in the graphic novel, that kind of detail is lovely to see.
The artwork is effective and beautiful, terrifying, and hilarious. My only gripe is that I don't really like the way the artist draws human faces, but it's his distinctive art style and I think I just need to get used to it. Also, I'm not usually a graphic novel reader, so you can take my opinion on that with a grain of salt. However, the animal artwork is spectacular.
It's a very close, almost word-word adaptation in many ways, however there are several incidents that are improved with just a few tweaks or lines of dialogue, and my favourite one is when Jake first morphs Homer, and Tom opens the door to tell him to stop Homer form barking because their mother is on the phone, and finds Tobias, and apparently Homer in Jake's shirt... And Tobias tells Tom that Jake thought it would be funny to dress up Homer, and he's gone to find more clothes. That was hilarious.
The morphing in the books sometimes takes pages, but here it's done in a couple of panels. The sound effects or onomatopoeia are incredible, and really help you hear what is going on.
I think this could also be a really great door to new readers discovering the complete Animorphs series in books form, which is available for free via Reddit and approved by the authors, very generously.
The Animorphs reboot a few years ago eventually petered out. I hope this adaptation continues for quite a few more novels, especially the David trilogy.
I've already reviewed the source material for this, so I won't be talking about characterisation, plotting, the action, or anything like that.
Why I think this is great for existing Animorphs fans to read is because seeing things these drawings makes everything come flooding back: and yes, I am hugely nostalgic for Animorphs and I love it so very much, but it's still a very good graphic novel adaptation. Small details have been included that would just be exhausting and over the top in a written narrative meant for a novella aimed at middle-grade readers, such as Elfangor having stripes on some areas of his body. Not important in the books: in the graphic novel, that kind of detail is lovely to see.
The artwork is effective and beautiful, terrifying, and hilarious. My only gripe is that I don't really like the way the artist draws human faces, but it's his distinctive art style and I think I just need to get used to it. Also, I'm not usually a graphic novel reader, so you can take my opinion on that with a grain of salt. However, the animal artwork is spectacular.
It's a very close, almost word-word adaptation in many ways, however there are several incidents that are improved with just a few tweaks or lines of dialogue, and my favourite one is when Jake first morphs Homer, and Tom opens the door to tell him to stop Homer form barking because their mother is on the phone, and finds Tobias, and apparently Homer in Jake's shirt... And Tobias tells Tom that Jake thought it would be funny to dress up Homer, and he's gone to find more clothes. That was hilarious.
The morphing in the books sometimes takes pages, but here it's done in a couple of panels. The sound effects or onomatopoeia are incredible, and really help you hear what is going on.
I think this could also be a really great door to new readers discovering the complete Animorphs series in books form, which is available for free via Reddit and approved by the authors, very generously.
The Animorphs reboot a few years ago eventually petered out. I hope this adaptation continues for quite a few more novels, especially the David trilogy.
December 11, 2020
A fine adaptation. But where is my gritty* Netflix reboot?!
*The original book series is actually plenty gritty all on its own, so by this I just mean "the kids are aged up a bit and all my ships are canon."
*The original book series is actually plenty gritty all on its own, so by this I just mean "the kids are aged up a bit and all my ships are canon."
January 8, 2021
Overall a really cool adaptation--HOWEVER, justice for Marco's canonically long hair.
June 29, 2020
Richie’s Picks: ANIMORPHS GRAPHIC NOVEL #1: THE INVASION by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant and Chris Grine, ill., Scholastic Graphix, October 2020, 240p., ISBN: 978-1-3382-22648-5
“When I dance they call me Macarena
and the boys say que soy buena”
-- “Macarena” by Los del Rio, the #1 song of 1996, the year the first ANIMORPHS books were published.
In early 1996, while not dancing the Macarena, I was busy reading an advance reader copy of K.A. Applegate’s ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION, I did not yet possess an email address or a review site on which to talk about books. I’d never been to a book convention. I’d just been promoted to Children’s Buyer for a regional bookstore chain. The audience for my “picks” was made up of the booksellers I worked with and the stores’ customers.
It was pretty damn exciting to have an In-Box at work where stacks of advance reading copies would appear.
I was blown away by ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION. I read it in one sitting, ordered a bunch of them, and personally sold many copies that were read by young people who are now entering their thirties.
One of many reasons why recent months have been strange is that the pandemic caused warehouses to close and the regular flow of review copies to dwindle to a trickle. This past weekend would normally be the height of the American Library Association's annual meeting which, for the first time, is happening virtually. The conference is traditionally the opening bell for the fall, children's publishing's biggest season. My own piece of ALA’s virtual festivities arrived Friday night: a large box of fall ARCs from Scholastic. Inside was the upcoming graphic novel version of the 1996 ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION,
“Go now, but remember this warning…
Never remain in morphed form for more than two of your Earth hours.
Never!
This is the greatest danger of the morphing.
To remain any longer than the two hours will leave you unable to return to your human form.”
I just spent my morning traveling back to 1996 and the five kids who cross paths with a dying alien and gain the power to morph into animals. Their mission is to save the planet from the aliens who have been quietly invading the minds of humans.
The Controllers.
Twenty-four years later, this new version of ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION is just as riveting. But now the story comes with awesome graphic novel illustrations. I guarantee you that in a few months, there are going to be some big-time second-generation Animorph fans sprouting up. They will be clamoring to go up into their grandparents’ attics to check out the originals.
“I guess this is me from now on.”
I just donned my mask, hiked over to the nearest mailbox, and mailed my advance copy to my grandson to read.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“When I dance they call me Macarena
and the boys say que soy buena”
-- “Macarena” by Los del Rio, the #1 song of 1996, the year the first ANIMORPHS books were published.
In early 1996, while not dancing the Macarena, I was busy reading an advance reader copy of K.A. Applegate’s ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION, I did not yet possess an email address or a review site on which to talk about books. I’d never been to a book convention. I’d just been promoted to Children’s Buyer for a regional bookstore chain. The audience for my “picks” was made up of the booksellers I worked with and the stores’ customers.
It was pretty damn exciting to have an In-Box at work where stacks of advance reading copies would appear.
I was blown away by ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION. I read it in one sitting, ordered a bunch of them, and personally sold many copies that were read by young people who are now entering their thirties.
One of many reasons why recent months have been strange is that the pandemic caused warehouses to close and the regular flow of review copies to dwindle to a trickle. This past weekend would normally be the height of the American Library Association's annual meeting which, for the first time, is happening virtually. The conference is traditionally the opening bell for the fall, children's publishing's biggest season. My own piece of ALA’s virtual festivities arrived Friday night: a large box of fall ARCs from Scholastic. Inside was the upcoming graphic novel version of the 1996 ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION,
“Go now, but remember this warning…
Never remain in morphed form for more than two of your Earth hours.
Never!
This is the greatest danger of the morphing.
To remain any longer than the two hours will leave you unable to return to your human form.”
I just spent my morning traveling back to 1996 and the five kids who cross paths with a dying alien and gain the power to morph into animals. Their mission is to save the planet from the aliens who have been quietly invading the minds of humans.
The Controllers.
Twenty-four years later, this new version of ANIMORPHS: THE INVASION is just as riveting. But now the story comes with awesome graphic novel illustrations. I guarantee you that in a few months, there are going to be some big-time second-generation Animorph fans sprouting up. They will be clamoring to go up into their grandparents’ attics to check out the originals.
“I guess this is me from now on.”
I just donned my mask, hiked over to the nearest mailbox, and mailed my advance copy to my grandson to read.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
December 17, 2020
I loved this. I read these as a kid (not all of them though; I grew out of them before they finished the series). It was fun to see this in graphic form. I liked seeing the andalite drawn out and watching the morphing sequences on the page. The art (as far as the people are concerned) isn't necessarily my favorite as sometimes I had to do a double take to tell the difference between Rachel and Tobias or Cassie and Marco. But other than that, it was still a fun trip down memory lane.
