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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Vol. 1 (Millennium: The Graphic Novels book 1, volume 1)

by Denise Mina (Goodreads Author) (Adaptor), Leonardo Manco (Illustrator), Andrea Mutti (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator), Stieg Larsson (Adapted from)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 693 ratings · 130 reviews

DC Comics/Vertigo will publish the official graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy," starting in Fall 2012 with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, the international publishing phenomenon. Each book in the "Millennium Trilogy" will be adapted in two hardcover graphic novel volumes.Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappea...more

Hardcover, 146 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by Vertigo (first published November 2012)

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Nov 20, 2012 Gally rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Vol. 1 Review by Gally Lines (2/5 stars)

For the record, I own the entire Millennium book trilogy and the Swedish movie trilogy. It's one of my favorite series and Lisbeth is hands down an all-time favorite character. My review treats this graphic novel as an adaptation of an original work, not an original or stand-alone work because that's not what it is.

That being said, while I do enjoy quite a few graphic novels, I don't usually read comic versions of books be...more The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Vol. 1 Review by Gally Lines (2/5 stars)

For the record, I own the entire Millennium book trilogy and the Swedish movie trilogy. It's one of my favorite series and Lisbeth is hands down an all-time favorite character. My review treats this graphic novel as an adaptation of an original work, not an original or stand-alone work because that's not what it is.

That being said, while I do enjoy quite a few graphic novels, I don't usually read comic versions of books because I find them lacking in content and not close enough to the original -- even more than some movie adaptations -- so they become more like condensed, spin-offs to me.

I picked this up because of the badass cover art and the first few pages seemed accurate to the book. Unfortunately, it left me pretty disappointed for the above reasons and I will be returning this.

This definitely does not deserve the 4- and 5-star ratings people who haven't read the books or even seen the movies have been giving it. I don't want to make this a long review since there are others out there who've already expressed the same opinions, so in a nutshell, this got 2 stars because:

The character of Lisbeth was portrayed as more frail and emotional than she is in the book. She does not go dancing and she does not cry.

Too many panels looked the same, like they were copied, pasted, and zoomed in even though I can tell they weren't. I actually went back to previous pages to make sure I wasn't looking at the same illustration on a different background.

The art actually becomes lazy after a while. It just gets flat and less detailed as if they decided to stop shading, especially the parts with Mikael. If you're drawn in by the cover, don't expect the inside to be the same.

The character's mouths aren't open when they're talking. This may seem like a minor detail, but I feel like the most basic thing an illustrator should know is to make the characters look animated, not like statues. People are just sitting there while speech bubbles are floating around them. If it weren't for the speech bubbles pointing to the tight-lipped character who's supposed to be talking, you wouldn't know whom the words belong to.

Finally, too many details are just not accurate, such as the tattoo Lisbeth cuts into Bjurman.

If you want a visual adaptation of the Millennium trilogy, try the Swedish films; they're accurate to the book minus a few minor details, and I personally think Noomi Rapace portrays Lisbeth flawlessly, right down to her small height, muscular build, punk hair, and icy, take-no-prisoners attitude.

Review © Gally Lines 11.17.12(less)

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Jan 26, 2013 Jillyn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Lisbeth

Recommended to Jillyn by: DC Comics

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book through Goodreads Firstreads.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Vol. 1 is a graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestselling book by the same title. It follows a murder mystery from decades past with the socially inept computer genuis Lisbeth at center stage. This volume covers half of that novel, with a second volume to be released in the future.

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+I have to say, this book is beautiful, from cover to cover. The character that sticks out as consistently awesome looking is t...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Ana Mardoll rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Graphic Novel) / B009DNVXX8

I'm a big fan of the Millennium Trilogy, having read the novels several times, listened to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, and own the original movies with Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace. (I have not, for the record, seen the American remakes.) I selected this graphic novel at NetGalley with a great deal of excitement, fully expecting to enjoy it, but... well, I won't say I'm disappointed exactly, but I'm not enthralled.

This in...more The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Graphic Novel) / B009DNVXX8

I'm a big fan of the Millennium Trilogy, having read the novels several times, listened to the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, and own the original movies with Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace. (I have not, for the record, seen the American remakes.) I selected this graphic novel at NetGalley with a great deal of excitement, fully expecting to enjoy it, but... well, I won't say I'm disappointed exactly, but I'm not enthralled.

