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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo #1: Preview
Get an advance look at the Vertigo graphic novel adaptation of the international best-selling thriller, scheduled to hit shelves November 2012, and featuring the work of acclaimed author Denise Mina! Delve into the dark mystery of the Vanger family, as disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to uncover the truth behind a teenage girl's disappearance over forty years ago.
25 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2012
88 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Denise Mina
110 books2,536 followersDenise 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 she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.
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 she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 15, 2016
It catches you in any form
I think it is the magic of the story that be it in its translated version, movie or even in comic form..the book just gets you and hooks you bad.
Just as with all its forms the prologue is perfectly intriguing and with an amazing art works and smooth flow, it is definitely worth the time
I think it is the magic of the story that be it in its translated version, movie or even in comic form..the book just gets you and hooks you bad.
Just as with all its forms the prologue is perfectly intriguing and with an amazing art works and smooth flow, it is definitely worth the time
September 12, 2021
Looks like the beginning of a good adaptation.
I’ve now seen one of the films (just Craig/Mara/Fincher, so far) and read the Millennium trilogy. This looks well begun.
I’ve now seen one of the films (just Craig/Mara/Fincher, so far) and read the Millennium trilogy. This looks well begun.
August 4, 2023
Enjoyed this one, the graphics are great, Lisbeth Salander one of my favorite characters and will continue to read the rest of the authors series on Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy.
November 15, 2017
Good
Nice preview. Seems true to the novel. Is extremely well drawn. Not sure if I will continue with the series but I liked what I saw.
Nice preview. Seems true to the novel. Is extremely well drawn. Not sure if I will continue with the series but I liked what I saw.
July 9, 2019
Awesome
Fantastic mystery and riddles everywhere, nice drama and relationship chaos. Would love to read anytime and suggest to everyone who loves drama
Fantastic mystery and riddles everywhere, nice drama and relationship chaos. Would love to read anytime and suggest to everyone who loves drama
December 28, 2023
Good mystery, gross drama
The past mystery aspect was decent enough, but most of the modern romance/drama was pretty high on my cringe/squick list.
The past mystery aspect was decent enough, but most of the modern romance/drama was pretty high on my cringe/squick list.
November 21, 2018
2 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.
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.
May 5, 2014
If you've read the Stieg Larsson original, seen the Swedish film and/or watched the David Fincher Hollywood confection, reading this can be both a blessing and a curse, as well as point to an unhealthy obsession with the Millennium Trilogy. I have done it all, and it was at first a relief to visit the most intriguing and exciting narrative of the three books at a pace set by myself, without the typographical errors and editorial frustrations of the novel (so terrible that he English translator used a pseudonym).
The illustrations are excellent, although it's not hard to discern very standard comic book characteristics - Salander as every geekboy's ultimate fantasy, Lara Croft gone Death Star dominatrix. Mikael Blomqvist suddenly has a six-pack and action hero Brad Pitt snazzy close-cropped 'do. Yet the details of each frame are never superfluous, character movements, expressions and background settings are pithy without overwhelming - particularly sympathetic and emotionally wrecking when portraying Lisbeth. If Fincher had used this comic as his storyboards, he might have saved some budget on explosives.
But the original story's convolutions and twists and depth have been condensed too much, so most of the suspense and thrill have evaporated. In particular, unraveling the clues in the newspaper pictures from the parade where Harriet Vanger was last seen it and connecting the dots between the decades-old unsolved murders are skipped through. A reader with no inkling of how many layers the actual story heaps on might think it quite one-dimensional - a crime procedural. All this to say this serves as a fun revision for fans of the series or of the artist, but what starts out as a promising premise turns out to deliver the least impact of all the channels The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has been conveyed through.
The illustrations are excellent, although it's not hard to discern very standard comic book characteristics - Salander as every geekboy's ultimate fantasy, Lara Croft gone Death Star dominatrix. Mikael Blomqvist suddenly has a six-pack and action hero Brad Pitt snazzy close-cropped 'do. Yet the details of each frame are never superfluous, character movements, expressions and background settings are pithy without overwhelming - particularly sympathetic and emotionally wrecking when portraying Lisbeth. If Fincher had used this comic as his storyboards, he might have saved some budget on explosives.
But the original story's convolutions and twists and depth have been condensed too much, so most of the suspense and thrill have evaporated. In particular, unraveling the clues in the newspaper pictures from the parade where Harriet Vanger was last seen it and connecting the dots between the decades-old unsolved murders are skipped through. A reader with no inkling of how many layers the actual story heaps on might think it quite one-dimensional - a crime procedural. All this to say this serves as a fun revision for fans of the series or of the artist, but what starts out as a promising premise turns out to deliver the least impact of all the channels The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has been conveyed through.
September 30, 2013
You know I think I am over the "let's adapt this amazing novel into a (drum roll) graphic novel" phase. Well I'm over it as far as the time comes when another crappy adaptation comes out on film and then I'm back to the GN. While it doesn't completely apply to this series. Frankly the Swedish version of the films are perfect. The US one does an excellent job. It's only real issue in my book is that there aren't enough Swedes and I had no issues with the subtitles from the first iteration. And that still doesn't mean I didn't like it. If I could've known how fantastic Rooney Mara wasn't going to play Miss Salander I'm not sure I would've ever even picked up the other.
Anyway back to the GN. It's good. There's not doubt about it but it's not good enough for me to go out and pick up every book in the series. Also I do find it curious how many people have commented on the art getting a bit lax towards the end of the first volume. Since I've only got the free preview I'm not going to, nor can I judge that, but it does make me curious.
If you're curious. Go and get the free DC or Comixology apps and pick up the preview. It's worth a look.
And yes that cover is brilliant. I have found myself staring it it a few times just marveling. Extra props to Lee Bermejo whom I'm finding out I don't mind sharing parts of his brain on the page so much ;-)
Anyway back to the GN. It's good. There's not doubt about it but it's not good enough for me to go out and pick up every book in the series. Also I do find it curious how many people have commented on the art getting a bit lax towards the end of the first volume. Since I've only got the free preview I'm not going to, nor can I judge that, but it does make me curious.
If you're curious. Go and get the free DC or Comixology apps and pick up the preview. It's worth a look.
And yes that cover is brilliant. I have found myself staring it it a few times just marveling. Extra props to Lee Bermejo whom I'm finding out I don't mind sharing parts of his brain on the page so much ;-)
June 17, 2014
In a horrible childhood she managed to find her true soul.
October 27, 2014
Awsome
good read would recommend
has a little bit of everything keeps u on your toes an is very entertaining :)
good read would recommend
has a little bit of everything keeps u on your toes an is very entertaining :)
May 25, 2015
Read for a book club - my first graphic novel. I thought it was ok, didn't realize it was only the first part of the story.
June 28, 2015
The author keeps you glued to the book. there's always something happening.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews