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The Three-Body Problem: The Comic Edition
The Three-Body Problem, Part One
Amid China's Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, a covert military project establishes contact with Trisolaris, an alien planet on the brink of destruction. This sets into motion the Trisolarans' long and menacing journey to invade Earth. Meanwhile, a secret society is formed by the world's elite, broken into factions with differing motivations for aiding in the Trisolaran invasion--from saving the lives of their descendants to accelerating the destruction of humanity. Decades later, a group of scientists and a cunning detective investigate a series of mysterious suicides, leading to the discovery of this Earth-Trisolaran Organization. Humanity's battle against its greatest threat has begun...
343 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2023
5 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 1, 2025
I have absolutely no idea what's going on. I thought this might be a good intro into Cixin Liu and would give me an indication as to whether or not I should pick up the novel, but alas, I'm none the wiser.
December 27, 2024
2.5
The fact Cixin Liu endorses this graphic adaptation of his novel gave me high hopes, but the storytelling was lackluster over all.
Of course, this version is much more faithful to the Chinese original that the Netflix TV adaptation, that I actually watched recently (and that subverts a lot of the novel characters just to be more inclusive), but it still lacks some of that needed entertainment element, to a higher level.
The characters are sometimes no easy to tell apart, and this volume doesn't really get too much into the meat of it all, so it just feels vaguely entertaining, but not fully engaging.
The fact Cixin Liu endorses this graphic adaptation of his novel gave me high hopes, but the storytelling was lackluster over all.
Of course, this version is much more faithful to the Chinese original that the Netflix TV adaptation, that I actually watched recently (and that subverts a lot of the novel characters just to be more inclusive), but it still lacks some of that needed entertainment element, to a higher level.
The characters are sometimes no easy to tell apart, and this volume doesn't really get too much into the meat of it all, so it just feels vaguely entertaining, but not fully engaging.
January 22, 2025
Nyt oli kyllä niin hämmentävää settiä että ei hyvänen aika. Meni kilometrin tajuntani yläpuolelta ohitse. Taide oli nättiä, mutta harmillisesti nelivärikuvitusta jäi harvoin ihastelemaan pitkäksi aikaa eli tavallaan meni vähän hukkaan se vaiva. Mahtaakohan olla romaaninakin yhtä vaikea?
June 14, 2024
2024 Hugo Award finalist - Best Graphic Story or Comic
This seems to be a pretty faithful adaptation of Liu Cixin's book, albeit only covering about the first third. The artwork is realistic, with lots of large panels that make the book go quickly. The (well translated) dialogue and narration are for the most part kept to a minimum, although there are a few wordy expositional paragraphs. In fact, many of the panels are wordless. The book is somewhat like a storyboard for a movie. Because it's only part of the novel, it stops abruptly without even so much as a "to be continued." While this book is better than I expected, it's still just a faded copy of (part of) the novel.
This seems to be a pretty faithful adaptation of Liu Cixin's book, albeit only covering about the first third. The artwork is realistic, with lots of large panels that make the book go quickly. The (well translated) dialogue and narration are for the most part kept to a minimum, although there are a few wordy expositional paragraphs. In fact, many of the panels are wordless. The book is somewhat like a storyboard for a movie. Because it's only part of the novel, it stops abruptly without even so much as a "to be continued." While this book is better than I expected, it's still just a faded copy of (part of) the novel.
October 30, 2024
I didn't like the illustration style, colors, character rendition, or the translation. It was just a massive disappointment all around.
February 9, 2025
Just not enough "there" there (i.e. the plot is barely hinted at with lots of atmosphere and hardly any character development).
August 28, 2025
Story not grabbing me - I haven't read the original book. Artwork ok but a bit confusing at times. Won't be continuing with this series.
August 5, 2025
summer 2025 reading challenge - read a translated book/ read the first graphic novel in a series
December 21, 2024
Currently unsure if this work is well-suited to a manhua format. Art style is good but unless you are well-versed in both sci-fi AND Chinese culture, this graphic novelization may be confusing to some.
April 24, 2025
Wer kennt die SciFi Reihe rund um das 3 Body Problem von Cixin Liu?
Ehrlich, ich habe schon viel darüber gehört, auf Instagram gesehen oder im Buchladen in der Hand gehabt. Aber trotz latenten Interesse hat es nie dafür ausgereicht, dass das Buch mit zu mir nach Hause wandern durfte - weil ich nicht der passionierte SciFi Leser bin und mich in die Welten erst mal reindenken muss. Das hat mich immer abgeschreckt.
SplitterManga+ hat nun die Comic Adaption der Erfolgsreihe nach Deutschland gebracht (in 10 Bänden abgeschlossen). Was gäbe es also für einen besseren Einstieg in die Welt?
Bevor wir in die Welt entlassen werden, werden wir zunächst durch einen Brief von Cixin Liu begrüßt - der uns erst mal einordnet. Er sagt selbst, dass sein Werk bisweilen so abstrakt und utopisch ist, dass es besser als Comic dargestellt wirkt als in Romanform.
Der erste Band bewegt sich noch in der realen Welt - als Einstieg sozusagen. Er wird mehr von dem Crime- und Scienceplot bestimmt, als das die ScienceFiction Elemente groß zum Tragen kommen - was ich sehr begrüßt habe. Ich habe einen LowLevel-Einstieg lieber!
Der Crimeplot beschäftigt sich mit dem Selbstmord dutzender Wissenschaftler, die nicht mehr an die eigene Profession geglaubt haben. Wang Miao, ein Ingenieur, wird von den Ermittlern hinzugezogen, da er eine Einladung von „Frontier of Science“ erhalten hatte, den gemeinsamen Nenner der suizidalen Wissenschaftler.
Ich habe schon auf den ersten paar Dutzend Seiten bemerkt, dass die Geschichte sehr komplex und das Verhältnis der Charaktere untereinander spannungsgeladen ist und viel Zündstoff bietet. Das hat Cixin Liu sehr gut angelegt. Besonders ins Auge sticht hierbei das Verhältnis von Wang und Kommissar Shi, die sich gegenseitig immer wieder Wortgefechte liefern und vor allen Dingen Shi Wang durch seinen provozierenden Charakter immer wieder zu Höchstleistungen antreibt.
Die SciFi Elemente blitzen immer wieder durch - und ich bin schon gespannt auf die Expansion in den nächsten Bänden. Ich hoffe, die ursprüngliche Struktur bleibt zum Teil erhalten. Crime und SciFi verstehen sich unter der Feder des Autors ziemlich gut. Die Themen Physik und Wissenschaft und die immer wieder kehrenden Neujustierung von physikalischen Systematiken stehen thematisch im Vordergrund.
„3 Body Problem“ ist ein düsterer Roman - natürlich ist die Manhua-Adaption ebenfalls ziemlich düster und in weiten Teilen distanziert. Mir wurde es ein bisschen zu viel mit den düsteren Panels - aber das ist persönliche Geschmacksache.
Ich vergebe vier Sterne für die düstere Manhua-Adaption von Cixin Lius modernem Klassiker, die bei mir die Hemmschwelle für den Einstieg in seine Welt erheblich herabgesetzt hat.
Ehrlich, ich habe schon viel darüber gehört, auf Instagram gesehen oder im Buchladen in der Hand gehabt. Aber trotz latenten Interesse hat es nie dafür ausgereicht, dass das Buch mit zu mir nach Hause wandern durfte - weil ich nicht der passionierte SciFi Leser bin und mich in die Welten erst mal reindenken muss. Das hat mich immer abgeschreckt.
SplitterManga+ hat nun die Comic Adaption der Erfolgsreihe nach Deutschland gebracht (in 10 Bänden abgeschlossen). Was gäbe es also für einen besseren Einstieg in die Welt?
Bevor wir in die Welt entlassen werden, werden wir zunächst durch einen Brief von Cixin Liu begrüßt - der uns erst mal einordnet. Er sagt selbst, dass sein Werk bisweilen so abstrakt und utopisch ist, dass es besser als Comic dargestellt wirkt als in Romanform.
Der erste Band bewegt sich noch in der realen Welt - als Einstieg sozusagen. Er wird mehr von dem Crime- und Scienceplot bestimmt, als das die ScienceFiction Elemente groß zum Tragen kommen - was ich sehr begrüßt habe. Ich habe einen LowLevel-Einstieg lieber!
Der Crimeplot beschäftigt sich mit dem Selbstmord dutzender Wissenschaftler, die nicht mehr an die eigene Profession geglaubt haben. Wang Miao, ein Ingenieur, wird von den Ermittlern hinzugezogen, da er eine Einladung von „Frontier of Science“ erhalten hatte, den gemeinsamen Nenner der suizidalen Wissenschaftler.
Ich habe schon auf den ersten paar Dutzend Seiten bemerkt, dass die Geschichte sehr komplex und das Verhältnis der Charaktere untereinander spannungsgeladen ist und viel Zündstoff bietet. Das hat Cixin Liu sehr gut angelegt. Besonders ins Auge sticht hierbei das Verhältnis von Wang und Kommissar Shi, die sich gegenseitig immer wieder Wortgefechte liefern und vor allen Dingen Shi Wang durch seinen provozierenden Charakter immer wieder zu Höchstleistungen antreibt.
Die SciFi Elemente blitzen immer wieder durch - und ich bin schon gespannt auf die Expansion in den nächsten Bänden. Ich hoffe, die ursprüngliche Struktur bleibt zum Teil erhalten. Crime und SciFi verstehen sich unter der Feder des Autors ziemlich gut. Die Themen Physik und Wissenschaft und die immer wieder kehrenden Neujustierung von physikalischen Systematiken stehen thematisch im Vordergrund.
„3 Body Problem“ ist ein düsterer Roman - natürlich ist die Manhua-Adaption ebenfalls ziemlich düster und in weiten Teilen distanziert. Mir wurde es ein bisschen zu viel mit den düsteren Panels - aber das ist persönliche Geschmacksache.
Ich vergebe vier Sterne für die düstere Manhua-Adaption von Cixin Lius modernem Klassiker, die bei mir die Hemmschwelle für den Einstieg in seine Welt erheblich herabgesetzt hat.
July 16, 2024
7/11/2024 2.5 rounded up. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
7/16/2024 a graphic adaptation of Liu Cixin's bestselling sci-fi novel of the same name, which I adored. This, tho... I very much did not love this.
A large part of the problem with this adaptation of The Three-Body Problem is the fact that it strips out much of Mr Liu's writing save the dialog, which was never the strong point of the books to begin with. I'm not sure who did the translations for this into English, but it feels very workmanlike in comparison with Ken Liu's thoughtful prose translation of the original. Shorn of much of its language, the weaknesses of the source text stand out far more starkly.
I desperately loved the original T3BP when I first read it because it's very much a novel of ideas. The application of science to extraterrestrial life was mind bending. Perhaps I'm not recollecting how long it took for the original to get to that point, but I can safely say that this graphic adaptation gets to over 300 pages without a word of alien life even being suspected. In fact, this book basically seems to be about a bunch of scientists, cops and military personnel in China, running around having mysterious encounters and eventually playing video games. It's a lot of pages to convey very little story, and not very well at that.
I truly appreciate the effort to make what can feel like a dense, science-heavy novel feel more accessible to different kinds of readers. The art is meant to appeal to those who already enjoy manhua, and definitely hits that mark (even if I rolled my eyes at the stereotypical depiction of all the women being nubile and doe-eyed.) But the graphic series is even more of a slow burn than the novel itself, and feels way more abrupt in its transitions. This volume collects the first fourteen illustrated chapters, and if I hadn't already read the source material and been forced to read this for the Hugos this year, I would have abandoned this far sooner. It's not fun, and not a word is said about aliens, which is just a truly baffling choice. Like, I kinda get why they skipped the depiction of the Cultural Revolution scenes that open the novel, but without them, this is just dudes wondering after enigmatic women, visions and video games. Boring.
That said, I know of at least two other graphic adaptations of T3BP publishing in the near future, so maybe one of those does better. And I have no idea where you would buy this particular version outside of China, not that I'd recommend it, tbh. Just read Ken Liu's translation, if you're gonna read this in English. I promise that that, at least, is worth your time.
7/16/2024 a graphic adaptation of Liu Cixin's bestselling sci-fi novel of the same name, which I adored. This, tho... I very much did not love this.
A large part of the problem with this adaptation of The Three-Body Problem is the fact that it strips out much of Mr Liu's writing save the dialog, which was never the strong point of the books to begin with. I'm not sure who did the translations for this into English, but it feels very workmanlike in comparison with Ken Liu's thoughtful prose translation of the original. Shorn of much of its language, the weaknesses of the source text stand out far more starkly.
I desperately loved the original T3BP when I first read it because it's very much a novel of ideas. The application of science to extraterrestrial life was mind bending. Perhaps I'm not recollecting how long it took for the original to get to that point, but I can safely say that this graphic adaptation gets to over 300 pages without a word of alien life even being suspected. In fact, this book basically seems to be about a bunch of scientists, cops and military personnel in China, running around having mysterious encounters and eventually playing video games. It's a lot of pages to convey very little story, and not very well at that.
I truly appreciate the effort to make what can feel like a dense, science-heavy novel feel more accessible to different kinds of readers. The art is meant to appeal to those who already enjoy manhua, and definitely hits that mark (even if I rolled my eyes at the stereotypical depiction of all the women being nubile and doe-eyed.) But the graphic series is even more of a slow burn than the novel itself, and feels way more abrupt in its transitions. This volume collects the first fourteen illustrated chapters, and if I hadn't already read the source material and been forced to read this for the Hugos this year, I would have abandoned this far sooner. It's not fun, and not a word is said about aliens, which is just a truly baffling choice. Like, I kinda get why they skipped the depiction of the Cultural Revolution scenes that open the novel, but without them, this is just dudes wondering after enigmatic women, visions and video games. Boring.
That said, I know of at least two other graphic adaptations of T3BP publishing in the near future, so maybe one of those does better. And I have no idea where you would buy this particular version outside of China, not that I'd recommend it, tbh. Just read Ken Liu's translation, if you're gonna read this in English. I promise that that, at least, is worth your time.
April 6, 2025
I didn't realize this was only part of the story when I picked it up. Yes, "The Comic Edition" makes it sound like this is THE comic edition, not PART OF the comic edition, but you'd think the "1" on the cover would've clued me in. It did not.
I could mostly follow along, you know, figure out who people were, what they were doing in each panel, whatever, but there was no real story; if you read the blurb for this book, almost NONE of it shows up in this volume.
This is the only part of the blurb that is relevant to this volume: "a group of scientists and a cunning detective investigate a series of mysterious suicides." Don't get me wrong, there are no conclusions reached within these pages, but the mysterious suicides do exist and some people are investigating them and there are scientists and a detective involved. And someone plays a video game and one guy loves grinding cigarette butts on the ground.
I'd only recommend this volume to people who already know the story and like it, tbh. Or people who have access to all ten volumes from the jump. (I don't think the complete set is available in the US yet. My library only has Volume 1. So I am not those people.)
I could mostly follow along, you know, figure out who people were, what they were doing in each panel, whatever, but there was no real story; if you read the blurb for this book, almost NONE of it shows up in this volume.
This is the only part of the blurb that is relevant to this volume: "a group of scientists and a cunning detective investigate a series of mysterious suicides." Don't get me wrong, there are no conclusions reached within these pages, but the mysterious suicides do exist and some people are investigating them and there are scientists and a detective involved. And someone plays a video game and one guy loves grinding cigarette butts on the ground.
I'd only recommend this volume to people who already know the story and like it, tbh. Or people who have access to all ten volumes from the jump. (I don't think the complete set is available in the US yet. My library only has Volume 1. So I am not those people.)
April 7, 2025
Thank you to Yen Press for this review copy - my review still remains honest and without the influence of the publisher.
The Three-Body Problem is a very interesting work out of the sci-fi genre. Netflix did an interesting adaptation of it which got me interested in the novel, but I will admit that it was a bit of a tough read, so I agree with the author that a visual element to accompany the story’s strong narrative was an avenue to explore next where sci-fi elements may go over my head due to limitations. I can see the differences between all three mediums, but with the comic version, certain elements are bit slower to come up and the pick-up point doesn't match the novel. For those getting into this with the expectation of it's 1-to-1 comparison to the original novel, you will be disappointed. I am still willing to read the following volumes just to see how they continue to adapt the rest of the plot.