My 9 year old daughter (who I brought this home for from work and told her she would read it and she would love it) really enjoyed it as well. She read it quickly and was a little disappointed when I told her she would have to wait for the next one because it wasn't out yet.
So, now we wait! Hopefully not too long though...
My 9 year old daughter (who I brought this home for from work and told her she would read it and she would love it) really enjoyed it as well. She read it quickly and was a little disappointed when I told her she would have to wait for the next one because it wasn't out yet.
So, now we wait! Hopefully not too long though...
February 5, 2021
En spennende start! God adaptasjon.
April 15, 2021
4.5 stars. Overall the art was good... but I was hoping for more for one of my all-time favorite book series (and my main obsession through junior high). I own all of these original books and admittedly was hoping we would stay truer to the cover art for those - at least for this varied and brilliant assortment of alien species. The Andalites in particular looked a little flat. And why does Tobias look so much like Rachel? The Hork Bajir didn't look as noble as I felt they should.
But take my words with a grain of salt - this is coming from a super-fan since 1996. The story holds up and reminded me of all the things I loved about these books and I spent a great deal of time reliving them all in my mind thanks to inspiration from reading this book. I'm glad a new set of fans will be born out of this revival of this incredible series.
But take my words with a grain of salt - this is coming from a super-fan since 1996. The story holds up and reminded me of all the things I loved about these books and I spent a great deal of time reliving them all in my mind thanks to inspiration from reading this book. I'm glad a new set of fans will be born out of this revival of this incredible series.
October 13, 2022
the art has watered my crops and cleared my skin
October 10, 2020
ANIMORPHS, pumped out in 54 installments over the course of half a decade, has its fair share of clunkers. So while this graphic novel adaptation of the first book is certainly disappointing, it’s hard to feel too letdown by it: the series has a tradition of less-than-stellar entries. (And I’m saying this as someone who loves the series.)
First, let’s talk about the “style” of the artwork itself. Each of the five main characters seems to have been drawn off the same model, augmented slightly, with cartoony features and a weird red nose. Tobias and Rachel, in particular, are nearly indistinguishable except for the fact that they wear different colored clothing and Rachel sometimes has her hair up.
The Andalites—Prince Elfangor and Visser Three—are even worse. Their bodies are like hippopotamuses or very obese cows, hardly the lithe warriors described in the books. Their eye stalks are superfluous and frankly do not scan as eyes at all. Similarly, their prominent tail blades are, in this iteration, unremarkable. In fact, I don’t really recall ever seeing a tail blade at all; even though there is a moment where Elfangor slices at Visser Three, his weapon is not shown. And then there’s the bizarre addition of long, floppy ears which are the most notable aspect of the Andalites’ physiology. Why??
It’s not just the models used for these characters, though: the art as a whole is frustratingly static, more often than not resembling a GARFIELD panel with a single profile shot of one of the characters speaking and a blank, pastel-colored background. So much of the book is one panel of one character speaking, followed by another panel of another character alone but facing toward the first and responding. The few times the monotony is broken are examples such as... drawing one character over three panels stacked vertically with speech bubbles connecting them. Not exactly the height of innovation.
The transition to graphic novel form also reduces a lot of the emotional complexity of the paperback, though much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the source material. For example, I was frustrated by Tobias’ entrance; in the book, it’s clear that the others aren’t really friends with him at the start and that he’s just *some guy they know*. That dynamic does not come across at all here. Though admittedly there are a handful of moments in which the images convey emotions well, as when Jake lies in bed after their climactic battle and tears up hearing his brother Tom, a Controller, make up an excuse for why he has scratches on his face, largely the interpersonal drama is lacking.
The graphic novel does hint toward the gruesome reality of the Animorphs’ lives, showing human figures in flames during the climactic battle and sparing a moment for Cassie to reveal mournfully that she’d killed a man or allowed him to be killed, but I do recall even from the first paperback the heavy weight of realizing that the kids had made a stunning stand and achieved next to nothing. I don’t know that this comes across very well here either.
The graphic novel is very faithful to the narrative of the paperback, though I withhold judgment on whether that’s good or bad. Frankly, I’d have preferred if this had been its own thing entirely rather than a flat retread of the origin story. I will say that I did enjoy the way the Animorphs’ thought-speak was conveyed here, in variously colored balloons to differentiate between the speaker; although, if I’m being honest I can’t really imagine how anybody else would have done it differently. And a small part of me is sad that the < angle brackets > used to denote the Animorphs’ thought-speak in the books is not retained.
In all... eh. It’s... a version of the first book. It’s fine, *I guess*, but not particularly affecting and in many ways rather pedestrian. I don’t know if there’s any chance this graphic novel and the alleged movie that’s on the horizon will revive the series’ status and make the paperbacks easier to obtain. My advice, though, is don’t bother with this weak facsimile—just read the real thing.
P.S. Why is GoodReads so awful? The only way I found this to review was searching the author’s name. Searching “Animorphs the graphic novel” comes up with nothing. This really shouldn’t have been so hard to find.
First, let’s talk about the “style” of the artwork itself. Each of the five main characters seems to have been drawn off the same model, augmented slightly, with cartoony features and a weird red nose. Tobias and Rachel, in particular, are nearly indistinguishable except for the fact that they wear different colored clothing and Rachel sometimes has her hair up.
The Andalites—Prince Elfangor and Visser Three—are even worse. Their bodies are like hippopotamuses or very obese cows, hardly the lithe warriors described in the books. Their eye stalks are superfluous and frankly do not scan as eyes at all. Similarly, their prominent tail blades are, in this iteration, unremarkable. In fact, I don’t really recall ever seeing a tail blade at all; even though there is a moment where Elfangor slices at Visser Three, his weapon is not shown. And then there’s the bizarre addition of long, floppy ears which are the most notable aspect of the Andalites’ physiology. Why??
It’s not just the models used for these characters, though: the art as a whole is frustratingly static, more often than not resembling a GARFIELD panel with a single profile shot of one of the characters speaking and a blank, pastel-colored background. So much of the book is one panel of one character speaking, followed by another panel of another character alone but facing toward the first and responding. The few times the monotony is broken are examples such as... drawing one character over three panels stacked vertically with speech bubbles connecting them. Not exactly the height of innovation.
The transition to graphic novel form also reduces a lot of the emotional complexity of the paperback, though much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the source material. For example, I was frustrated by Tobias’ entrance; in the book, it’s clear that the others aren’t really friends with him at the start and that he’s just *some guy they know*. That dynamic does not come across at all here. Though admittedly there are a handful of moments in which the images convey emotions well, as when Jake lies in bed after their climactic battle and tears up hearing his brother Tom, a Controller, make up an excuse for why he has scratches on his face, largely the interpersonal drama is lacking.
The graphic novel does hint toward the gruesome reality of the Animorphs’ lives, showing human figures in flames during the climactic battle and sparing a moment for Cassie to reveal mournfully that she’d killed a man or allowed him to be killed, but I do recall even from the first paperback the heavy weight of realizing that the kids had made a stunning stand and achieved next to nothing. I don’t know that this comes across very well here either.
The graphic novel is very faithful to the narrative of the paperback, though I withhold judgment on whether that’s good or bad. Frankly, I’d have preferred if this had been its own thing entirely rather than a flat retread of the origin story. I will say that I did enjoy the way the Animorphs’ thought-speak was conveyed here, in variously colored balloons to differentiate between the speaker; although, if I’m being honest I can’t really imagine how anybody else would have done it differently. And a small part of me is sad that the < angle brackets > used to denote the Animorphs’ thought-speak in the books is not retained.
In all... eh. It’s... a version of the first book. It’s fine, *I guess*, but not particularly affecting and in many ways rather pedestrian. I don’t know if there’s any chance this graphic novel and the alleged movie that’s on the horizon will revive the series’ status and make the paperbacks easier to obtain. My advice, though, is don’t bother with this weak facsimile—just read the real thing.
P.S. Why is GoodReads so awful? The only way I found this to review was searching the author’s name. Searching “Animorphs the graphic novel” comes up with nothing. This really shouldn’t have been so hard to find.
March 15, 2021
Sooooo.... having read the whole Animorphs series last year I was anxious to see what they would do with this. It's a pretty direct translation of book 1, but somehow the art is aa lot cartoonier than the descriptions in the book. Watching Visser Three eat Elfangor is much less intimidating somehow, and the morphs are funnier and less horrifying than the original descriptions. I think it's a good adaptation though, and a good place to get kids started on the series, if they're interested. My 9-year-old son is currently reading the graphic novel.
October 15, 2020
If this rating system worked differently I'd have given this four and a half stars and I'm only taking off half a star because my one complaint is that me and the author/artist seem to see Jake differently. There's a part where he's pissed at Marco and hits him and while I remember a similar scene in the original book I don't remember him like brutally punching Marco in the face and I don't know I just don't think Jake would do that to his best friend regardless of the pressure of the situation.
I realize opening with that sounds really negative but I adored this book. Some of the dialogue, like in the original, can be a little clunky, but once we get past Elfangor's long-ass infodumps it's pretty smooth. The art is fantastic -- I love the way Chris Grine designed all the aliens and their spaceships in particular. And blonde long-haired walkman-wearing Tobias was also brilliant.
All the essential elements of Animorphs are here: we've got our five (one day to be six) heroes, morphing that is both gross and cool, the savage horrors of war as represented by Elfangor's grim demise, and a not-so-subtle environmentalist message courtesy of Cassie. My big fav, Visser Three, was as scary and over the top as he should be. All the kids got characterized well too -- I was very fond of Rachel's first big rampage as an elephant.
Another essential element I forgot to mention was the horror of the concept of yeerks. There's a part where you can see a controller's face change as the human inside him desperately tries to warn his little brother not to get involved with The Sharing. The art showing his change in facial expression is so subtle but so effective. That one panel conveys so much pain and desperation. Really wish I knew how to post a picture here. Anyway Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant deserve a lot of credit for how scary that shit is and I'm glad Chris Grine is carrying on that proud tradition to terrify a whole new generation of children.
I have a lot of feelings and memories tied to Animorphs and to me this felt like a gift from someone else who, even if they didn't feel the same way, was dedicated to delivering an authentic experience to people like me that were really invested in it. And he succeeded like, I cried in all the same parts I do when I reread the original. I felt something very familiar the first time I saw a panel of Tobias sitting on Rachel's shoulder, and I was left wanting much more. Luckily, I'm told he's working on the next one and there's a 50-some odd book series I can reread to tide myself over in the meantime.
Thanks if you read all this overly specific sentimental nonsense lol
I realize opening with that sounds really negative but I adored this book. Some of the dialogue, like in the original, can be a little clunky, but once we get past Elfangor's long-ass infodumps it's pretty smooth. The art is fantastic -- I love the way Chris Grine designed all the aliens and their spaceships in particular. And blonde long-haired walkman-wearing Tobias was also brilliant.
All the essential elements of Animorphs are here: we've got our five (one day to be six) heroes, morphing that is both gross and cool, the savage horrors of war as represented by Elfangor's grim demise, and a not-so-subtle environmentalist message courtesy of Cassie. My big fav, Visser Three, was as scary and over the top as he should be. All the kids got characterized well too -- I was very fond of Rachel's first big rampage as an elephant.
Another essential element I forgot to mention was the horror of the concept of yeerks. There's a part where you can see a controller's face change as the human inside him desperately tries to warn his little brother not to get involved with The Sharing. The art showing his change in facial expression is so subtle but so effective. That one panel conveys so much pain and desperation. Really wish I knew how to post a picture here. Anyway Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant deserve a lot of credit for how scary that shit is and I'm glad Chris Grine is carrying on that proud tradition to terrify a whole new generation of children.