This installment of the series takes us from the opening (with Vanger receiving the yearly flower) to maybe about a third of the way through the novel (where Lisbeth revenges herself on Bjurman). I want to recognize upfront that adapting this much material into a ~150 page graphic novel could not have been easy, and I think the adaptation author did about as good a job as could be hoped for.

The story and characters have been altered pretty radically, though, in order to convey emotion and urgency "on screen" through facial expressions and dialogue rather than narration. Erika Berger talks candidly about sex with Mikael Blomkvist and Christer Malm's sexuality at board meetings, Dragan Armanskij openly flirts with Lisbeth at work, Henrik Vanger cries on receiving the yearly flower, Lisbeth dances and laughs and flirts with Mimi in public, and so forth. Everyone feels like they're wearing their heart on their sleeve and that change doesn't really work well with the tenor of the story, I think.

The dialogue, too, has been changed pretty radically to support the format of the adaptation. Cecilia Vanger contributes more proactively to the investigation, and the old friend who sets Blomkvist off after Wennerström in the beginning has an entirely different story to tell. I think all these changes are fair enough, given the needs of an adaptation, but I'm less enthused about some strange Americanisms creeping into the dialogue. When Lisbeth confronts Bjurman, for example, she quotes Al Pacino from "Scarface" by saying "say hello to my little friend!" Things like that ended up jarring me out of the narrative, though others may feel differently.

A word on the art in this novel: it's not really my cup of tea. There's a lot of heavy use of shading and shadowing in panels to prevent having to draw facial details beyond a rough outline. Lisbeth is rendered very well, and her facial expressions are extremely vivid, but Blomkvist's face (and even the shape of his head!) seems to shift and change a little too much from panel to panel. It's also worth noting that the scenes of Lisbeth's rape are extremely graphic, with blood covering much of the panels -- this isn't a criticism so much as a caution to know what you're getting into if you purchase this volume.

On balance, I'm glad this graphic novel exists but it doesn't really "feel" like the story I know. I think this will be a great introduction to the series for people who are curious about the story but weren't able to get into the densely detailed books, and I consider that to be a good thing. But if you are a hardcore fan of the books, whether or not you like the adaptation will boil down to how you feel about the changes made in service to the new format. I'd give this book 3.5 stars, but I won't be picking up the next installment for myself personally.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.

~ Ana Mardoll (less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Fredrik Strömberg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like it when a book surprises me, for good or for bad. With this book, I did not expect to like much, as I enjoyed the original novel. Comics versions of literature are often watered down, lacks artistic ambitions and feels a bit unnecessary.

Admittedly it was a few years since I read Larsson's novel and I surprisingly quick got into the story again, remembering some but not all of the plot. The comics version is very well made, with a good flow in the visual storytelling. I also liked the way...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, mystery

Reviewed by: Marissa
Book provided by: NetGalley
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
I chose to review this version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because I loved the Stieg Larsen novels and because I love a good story told in graphic art. This is a win-win all the way around. The story was superbly told (the story, not the movie – there are some subtle differences). However, because I am making comparisons, there might be a spoiler or two in here if you have not read the book or see...more Reviewed by: Marissa
Book provided by: NetGalley
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
I chose to review this version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because I loved the Stieg Larsen novels and because I love a good story told in graphic art. This is a win-win all the way around. The story was superbly told (the story, not the movie – there are some subtle differences). However, because I am making comparisons, there might be a spoiler or two in here if you have not read the book or seen either movie. (I’ve seen only the Swedish film so that’s where any contrasts I offer will come from.)

First and foremost in a graphic novel is the artwork. That is what draws us to the novel, gets us to open the cover, and begin reading the first page. The artwork in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is exceptional. At times dark and brooding, the art takes us into Lisbeth’s world of violence and underground computer hackers. And this was the real crux of the story – the abuse she suffered as a child which then reached out to her as an adult. Our first view of Lisbeth is with her eyes downward. In fact, her eyes are kept downward for several frames – an introduction to her shyness and lack of people skills.

At this point in the novel, we have only touched on her childhood. However, the rape of Lisbeth by her guardian is brutal. I’m not sure which was worse – watching the rape between live actors in a movie, or seeing it in graphic art splayed out on the page. My eyes kept getting drawn back, looking for more detail. I think it’s like that wicked car crash on the highway where you don’t want to look but you can’t help it, and you tell yourself you’re just making sure everyone is okay – even if you know otherwise.

In comparison, the pages brightened to snow-filled days and candle-lit dinners for Mikael’s scenes. Mikael, attempting to solve a murder from 1966, delves into a family history that is twisted and bent unlike no other family tree. One thing the graphic novel does that the movie skimmed over is offer a more detailed explanation of how Mikael Blomqvist ended up in prison and giving up the reins on the financial magazine he co-published.

One of the problems, though, is that this is only a segment of the novel. DC Comics/Vertigo is publishing each book in the Millenium Trilogy in two parts, and therein lays the problem. I just don’t see how a 600+ page book can be successfully condensed into half that. I am, however, anxious to find out and will be picking up Part II as soon as it comes out. I would recommend this book for those that like to see/read alternative interpretations of their favorite books, but I would not suggest that the graphic novel be read in place of the original book by Stieg Larsen.
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Nov 14, 2012 Avery rated it 1 of 5 stars

I am a very big fan of Stieg Larsson's original series, as well as the films. I was very excited to read the graphic novel adaptation, even though it seemed a bit pointless. To me, releasing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in such a form threatened to deter people from reading the actual novel and simply picking up the comic version. Indeed, skimming through the reviews thus far, many have either only seen the films, or are completely new and this is their introduction to the series.
What a sham...more I am a very big fan of Stieg Larsson's original series, as well as the films. I was very excited to read the graphic novel adaptation, even though it seemed a bit pointless. To me, releasing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in such a form threatened to deter people from reading the actual novel and simply picking up the comic version. Indeed, skimming through the reviews thus far, many have either only seen the films, or are completely new and this is their introduction to the series.
What a shame.
Throughout reading the graphic novel, I wondered multiple times to myself, "How was this allowed to publish?" And the primary reason I wondered this was due to the very poor quality of writing. Denise Mina's characterization of Lisbeth Salander is entirely, well, out of character. Mina's Salander has a far more comfortable social life. She makes witty quips, smiles, even goes dancing at a club. Anyone who has read the books (or even if you've only seen the films, Swedish or American) will understand how far off this portrayal is.
Another egregious flaw is the actual adaptation. Of course, all adaptations, especially when converting mediums, will require some amount of condensing. This is particularly true with Larsson's books, as they are lengthy and very densely plotted. I thought the way the American film handle this condensing of plot was superb. Things that work in novels won't consistently translate onto the screen well. So I understand and fully embrace the necessity of condensing plot and story in adaptations. But in Mina's so called adaptation, I would say that what she has done is, not condense, but paraphrase. This adaptation reads like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo SparkNotes.
Despite my extreme disappointment, I will still most likely purchase and read the next Book, and the next, and so on. But I would recommend people who are interested to devote the time to Larsson's brilliant trilogy, watch the films (Swedish and American), and steer clear of the graphic novel.(less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Isalina rated it 5 of 5 stars

I feel like I have to preface this by saying, I don't read a lot of comics or graphic novels. I am, however, a huge fan of the Stieg Larsson Millennium series and prefer the Swedish films to the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
A friend got me this book as a gift - Thanks Katherine! because she knows how much I love the original story and Lisbeth as a character.
The love for this book starts with the cover art. Oh sure, "don't judge a book by it's cover," but we all do it and...more I feel like I have to preface this by saying, I don't read a lot of comics or graphic novels. I am, however, a huge fan of the Stieg Larsson Millennium series and prefer the Swedish films to the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
A friend got me this book as a gift - Thanks Katherine! because she knows how much I love the original story and Lisbeth as a character.
The love for this book starts with the cover art. Oh sure, "don't judge a book by it's cover," but we all do it and we judge movies by their posters too. I strongly disliked the American movie's poster, not because Lisbeth was topless, but because she was topless and being held strongly by Mikael's arm across the top of her chest. THIS cover is badass because it captures Lisbeth's hard and sinewy form as I imagined and as shown in the Swedish films, and exposes her back. I know the publishers weren't allowed to show her breasts on the cover, but we don't need to explicitly see them to know she doesn't have a shirt or bra on and she doesn't give a shit. They didn't forget about her piercings and she's also smoking, because that's what Lisbeth does all the time.

Mina, and Manco and Mutti the illustrators, did an excellent job at making Larsson's story come alive in graphic novel form. They could have simply adapted the film to the graphic novel. I'm not naive enough to think that they didn't get some influence or inspiration from the films, because The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was ubiquitous, but they worked to stay true to the original. They even worked to keep Larsson's facts about violence against women in Sweden as a way of dividing the story. The could have easily omitted these, but it shows respect and love of the story. I was thrilled.

There was one part where I thought "what a minute, that's not the tattoo she's supposed to be getting," when Lisbeth goes to the tattoo shop as she's planning how to get Bjurman back. The tattoo she gets in the book is a thick black band (similar to the one on her arm on this cover) on her ankle. The tattoo she gets in the graphic novel says "Bye." But then I checked my original fervor and remembered that there are only so many letters and words they can include in a graphic novel and there was no space to spend explaining that Lisbeth gets this simple black band as a reminder of what she survived, a promise to get Bjurman back. She gets the tattoo done on the thin skin around her bone because the assault she survived was so brutal and painful. Controlled pain dealt with willingly to even out the out of control pain she dealt with unwillingly.

The attention to detail was beautiful - although I just glanced at the images of the rape scene at Bjurman's house because I knew what was going to happen, I appreciated how they focused the reader's attention to the clock on the nightstand periodically through the assault.
I loved the color palette they used to not only show the mood of the scene, but to also separate Lisbeth's world from Mikael's world. I really enjoyed the greens and deep reds in Lisbeth's scenes.

I'm very familiar with the Larsson books and own all three Swedish films. Reading this graphic novel was like reading and watching the film for the first time again. I knew what was going to happen, but at the same time kept reading to find out what would happen next!

Volume II comes out in May 2013. Mark your calendars.(less)

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Dec 08, 2012 Leew49 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

This is the first of what I assume will be a six-book series, adapting the Millennium Trilogy of Stieg Larssen into six graphic novels. At the end of Book One Blomkvist and Salander have not yet met. Instead we get a look at their parallel and contrasting lives leading up to their joining forces in the second installment. The key plot elements are (1) Blomkvist's trial and sentencing for allegedly publishing false allegations against the wealthy businessman Wennserstrom, (2) Blomkvist's investig...more This is the first of what I assume will be a six-book series, adapting the Millennium Trilogy of Stieg Larssen into six graphic novels. At the end of Book One Blomkvist and Salander have not yet met. Instead we get a look at their parallel and contrasting lives leading up to their joining forces in the second installment. The key plot elements are (1) Blomkvist's trial and sentencing for allegedly publishing false allegations against the wealthy businessman Wennserstrom, (2) Blomkvist's investigation of a decades old murder, an ingenious variation on the locked room mystery, and (3) Salander's brutal relationship with her new legal guardian, the sadistic Bjurman.

Since this is a graphic novel, I should mention first that the artwork is excellent: detailed, shaded, and very realistic. The closeups of the characters could almost be portraits, and the scenery and backgrounds are excellent as well. For some reason Vanger's employee Frode bears an uncanny resemblance to the actor Anthony Hopkins, but if other real-life people were used as models, I must have missed it. There doesn't seem to be an attempt to model anyone on the actors in either the Swedish or American films. The authors are not afraid to let one picture stand in for 10,000 words, and by letting the panels tell much of the story they perform a kind of editing on the sometimes verbose original of Larssen. Two examples that stand out in my mind are Bjurman's high-rise apartment building looming above the petite Lisbeth with all the impressiveness of the legal establishment, and a flashback of Lisbeth's mother smiling at her through the scars of a recent beating. In just a few panels the authors manage to convey a dark and poignant picture of Lisbeth's childhood that is superior to what most writers could manage with words alone. I did find the scenes of sadistic violence between Bjurman and Salander to be pretty brutal. In this case the visual was perhaps too strong. Graphic novels most certainly are not comic books, and the content of this volume is quite intense. If you grew up expecting nothing more violent from comic books than Thing vs Hulk, you are in for a surprise.

When I watched the Rooney Mara-Daniel Craig version, it occurred to me that the story could almost have been told using a split screen, and the separate but parallel rule applies to the graphic novel as well. Here, however, the authors make a point of contrasting the dark and dismal world of Salander with the more optimistic one of Blomkvist. Salander is usually shown in dark, foreboding surroundings: her small, cluttered apartment, the even dingier dwellings of her co-hacker Plague, and the streets of Stockholm after dark. Although Blomqvist is probably at one of the low points in his life following his conviction, his world is lighter, with warm interior colors: his family Christmas, the comfortable offices of Millennium, and the obvious wealth of the Vanger family on Hedeby Island, where, as one character observes, "everyone is rich, white and crazy."

The villains of their respective worlds provide a strong contrast as well. Bjurman is gross and obese, an obvious bully and rapist who takes advantage of the little power an unwise legal establishment has granted him to victimize what he believes to be a defenseless girl. He has many of the traits that recent and regrettable news stories have taught us to expect in rapists: Ending statements with the word "Yes?" to trick his victim into saying "Yes" repeatedly in response; claiming that the rape was actually her idea, even her fault; and saying "'Bye" to her as she painfully exits his bedroom, as if they were friends saying farewell at the end of a social occasion. The villains of Blomqvist's upper scale world are sophisticated and wealthy men. Wennerstrum's plot to frame the journalist is explained in detail, much better in my opinion than it was in the novel. And, as we will learn later, the other, far more terrible villain is also a CEO: Martin Vanger, who, in a clever and sardonic twist, boasts of his carbon-neutral house, which includes "built-in waste composting."

In the graphic novel version, distinct from the books and the movies, Lisbeth displays an ability to move between the two worlds to some extent. Though usually shown in her goth clothing with multiple piercings, she can when she deems it necessary choose to disguise herself simply by removing her facial rings, putting on makeup, dressing more conservatively, and covering her goth haircut with a stocking cap. In this way she is able to gain entrance to Wennerstrum's apartment building, and this is how she dresses for her first two meetings with Bjurman. Her decision to go to his home a second time in her goth identity is a heads up that something significant is about to happen.

For Millennium fans this graphic novel is an excellent addition to the storytelling, providing a well-edited version that is in some ways superior to the original as well as a poignant look at Lisbeth's circumstances in the days leading up to her first encounter with the mystery of Hedeby Island.

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Sep 03, 2012 Syahira Sharif rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, adaptation, dark-fiction, graphic-novel, netgalley, noir, swedish

This is the first graphic novel of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" by DC Comics that was inspired by the late Steig Larsson's Män som hatar kvinnor (Men Who Hate Woman). This is probably the third incarnation of the novel which consisted of the Swedish Millenium movie series, the American movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". I had known about the book series in my second year of university and then devoured the movie series while I was in my third year. I fell in love with Noomi Rapace's p...more

This is the first graphic novel of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" by DC Comics that was inspired by the late Steig Larsson's Män som hatar kvinnor (Men Who Hate Woman). This is probably the third incarnation of the novel which consisted of the Swedish Millenium movie series, the American movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". I had known about the book series in my second year of university and then devoured the movie series while I was in my third year. I fell in love with Noomi Rapace's portrayal of Lisbeth Salander and still is. To me, Noomi Rapace is the Swedish version of Rachel Weisz, who is also my girl crush. But even when I wasn't keen with Rooney Mara's Lisbeth, I still love all of the characters including this book.

The graphic novel is consisted of 160 full coloured pages of the first quarter of the novel. The path between Mikael and Lisbeth were crossed when Lisbeth was hired by Henrik Vanger's lawyer to investigate Mikael Blomkvist who was being accused of libel against the business tycoon, Wennerström. With Lisbeth finding out Mikael being set up by Wennerström, Henrik Vanger decided to hire Blomkvist with a large sum of money to investigate the mystery of Harriet Vanger before he was sent to do his prison sentence. The story is narrated by Lisbeth and Mikael's POV with Lisbeth are conflicted because of her abusive new guardian and Mikael's struggle to understand the circumstances with Harriet's disappearance and the curious Vanger family members.

