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His Dark Materials: The Graphic Novels #1.1
Les Royaumes du Nord (Tome 1)
The world of Philip Pullman’s internationally bestselling His Dark Materials saga is brought to visual life in book 1 of a three-volume graphic adaptation of The Golden Compass.
Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, and a mysterious substance known as Dust. As she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win—or to lose—this more-than-mortal battle.
The stunning full-color art offers both new and returning readers a chance to experience the story of Lyra, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary role to play in the fates of multiple worlds, in an entirely new way.
Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, and a mysterious substance known as Dust. As she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win—or to lose—this more-than-mortal battle.
The stunning full-color art offers both new and returning readers a chance to experience the story of Lyra, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary role to play in the fates of multiple worlds, in an entirely new way.
88 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2014
81 people are currently reading
1267 people want to read
About the author
Stéphane Melchior-Durand
39 books13 followersStéphane Melchior, né le 1er septembre 1965 à Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), est un écrivain et scénariste français de dessin animé et de bande dessinée.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 284 reviews
February 10, 2020
I love the story of the Golden Compass and it was one of my favorite book series so I was excited to have a graphic novel representation. A GN isn't the same as reading the story, but once you have read the story, it's a great way to experience the story again as a quick reminder. I was excited to be back in this world of Lyra.
I just wasn't thrilled with the art. Also, Lyra from the book and how she played out in my head and how she was drawn and acted did not jive very well. It was at odds for me and that made it difficult to get into.
As I said, this is a great way to have a quick reminder of the book, but in no way can this compare to the book. It's like an outline with characters similar to the book. It's good to have this story in this format, but I also think it could have been better. It's simply not the book, but it did a good job.
This went up to about 1/3 of the book is my guess. Lyra is heading into the North at the end of the book. There is a lot of story left. I will continue on with this series.
I just wasn't thrilled with the art. Also, Lyra from the book and how she played out in my head and how she was drawn and acted did not jive very well. It was at odds for me and that made it difficult to get into.
As I said, this is a great way to have a quick reminder of the book, but in no way can this compare to the book. It's like an outline with characters similar to the book. It's good to have this story in this format, but I also think it could have been better. It's simply not the book, but it did a good job.
This went up to about 1/3 of the book is my guess. Lyra is heading into the North at the end of the book. There is a lot of story left. I will continue on with this series.
December 8, 2015
We are big fans of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series in this house. We now have a third, fourth and fifth grader in the house, and the third grader is named Lyra after Pullman's main character we loved. We have listened to the superb audio versions of the books, and we very much liked the movie version of The Golden Compass, mourning the fact that the next two books will not be filmed. So you basically can't go wrong with this story as far as we are concerned.
Based on a cursory glance at the low overall rating average of this book (3.49!) and the reviews of a couple Goodreads friends I respect, I was skeptical about this series, which is just starting, nine volumes planned.
Of course it simplifies the overall story too much. It takes away much of Pullman's gorgeous language. But I like the core of Pullman's story very much, and like this simpler version, too.
Reviews at a glance fairly vilify the art of Clément Oubrerie. I absolutely adore his artwork in Pablo, one of my favorite comics books of the year! And I like this work, it looks sophisticated, not sloppy, as he is accused! Okay, it doesn't look like a sixth grade level story illustration, it is "smudgier" and darker than most children's books, but I was relieved it wasn't light and fluffy and silly looking. Serious things are going on in The Golden Compass and Oubrerie honors the tone of the tale. Sure, it is a little cartoony, but it's a comics adaptation, it didn't bug me in the least. In fact, I like it and find it more interesting than most kid book art.
Overall, I am generally uncomfortable with the hacking of long stories into bite-sized graphic novels for kids, but in this instance, and given my low expectations, I thought it was very good. I like this story in all of its versions, apparently! I'm in!
Based on a cursory glance at the low overall rating average of this book (3.49!) and the reviews of a couple Goodreads friends I respect, I was skeptical about this series, which is just starting, nine volumes planned.
Of course it simplifies the overall story too much. It takes away much of Pullman's gorgeous language. But I like the core of Pullman's story very much, and like this simpler version, too.
Reviews at a glance fairly vilify the art of Clément Oubrerie. I absolutely adore his artwork in Pablo, one of my favorite comics books of the year! And I like this work, it looks sophisticated, not sloppy, as he is accused! Okay, it doesn't look like a sixth grade level story illustration, it is "smudgier" and darker than most children's books, but I was relieved it wasn't light and fluffy and silly looking. Serious things are going on in The Golden Compass and Oubrerie honors the tone of the tale. Sure, it is a little cartoony, but it's a comics adaptation, it didn't bug me in the least. In fact, I like it and find it more interesting than most kid book art.
Overall, I am generally uncomfortable with the hacking of long stories into bite-sized graphic novels for kids, but in this instance, and given my low expectations, I thought it was very good. I like this story in all of its versions, apparently! I'm in!
December 1, 2017
All the buzz about The Book of Dust lately had me itching to reread Northern Lights. When I stumbled across the graphic novel adaption at the library, I thought it was the perfect solution… but, umm, not so much. I do not know if it is a translation problem - since (I think) this was originally written in French - but the authors completely failed to capture the essence of the original story. The characters had no substance. Lyra, in particular, was not the fierce girl we all love. She acted like a complete brat and had none of the nuances that Pullman achieved. Both Lord Asriel, Mrs Coulter and Roger had very little page time and felt more like plot devices than anything more substantial. The plotline did stay mostly true but it was messy and disjointed. Anyone unfamiliar with the original story can expect a lot of confusion. I understand that the world building is complex and hard to translate into this format but the vagueness of the story even me off. I had to reread certain pages to try and absorb what they were saying. They tried to condense the story but they did it so poorly.
On top of that, the art. Dear God. I usually find it difficult to be critical of an artist’s style but oh my God, the art was absolutely horrendous. From everyone else’s reviews, I know that this is not an unpopular opinion. The tone and aesthetic of the panels was completely off. Who thought that so much dull dark brown was a good idea!? The characters’ appearances were completely off and they constantly wore the strangest grotesque expressions. It was incredibly off-putting. It did not help that the font and artwork itself was minuscule. I had to squint to appreciate any of detail… not that I particularly wanted to.
Overall? I thought this would be a great way to reread one of my favourite stories in a different format but it was not worth it. The art was appalling. It hurt my eyes. The writers failed to capture the atmosphere and nuance of Pullman’s original story, writing an unlikable cast of characters and a confusingly constructed world. I hate to say it but I’d 100% recommend reading the book instead. Not good.
On top of that, the art. Dear God. I usually find it difficult to be critical of an artist’s style but oh my God, the art was absolutely horrendous. From everyone else’s reviews, I know that this is not an unpopular opinion. The tone and aesthetic of the panels was completely off. Who thought that so much dull dark brown was a good idea!? The characters’ appearances were completely off and they constantly wore the strangest grotesque expressions. It was incredibly off-putting. It did not help that the font and artwork itself was minuscule. I had to squint to appreciate any of detail… not that I particularly wanted to.
Overall? I thought this would be a great way to reread one of my favourite stories in a different format but it was not worth it. The art was appalling. It hurt my eyes. The writers failed to capture the atmosphere and nuance of Pullman’s original story, writing an unlikable cast of characters and a confusingly constructed world. I hate to say it but I’d 100% recommend reading the book instead. Not good.
December 3, 2015
Bullet Review:
Confusing at places, and I didn't like the awful, ugly art, but it was fun to read what I had previously heard on audiobook. But why the frak do they need a year to get volume 2 of The Golden Compass? That is just plain criminal.
Personally, if you are interested, I'd recommend waiting until September of 2017 when the final Golden Compass graphic novel volume is expected to be out. That way you can just read straight through instead of waiting 2 years for the whole thing.
Confusing at places, and I didn't like the awful, ugly art, but it was fun to read what I had previously heard on audiobook. But why the frak do they need a year to get volume 2 of The Golden Compass? That is just plain criminal.
Personally, if you are interested, I'd recommend waiting until September of 2017 when the final Golden Compass graphic novel volume is expected to be out. That way you can just read straight through instead of waiting 2 years for the whole thing.
August 29, 2015
Pretty much the only thing I liked about this adaptation was the underlying story. The part that they took from Philip Pullman. The artwork wasn't very good. All the characters were creepy looking and the pictures didn't really enhance the story at all, and the parts from the book that were taken were only dialogue. So much was missing, it made the story so dull and rushed. Even major plot devices were left out.
The characters and the story weren't developed at all. It was more like the adapters were like "oh! this dialogue is important, let's just throw it in here with a creepy drawing" and didn't care one iota about character development. Even Mrs. Coulter didn't seem that evil. Her true evil comes from the fact that she acts so nice and sweet all the time. And the monkey? Not even a little scary in this. The creepiness of the normal characters made the drawing of the monkey almost cute.
If you've read The Golden Compass, you may as well skip this adaptation, it will probably just annoy you and make you want to reread the book to get the awfulness out of your head. If you haven't read it yet DO NOT read this version, the story is so much better than what they threw together.
full review at http://testybadger.blogspot.com/2015/...
The characters and the story weren't developed at all. It was more like the adapters were like "oh! this dialogue is important, let's just throw it in here with a creepy drawing" and didn't care one iota about character development. Even Mrs. Coulter didn't seem that evil. Her true evil comes from the fact that she acts so nice and sweet all the time. And the monkey? Not even a little scary in this. The creepiness of the normal characters made the drawing of the monkey almost cute.
If you've read The Golden Compass, you may as well skip this adaptation, it will probably just annoy you and make you want to reread the book to get the awfulness out of your head. If you haven't read it yet DO NOT read this version, the story is so much better than what they threw together.
full review at http://testybadger.blogspot.com/2015/...
January 19, 2016
I picked this up at least a dozen times and could never force myself to read more than a few frames every time. The art is horribly unappealing, a terrible shame for a book that should have had stunning, beautiful art. Lyra and Pan are just ugly, as is everything else in this world. And what I read of the story at the beginning and looking ahead didn't make sense, was confusing, and frequently deviated from the book. This thing was a mess, it's a real shame. I give up on it.
September 14, 2018
OMG, I was THRILLED to discover that His Dark Materials had been adapted into a graphic novel. I've read the first volume in half an hour ^^' And I loved it ! The drawings are beautiful and so far it is very faithful to the original story... Can't wait to read the others !
January 3, 2021
What is it about middle grade graphic novel adaptations that mean they have to have the most ugliest art possible? (I'm looking at you too The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel). It's like if you're going to make a graphic novel adaptation, the least you can do is make sure the art is somewhat pleasing as that's the most important part of a graphic novel.
As I haven't read Northern Lights I can't compare this graphic novel to it in terms of the plot, but I have watched the show and the plots are relatively the same between the two. It was very interesting to see how the skin colour of certain characters were completely different in the show than in the graphic novel, it didn't really reveal much but it was just interesting to note.
Honestly, if you want to read this, I just recommend you don't. It's a good thing it's a fast read because that's pretty much the only positive in this graphic novel riddled with mediocrity.
As I haven't read Northern Lights I can't compare this graphic novel to it in terms of the plot, but I have watched the show and the plots are relatively the same between the two. It was very interesting to see how the skin colour of certain characters were completely different in the show than in the graphic novel, it didn't really reveal much but it was just interesting to note.
Honestly, if you want to read this, I just recommend you don't. It's a good thing it's a fast read because that's pretty much the only positive in this graphic novel riddled with mediocrity.
December 19, 2015
I love The Golden Compass and enjoyed reading this graphic adaptation, volume 1. It's not amazing, but it's enjoyable. I hope it is adapted again at some point in the near future. I'd love to see another interpretation of the characters and the world. But this one was good enough to hold my attention and I liked seeing the book brought visually to life. I particularly liked the portrayal of Jordan College, and Roger and John Faa, and the Gyptians at sea. Some of the coloring was really nice.
Seems the book is getting pretty mixed reviews. I think adapting a novel that is so beloved and well-known, it's hard to compete with people's pre-set images and ideas. This adaptation doesn't have about it a kind of swashbuckling confidence that I think adapting a book like this requires. How else can one compete with a classic, but with a very compelling and convincing aesthetic argument and sureness of vision? There has to be a certain sense of ownership. At least, that is my belief. An adaption is in essence a translation and a re-creation and it can't stay loyal to the original book at the expense of its own storytelling, and to a point I think that is one of the reasons this book is good but not great. It's a little tame. And Pullman's book is anything but tame. It's provocative and expansive. It doesn't blame violence for violence, but appreciates craftiness and a fighting spirit and differentiates between the sinister and powerful lies of institutionalized religion and the resourceful and exaggerated storytelling of a scrappy young hero.
Seems the book is getting pretty mixed reviews. I think adapting a novel that is so beloved and well-known, it's hard to compete with people's pre-set images and ideas. This adaptation doesn't have about it a kind of swashbuckling confidence that I think adapting a book like this requires. How else can one compete with a classic, but with a very compelling and convincing aesthetic argument and sureness of vision? There has to be a certain sense of ownership. At least, that is my belief. An adaption is in essence a translation and a re-creation and it can't stay loyal to the original book at the expense of its own storytelling, and to a point I think that is one of the reasons this book is good but not great. It's a little tame. And Pullman's book is anything but tame. It's provocative and expansive. It doesn't blame violence for violence, but appreciates craftiness and a fighting spirit and differentiates between the sinister and powerful lies of institutionalized religion and the resourceful and exaggerated storytelling of a scrappy young hero.
September 17, 2017
A disappointing adaptation. The artwork is lackluster, the pacing rushed to the point of confusion at times. The handling of Ma Costa is a bright spot in an otherwise lacking graphic novel. A real shame, as this could have been something quite special in the hands of a more meticulous artist.
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October 24, 2018
A young girl gets involved in a mysterious something something and is the key to everything...or it's doom.
I strongly believe that graphic novel adaptations should be able to stand on their own. A reader shouldn't need to have read the source material to understand what is going on.
Yes, some nuance and plot points will be lost/trimmed for time and space because of the nature of the adaptation, but the graphic novel becomes its own version of the story.
This...this ain't it.
It's been about a million years (read, like 15) since I've read The Golden Compass, trilogy, and mostly what I remember is that the aesthetic was good but the overwhelmingly complicated and convoluted plot and arching themes of religion and theology were just over my head and a bit too preachy for my liking.
Even so.
I checked this out from the library because I wanted to see what a graphic novel would do to this story (see: bears in armor—bears in motherfucking armor).
The illustrations aren't the greatest, and while there is some humor to be had, there are a lot of references and themes that require reading the book first in order to understand what the hell is going on, as there is a lot of jumping around from POV to time to situation to plot.
The magic of the original is that it's mainly from Lyra's point of view—so there's the sense that she's the key to everything yet doesn't know anything and that there's this huge Adult Conspiracy happening that must be Vanquished in order to Save the Poor Children.
Plus, this is a translation from French, adding a literal lost in translation aspect to much of the story (going from English novel to French graphic novel back to English in graphic novel form). So I think much of the context vanished.
I'm not planning on reading the next couple installments.
I strongly believe that graphic novel adaptations should be able to stand on their own. A reader shouldn't need to have read the source material to understand what is going on.
Yes, some nuance and plot points will be lost/trimmed for time and space because of the nature of the adaptation, but the graphic novel becomes its own version of the story.
This...this ain't it.
It's been about a million years (read, like 15) since I've read The Golden Compass, trilogy, and mostly what I remember is that the aesthetic was good but the overwhelmingly complicated and convoluted plot and arching themes of religion and theology were just over my head and a bit too preachy for my liking.
Even so.
I checked this out from the library because I wanted to see what a graphic novel would do to this story (see: bears in armor—bears in motherfucking armor).
The illustrations aren't the greatest, and while there is some humor to be had, there are a lot of references and themes that require reading the book first in order to understand what the hell is going on, as there is a lot of jumping around from POV to time to situation to plot.
The magic of the original is that it's mainly from Lyra's point of view—so there's the sense that she's the key to everything yet doesn't know anything and that there's this huge Adult Conspiracy happening that must be Vanquished in order to Save the Poor Children.
Plus, this is a translation from French, adding a literal lost in translation aspect to much of the story (going from English novel to French graphic novel back to English in graphic novel form). So I think much of the context vanished.
I'm not planning on reading the next couple installments.
September 7, 2015
I first fell in love with Lyra Belacqua when The Golden Compass, part of His Dark Materials, was published several years ago, and I have to say that the first book in the series was my favorite. I approached this graphic novel adaptation of the book--the other two titles will be published during the next two years--with some trepidation. I was worried that it would be nearly impossible to capture the fantastic world created by Philip Pullman. While some elements have been left out and Roger hardly appears in this book, Lyra still shines here with her wild ways and her desperate need to find answers. In some parts, the book's illustrations are lush and mysterious, swirling with possibilities, but in other parts, the drawings are flat and don't reveal the complexity of the world in which the story is set. Things that took a long time to be revealed in the original book seemed to be told almost casually here. While I liked this graphic novel version well enough, what it did most effectively was make me determined to reread the original series in its entirety.
January 25, 2017
This might not have been what I wanted it to be, but it did remind of how much I love Lyra Belaqua and the His Dark materials books. It was surprisingly charming and had some good moments, but unfortunately though I never fell in love with the art...and as it was a graphic novel you kind of have to to love it. It's such a shame, because if there ever was a series that could become a stunning graphic novel it would be this one.
So readers, skip this and read the original books. They are breathtaking.
So readers, skip this and read the original books. They are breathtaking.
September 26, 2015
I'm such a massive fan of this series that I thought this was going to be a sure thing, but the art is messy and the whole thing seems disjointed. Everything feels rushed, like you're reading a book by skipping forward a couple of pages every time you want to get to an important plot point.
A sad addaptation of a very good book.
A sad addaptation of a very good book.
January 3, 2017
I adore the novels, but the art for the graphic novel is terrible, and the choices for pacing made it confusing. I only hope that anybody reading the graphic novel first isn't put off. They'd be sorely missing out on an amazing series. I'm only giving 3 stars out of some deep fondness and loyalty to the original.
February 19, 2020
Den här är schysst, men förutsätter nästan att en läst böckerna. Utan den förkunskapen om Lyras värld tror jag att den här berättelsen skulle kännas allt för grund.
November 22, 2015
The only real reason to read this is the art, which I didn't love -- a bit too cartoony for me. And this runs into a bit of an info-dump in certain places, which seems like it might be a limitation of the form. I probably won't keep reading this, but I will reread the series!
April 5, 2019
Very nicely done. Loved the experience!
July 20, 2022
Reading the reviews for this book makes me unexplainably angry because I thought this book was WONDERFUL. I mean, I feel really dumb because I didn’t realize this was just volume 1 of the first book, when I could have just signed out the full three volumes in one from the library. So technically I’m not finished this book yet but I only have access to this first volume so :(
OK BACK TO THE THING BUT all the people saying the artwork is horrendous are liars (lyras, if I may). The artwork is this absolutely beautiful watercolour, and the characters and their designs fit perfectly into the art style. It’s possibly some of my favourite art in a graphic novel I’ve seen. It used vibrant colours and dull neutrals when it needed to. I just feel like the design of the world was done so well in this book, because everything looked incredible. THIS is the vibe of the golden compass. THIS IS HOW I MOSTLY IMAGINED IT IN MY HEAD! ITS AWESOME.
The golden compass is my favourite series, and yeah I’ll definitely agree that the graphic novel may be difficult to understand for people who haven’t read the books before. This isn’t the kind of book that can be condensed, which is why the pacing was all weird. So many important details missed, and I wish Lyra was portrayed a little bit more bad-assy, as she was in the books.
But overall though I still LOVED IT. Yes, I do feel this book did it justice. It could have been better if it want condensed so much, but I think the graphic novel got across all the most important pieces of plot.
OK BACK TO THE THING BUT all the people saying the artwork is horrendous are liars (lyras, if I may). The artwork is this absolutely beautiful watercolour, and the characters and their designs fit perfectly into the art style. It’s possibly some of my favourite art in a graphic novel I’ve seen. It used vibrant colours and dull neutrals when it needed to. I just feel like the design of the world was done so well in this book, because everything looked incredible. THIS is the vibe of the golden compass. THIS IS HOW I MOSTLY IMAGINED IT IN MY HEAD! ITS AWESOME.
The golden compass is my favourite series, and yeah I’ll definitely agree that the graphic novel may be difficult to understand for people who haven’t read the books before. This isn’t the kind of book that can be condensed, which is why the pacing was all weird. So many important details missed, and I wish Lyra was portrayed a little bit more bad-assy, as she was in the books.
But overall though I still LOVED IT. Yes, I do feel this book did it justice. It could have been better if it want condensed so much, but I think the graphic novel got across all the most important pieces of plot.
January 27, 2025
Katastrophe! Das wäre ja eine Beleidigung das als Zeichenstil zu beschreiben. Welchen stümper haben sie da rangelassen? Die Augen! Die Augen der Figuren sind ja richtig creepy, überhaupt sind Details nicht so angesagt. Ferne Blicke auf Landschaften und Städte sind großartig, aber alles darüber hinaus ist reinster Horror.
July 11, 2022
3,5 ⭐
October 20, 2015
Disclaimer: I never actually read The Golden Compass. I saw the movie once a looonnnng time ago, and I don't really remember much other than everyone having British accents and polar bears wearing armor.
There isn't a whole lot to say. I always have a harder time critiquing graphic novels because I feel like it's so far out of my realm of knowledge. With this, I don't have that so much. Here's why:
the drawings aren't evocative at all. They look like straight out of the Sunday newspaper cartoons, complete with big eyes and big noses that are very cartoony and don't seem to actually want to capture what anyone looks like.
Worse than that is how stumpy it is. As someone who only vaguely remembers the story, this is just plain bad. I had a hard time following the story without having to question every single scene, because there was no continuity and no bridging between scenes. I had a hard time remembering what was happening because each portion seemed totally separate from the rest.
So eh. Maybe someone who's read the original novel is more likely to enjoy this.
There isn't a whole lot to say. I always have a harder time critiquing graphic novels because I feel like it's so far out of my realm of knowledge. With this, I don't have that so much. Here's why:
the drawings aren't evocative at all. They look like straight out of the Sunday newspaper cartoons, complete with big eyes and big noses that are very cartoony and don't seem to actually want to capture what anyone looks like.
Worse than that is how stumpy it is. As someone who only vaguely remembers the story, this is just plain bad. I had a hard time following the story without having to question every single scene, because there was no continuity and no bridging between scenes. I had a hard time remembering what was happening because each portion seemed totally separate from the rest.
So eh. Maybe someone who's read the original novel is more likely to enjoy this.
December 15, 2015
This was quite an impressive graphic novel adaptation of the beginning of The Golden Compass, the first book in Philip Pullman's awesome His Dark Materials trilogy. It is always interesting to see the world you've imagined filtered through the ideas and minds of another interpreter of the story, and this one really brought Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon, her home at Jordan College, Oxford, and the rest of her world to life. While following the story of the book, it is also interesting to see where the artist departs in this visual form (of course, it remains quite a bit more true to Pullman's work than the 2007 movie.) Beginning with Lyra's introduction to Dust while hiding in the closet of the Retiring Room while her uncle, Lord Asriel, reports to the faculty of Jordan College, in follows her adventures up to her voyage to the North. What, we have to wait until next September for the next installment? Oh well...
I can't think of any better style to fit the world and feeling of HDM than from the Franco-Belgian tradition, and Stéphane Melchior-Durand writing and Clément Oubrerie's shadowed, expressive art endows the characters and the world with impressive life, in particular the multitude of people and their daemons. I'm looking forward to the next one!
I can't think of any better style to fit the world and feeling of HDM than from the Franco-Belgian tradition, and Stéphane Melchior-Durand writing and Clément Oubrerie's shadowed, expressive art endows the characters and the world with impressive life, in particular the multitude of people and their daemons. I'm looking forward to the next one!
December 31, 2019
I already love this girl more than I've ever loved Harry Potter.
January 10, 2016
Just like the movie did not do justice to the book, the graphic novel does not either. His Dark Materials trilogy is one of my favorite reads. If this was my first encounter with The Golden Compass, I don't know if I would have realized what a great story it was from the comic. The illustrations are rather ugly and static. The people look like caricatures, and it's just text bubbles. The Dresden Files graphic novel translated pretty well into the comic format, and a part of that was how they captured the story in illustration and found a concise way to incorporate text to aid in moving the story. Yes, half of The Golden Compass novel is captured in this graphic novel, but the illustrations are too boring and static, and the text bubbles are just compensation (cramming info into the text bubbles, take the lecture on the dangers of the North), and there is no integration of text and illustration to carry the story--the story did not translate well into the graphic format. Very disappointing.
September 22, 2015
I don't hand out one star reviews easily, but this one really needs to be an exception. I've liked a lot of recent graphic adaptations, but this latest one for The Golden Compass, a tale I liked but didn't love, is borderline inexcusable. The kindest thing I can say is that the adaptation really sucks the life out of the story, but given that this volume is only the first third of the actual book, it's hard to really say for sure. Add in the somewhat dull artwork and the fact that the paperback edition is $10 for 80 pages, and I don't get what anyone involved was thinking in this matter.
Avoid this at all costs. The book itself is 20 years old this year, and that's a reason alone to revisit the series instead of giving this adaptation much of the time of day.
Avoid this at all costs. The book itself is 20 years old this year, and that's a reason alone to revisit the series instead of giving this adaptation much of the time of day.
February 24, 2016
I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. I love Oubrerie's art (Aya, Pablo: Art Masters Series), but the dialogues are a bit choppy. This pulled me away from the story and the wonders that are part of this world. I have never read Philip Pullman's original books, nor have I seen the film starring Nicole Kidman, but despite the flaws of this book I'm still pulled into the world that is coming alive here. The mystery of the compass, the missing kids, Lyra's background and the mystery surrounding the North. I will continue reading this, to see where it goes.
March 9, 2016
I read this because The Golden Compass is one of my favorite books. So, despite knowing the story and what happens already, I figured this would be a nice way to revisit one of my all-time favorite books.
It definitely reminded me why I love the book so much - the story is wonderful and interesting. And Lyra is such a great character. Sure, she is a bit odd, but I love that about her. She's different, she's herself and not afraid to be herself.
The story is definitely five stars, but the artwork. . . . I personally did not find it very appealing. But, besides the artwork, fans of the original book will love this.
It definitely reminded me why I love the book so much - the story is wonderful and interesting. And Lyra is such a great character. Sure, she is a bit odd, but I love that about her. She's different, she's herself and not afraid to be herself.
The story is definitely five stars, but the artwork. . . . I personally did not find it very appealing. But, besides the artwork, fans of the original book will love this.
February 16, 2019
I've read this novel, listened to the audiobook, and seen the movie. I was excited for this adaptation.
The art style worked well for the scenery, but not so much for the faces. On one hand, everyone looks very unique from one another, but on the other hand Lyra's eyes were huge and her face just looked messy. Also, dialogue from the same character would be split up into multiple bubbles in a single panel, which was really confusing when there were multiple characters in a panel.
The art style worked well for the scenery, but not so much for the faces. On one hand, everyone looks very unique from one another, but on the other hand Lyra's eyes were huge and her face just looked messy. Also, dialogue from the same character would be split up into multiple bubbles in a single panel, which was really confusing when there were multiple characters in a panel.
May 16, 2016
3.5*
I'm not going to lie, I wasn't a huge fan of the art style. The faces of the characters just all looked weird to me, but the rest of the art was good, especially the colours I really appreciated. The adaptation itself is really cool and fun and I think I will continue on with the graphic novel series as it's released.
I'm not going to lie, I wasn't a huge fan of the art style. The faces of the characters just all looked weird to me, but the rest of the art was good, especially the colours I really appreciated. The adaptation itself is really cool and fun and I think I will continue on with the graphic novel series as it's released.
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