I have a lot of feelings and memories tied to Animorphs and to me this felt like a gift from someone else who, even if they didn't feel the same way, was dedicated to delivering an authentic experience to people like me that were really invested in it. And he succeeded like, I cried in all the same parts I do when I reread the original. I felt something very familiar the first time I saw a panel of Tobias sitting on Rachel's shoulder, and I was left wanting much more. Luckily, I'm told he's working on the next one and there's a 50-some odd book series I can reread to tide myself over in the meantime.
Thanks if you read all this overly specific sentimental nonsense lol
July 1, 2021
It took me a little bit to sit and really think about my review. I grew up with the Animorph books. They were the one series that I absolutely loved and sought out the books every chance I got at the local walmart, at school book fairs, or anywhere books were sold. When I saw this graphic novel adaptation I had to get it not only for my nostalgia but also to see how it was handled and if maybe the kids I work with would possibly enjoy it as much as I did when I was their age.
The story follows the first book very well. The panels are easy to follow, as someone that sometimes has trouble understanding sometimes which panel is next in the sequence if it's a little too chaotic this was very simple and straightforward which was nice. The art style is kinda cutesy but not too cutesy. It's perfect for the target audience of this graphic novel.
Overall I feel that this is great and I know I will be not only buying these as they come out for myself but I'll be buying extra for the kids I work with so they can check this out and enjoy it.
The story follows the first book very well. The panels are easy to follow, as someone that sometimes has trouble understanding sometimes which panel is next in the sequence if it's a little too chaotic this was very simple and straightforward which was nice. The art style is kinda cutesy but not too cutesy. It's perfect for the target audience of this graphic novel.
Overall I feel that this is great and I know I will be not only buying these as they come out for myself but I'll be buying extra for the kids I work with so they can check this out and enjoy it.
October 6, 2020
Long time fan... Great adaptation
As someone who has reread the first volume multiple times over several years, this graphic novel adaptation is such a great adaptation. Tears of every kind while reading through this. Who knew 20 years into the future I would still be collecting animorphs books. Well we're here now and it's great!
As someone who has reread the first volume multiple times over several years, this graphic novel adaptation is such a great adaptation. Tears of every kind while reading through this. Who knew 20 years into the future I would still be collecting animorphs books. Well we're here now and it's great!
October 9, 2020
This was better than I was expecting - it's very accurate to the book, and the morphing scenes are handled great.
I'm not really a fan of the art style. It's fine on its own, very colorful and fun, but a touch too childish and not a great fit for the series as I remember them. Original fans may not be as into it based on this, but kids will love it (you know, the actual intended audience here lol), and if this serves as a gateway to the series for a new generation then I'm all for it.
I'm not really a fan of the art style. It's fine on its own, very colorful and fun, but a touch too childish and not a great fit for the series as I remember them. Original fans may not be as into it based on this, but kids will love it (you know, the actual intended audience here lol), and if this serves as a gateway to the series for a new generation then I'm all for it.
Read
November 15, 2020Couldn't get the "but that's not MY mental image!!" out of my head the whole time I was reading it. Though, the Gardens and the beach party were actually pretty close. The people art though...sigh. I really can't get the cover models out of my head. And like everyone else said, Tobias and Rachel really do look very similar, I got confused by who I was looking at several times. Still, I love an Animorphs, so I enjoyed it.
February 1, 2021
So fun.
January 4, 2024
Good read
I loved reading this books series and I need to revisit them. I waa super excited to see a graphic novel!
I loved reading this books series and I need to revisit them. I waa super excited to see a graphic novel!
October 22, 2020
An excellent accounting for the first book of this series. The morphing is appropriately creepy, and KASUs have been amended to allow for a more cohesive telling of this classic. I eagerly look forward to the rest of these coming out, and can't wait to display them next to my OG Animorph books.
February 3, 2021
I loved this book series when I was younger! The graphic novel is true to the series and just as exciting. I can't wait for the next one!
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