I do notice there are some simplification in the graphic novels but at its core, the graphic novel is faithful to the book. To my delight, Lisbeth's characterization seemed to be based on Noomi Rapace's portrayal which is the main allure of the series since the original book's description is never enough to describe Lisbeth alone. Weirdly enough, Mikael Blomkvist is not what I had in mind in the graphic novel since he's much younger and less journalist-looking than his book/movie counterpart. Plus, as much as I never buy his sexual appeal by every female characters in the series, I don't even see it in this book.

The artwork is what you'd expected from DC comics except the approach is more noir and pulpy than comical. The colour at sometimes is vibrant, nostalgic and sometimes cold, dark and unwelcoming. Although it's a graphic novel from a Swedish counterpart, there's barely any references or effort to make it look like a Swedish book besides the occasional name places. I guess, it's a lot harder to do so in comics than it was with movies but it does make it hard to accept it as an authentic Swedish graphic novel. So, if series's Swedish autheticity is what you look for, I don't think you'll get much from this book.
Overall, it's a great retelling. There's some added scenes and specific details was obviously being carefully thought of to include in the comic. It's a great collection item to fans of the series and if you haven't read the book or seen the movies, this graphic novel is what you would probably will look forward to since it doesn't downgrade the adult violence in this series but the intensity from the artwork is profound enough to make fans of the series pleased.

The first book of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo graphic novel will be published on 13 November 2012 by DC Comics. The ARC is gratefully supplied by the publisher via NetGalley.

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Jan 15, 2013 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am a fan of graphic novels, and sort of a fan of Steig's trilogy (admittedly I read the first one and had a rough time getting through it, but found it enjoyable, and with a solid message. I read the second one a bit faster, but finished it after back surgery while I was pretty doped up on painkillers, so I don't know if I actually got the whole thing. I have yet to read the 3rd). This version of the story is not as good as the novel, or either of the movies, the drawings are a little rudiment...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Tony rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: awesome-books, comics-can-be-cool

Vertigo (who else) has taken on the task of adapting Steig Larsson's incredible Millenium trilogy into the graphic novel format. Each book is given two volumes. This is volume one of the first book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

They've enlisted scottish crime writer Denise Mina to adapt it and I love what she's done with it. She lends a very welcome woman's touch to one of the strongest female characters in recent literature. The best part about it for me though is the striking illustrations...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had access to a preview from the comic adaptation of the popular thriller novel The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This creation of author Stieg Larsson now goes graphic.
As soon as I saw the cover I knew the quality of the artwork had to be amazing inside that book. Lisbeth looks strong and simply like someone you don't want to mess with. The image has a strong quality to it that makes the characters more palpable.
I appreciate images texture. Manco and Mutti delivered great effort to it. Also, d...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Greta is Erikasbuddy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, i-love-my-library

I really really enjoyed this book.

While it was a little hard for me to follow (the names are all foreign and the movie was really over my head) I really really enjoyed all the artwork. I mean WOW!!! It reminded me of James O'Barr. Super loved!!!

I don't recommend this for the kiddies (of course). And the older teens? Well, that's up to you. There is the rape scene, 2 bits where Mikael is in bed with a chicky poo, and one where Lisbeth's woman is showing off her chest. (my husband was not impresse...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, pcpl-read, stars-2-ok, reviewed

I liked this book, but I didn't love it; it was really just okay. It was somewhat hard for me to follow and understand due to a lack of captions on some of the illustrations. And then others of the illustrations were either too "close in" or too busy for me to fully make sense of them. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy it more, since the novel form of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was excellent. So far I'm two for two as far as not enjoying graphic novels goes. Perhaps I just am not the s...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Sean rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any adult with an open mind!

I’m a huge fan of Stieg Larsson’s original trilogy. So much so that I even watched the Swedish language film because I couldn’t wait for the American version. When I read that there was going to be a graphic novel adaptation I was worried. Worried first that the book is actually too graphic for a comic. Some things are bad enough in my head without having to see them in color on the page. Worried second that the book would be dumbed done. Both those worries were alieved after reading this. While...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Ross rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is not an adaptation of the movie(s) but of Steig Larsson's novel. This is important. First, because it is not a translation from one visual medium to another, it is a translation of a 500 page novel to the comic book medium. This leads to the creation of a lot of backstory that wasn't in the movies, and several dialogue-heavy passages, particularly in the first half of the graphic novel.

At the same time, there are also several segments in the "novel" where the artists and the adapter tell...more

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Jul 26, 2012 the golden witch. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, preview-only, best-of-12, ebook, edelweiss, manga-and-comics, reviewed, sexy-tiems, crime

NOTICE: THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE PREVIEW EDITION ONLY.

Thanks to DC Comics and Edelweiss, I was able to read the preview (the first 24 pages/first issue?) of this adaptation. It's fabulous! The art nails everyone dead on, and the actual adaptation of the text from the book is pretty much the exact same thing. I loved this. I want more.

Hardcore "Millennium" fans are going to love this version of the story - I guarantee it just based on this preview alone. Any issues you might have had with the film...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Kristin Fletcher-spear rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, adult, graphic-novel

For someone who didn't absolutely love the novel, I sure have seen or read a lot of this story. I bought it for a my library's graphic novel collection for adults and wanted to see how graphic the violence truly gets. This incarnation of the story is a graphic novel. It follows the novel more so than the movies though some parts feel much faster than others. The character designs are well done for the most part. If you read my review of the novel, you will see that I don't like Lisbeth at all as...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Holly Letson rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: edelweiss, manga-challenge, mangas, movie-related

I put off doing this review for 3 hours or so now, since I don't like giving books terrible reviews. But, sometimes, it is just inevitable, and must be done, nevertheless. Finishing this GN at all was a real struggle for me. It was a terrible book with terrible art (except for the cover girl, as she looked awesome all the way through the GN!) and a story that bounced all over the place. It was far too busy for my liking.
The one part I did actually like was when she tied the guy up and tattooed...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, galley

I wasn't sure this would be adaptable into graphic novel form, but Denise Mina did a great job, I thought. I even learned something about the beginning of the book that I missed from previously reading the actual book because it wasn't bogged down in 60 pages of court proceedings.

I liked that it wasn't as graphic as I was expecting it to be. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty graphic, but it's not as bad as the movies.

I liked how they characterized Mikael and Lisbeth and how they didn't make...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Meg rated it 2 of 5 stars

Lisbeth’s character seems too tame in the beginning of the graphic novel. I don’t picture her to wear makeup, cry little mascara tears, or be such a socialite and go out dancing. She’s presented as nominally socially functional with the people she interacts with (giving social advice to Plague/ actually exchanging words with Bjurman). It seemed out of character to me. She’s such a great, strong female character in Larsson’s novel and I think she loses a lot of what makes her great in the transit...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Lida rated it 2 of 5 stars

So, this wasn't the whole book, this was just a preview of the graphic novel that will be coming out. I won't be reading it. It was kind of confusing. I haven't read the actual book and read the first few pages to compare it to the graphic novel and the book makes much more sense. Maybe I like words too much to be the graphic novel type. If I were obsessed with this story and had read the books, I might be all over this, but a friend of mine who read the books read this and found that the pictur...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Lianne (The Towering Pile) Lavoie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, library-books, mystery, read-in-2012

This is the first of what will be a six-volume graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy. It basically covers the part of the first book before Mikael and Lisbeth cross paths.

The one issue I had with this graphic novel is that a few too many liberties were taken with the plot for my liking. For example, in the novel, Lisbeth gets a new guardian because Palmgren had a stroke. In this book, Palmgren is shown talking to Lisbeth about her new guardian, seemingly perfectly fine. B...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, library-book, mystery, 2012, current-fiction, suspence, series

The pales in comparison to the novels and the graphic novels differ a little bit. The one thing that seriously bothered me (enough to give it a 2 star rating)- the product placement of Apple. I get having Lisbeth buy a Mac...that's not my complaint. The phones all look like iPhones, all laptops look like Macs, and even the desktops look like Macs. It was just a little too much for me. Other than that, this was ok. The graphic novel is pretty dark, but not as dark as the book. I am a fan of the s...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cutting down this complex story that follows its main characters separately in the beginning was quite a challenging risk, but one which is done quite successfully in this first of two graphic novels, adapted from the late Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” the first book in the Millennium trilogy.

Well told and well illustrated, I’d have been pulled into this drama even if I hadn’t already been familiar with this story from its full-length novel and two successful film adaptation...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Marc Leroux rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: _hardcover, graphic-novels, fiction, library, mystery-suspense

A good read. Not great, but good enough to get me to buy the second part when it comes out. The story is very abbreviated, and I'm not sure that anyone that hasn't read the original will be able to follow it. For someone who has read the original, and can fill in the missing pieces and enjoys the graphic novel media, it's a good read. This covers the first part of the book (which I found slow as well) and while it is easy to pick holes in any adaption, this is relatively good.
One sticking point...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Stefu Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, mystery

I received this book through Goodreads' First Reads program.

I am maybe one of the few people that will read this graphic novel before reading the novel. Given that perspective, I will say this:

I want to read the novel.

I enjoyed the corporate intrigue, the family drama, and the psychological aspect of humanity.

This particular medium of presenting the story works quite well. I thought the artwork was great and the panels were well done.

Certainly a must-read for fans of the novel, but also a probab...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Scott Pilgrim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, arc, e-books, edelweiss

Good but I definitely prefer the book!

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Dec 24, 2012 Brittany Rivera rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Having read the entire "Girl" series and seen both versions of the film (each are great in their own different way), I can say I was disappointed with this graphic novel version. I appreciate the attempt at visualization and some panels were really well done, but it glosses over many important story points and will be confusing for anyone who has never read the book before. I say watch the movie if anything since the books are rather dense; reading this version will only give you the sparknotes...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Jason (FNORDinc) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, arc, graphic-novel, reviewed, reviewed-on-fnordinc

I want to say I was “disappointed” but I wasn’t really, I do not know that I had any real reaction to this. The thing is that there was nothing here that really stood out as either above par or under par, it just existed.

With an international bestseller, the posthumous glory of the author has to top out someplace. This graphic novel was not that pinnacle, in fact, it might be a sign of the end. After world wide book translation, successful foreign films, unneeded US films, a lackluster graphic n...more I want to say I was “disappointed” but I wasn’t really, I do not know that I had any real reaction to this. The thing is that there was nothing here that really stood out as either above par or under par, it just existed.

With an international bestseller, the posthumous glory of the author has to top out someplace. This graphic novel was not that pinnacle, in fact, it might be a sign of the end. After world wide book translation, successful foreign films, unneeded US films, a lackluster graphic novel seems like the next step before lunchboxes and old-navy baby t-shirts.

It isn’t that the story became bad when this was created, it is just that there was nothing new. It doesn’t translate well to the format. The original plot-line of the novel is DRY DRY DRY. the only thing that drives the plot is Lisbeth’s tale. to be honest, most people could give a rats ass about the Millennium story-line in the beginning.

The actual written conversion to Graphic Novel was well done, but bland. This is not the fault of the adapter, it is a bland story until you reach a certain point. Volume 1 effectively details the first half of the original plot… which mainly sucked. This graphic novel starts to get interesting about three quarters in, which is to be expected based on said original novel plot. Unfortunately, I am not sure how this will help keep readers engaged. Many people gave up on the book before getting deeply into it.

Graphic novels are known for sometimes carrying slow plot-lines, it can be effective for bolstering tough stories by pairing them with stunning artwork to help ensure interactive readership. This failed in that regard. The beautiful cover work created by Lee Bermejo is not indicative of the artwork inside by Manco and Mutti. It is not that the art is bad, it just is not awesome. All pages not focused on Lisbeth were meh at best, or lacking pop and density at worst. The pages looked historic and dated. there was a real missed opportunity here to stand out.

Parents should keep in mind that this is NOT a children’s story.. The pages dealing with rape and mutilation should be enough to snatch this from your kids grasp should you see them reading it. If that is not enough for you, the undercurrent themes of parricide might do it.

-- FNORDinc.com
originally reviewed at: http://fnordinc.com/2012/12-17/review...(less)

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About Denise Mina

Denise Mina was born in Glasgow in 1966. Because of her father's job as an Engineer, the family followed the north sea oil boom of the seventies around Europe
She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs, including working in a meat factory, as a bar maid, kitchen porter and cook.
Eventually she settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty one sh...more

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Vol. 1 (Millennium: The Graphic Novels book 1, volume 1)

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