The Three-Body Problem is a very interesting work out of the sci-fi genre. Netflix did an interesting adaptation of it which got me interested in the novel, but I will admit that it was a bit of a tough read, so I agree with the author that a visual element to accompany the story’s strong narrative was an avenue to explore next where sci-fi elements may go over my head due to limitations. I can see the differences between all three mediums, but with the comic version, certain elements are bit slower to come up and the pick-up point doesn't match the novel. For those getting into this with the expectation of it's 1-to-1 comparison to the original novel, you will be disappointed. I am still willing to read the following volumes just to see how they continue to adapt the rest of the plot.
February 22, 2025
What would you do if you found a cryptic note that reads “physics does not exist?” Everything you knew is put into question.
Overall thoughts
I was sold from the premise. I’m a pretty hardcore sci-fi fan and indulge in it every moment I can. I’m very curious to see what twists and turns the story is going to take next.
Be warned that this is the first Volume, so you’ll likely get the answers you’re looking for in Volume 2. The ball just got rolling! I’ve caught a lot of foreshadowing in this Volume. If you get the second installment, as well, I’d advise reading both together and binge them together!
Who is this manga for
Science fiction fans will likely have a field day here! If that’s your jam, I highly recommend this story.
Check out the full review on the blog: https://yeolliestorytime.com/the-thre...
Overall thoughts
I was sold from the premise. I’m a pretty hardcore sci-fi fan and indulge in it every moment I can. I’m very curious to see what twists and turns the story is going to take next.
Be warned that this is the first Volume, so you’ll likely get the answers you’re looking for in Volume 2. The ball just got rolling! I’ve caught a lot of foreshadowing in this Volume. If you get the second installment, as well, I’d advise reading both together and binge them together!
Who is this manga for
Science fiction fans will likely have a field day here! If that’s your jam, I highly recommend this story.
Check out the full review on the blog: https://yeolliestorytime.com/the-thre...
April 4, 2025
Wow. Ich hab das Gefühl, dass ich kaum was richtig verstanden hab, haha. Dennoch find ich's super interessant und spannend! Wahrscheinlich wird es nach und nach ersichtlicher und zugänglicher.
Optisch ist's richtig gut! Wirkt wie ein gedruckter Anime für mich. Sehr detailliert, auch die Hintergründe. Die Charaktere haben sehr viel Mimik und Gestik, man merkt ihnen auch ihre Gefühlslage und Stimmung sehr gut an. Es ist ein sehr markanter Stil, der super gut dazu passt!
Der Plot wirkt hier schon komplex, aber das wird wahrscheinlich nochmal getoppt. Bin aber sehr davon angetan und freu mich schon auf die weiteren Bände!
Optisch ist's richtig gut! Wirkt wie ein gedruckter Anime für mich. Sehr detailliert, auch die Hintergründe. Die Charaktere haben sehr viel Mimik und Gestik, man merkt ihnen auch ihre Gefühlslage und Stimmung sehr gut an. Es ist ein sehr markanter Stil, der super gut dazu passt!
Der Plot wirkt hier schon komplex, aber das wird wahrscheinlich nochmal getoppt. Bin aber sehr davon angetan und freu mich schon auf die weiteren Bände!
April 15, 2025
I was excited when I saw this in the book store today and immediately had to read it.
I loved the trilogy, and hoped to enjoy the series in a new format.
They made a good decision by not starting the graphic novel the way the regular novel starts. I liked the art in general.
But the scenes were way too dark, colour wise, sometimes it was hard to make out details. It might have worked better in a bigger format.
Also I found it being dragged out and too short at the same time. When it finally gets somewhere, the book is over. If I didn't know the story already and where it goes, I probably wouldn't continue.
I loved the trilogy, and hoped to enjoy the series in a new format.
They made a good decision by not starting the graphic novel the way the regular novel starts. I liked the art in general.
But the scenes were way too dark, colour wise, sometimes it was hard to make out details. It might have worked better in a bigger format.
Also I found it being dragged out and too short at the same time. When it finally gets somewhere, the book is over. If I didn't know the story already and where it goes, I probably wouldn't continue.
June 23, 2025
I read The Three-Body Problem a few years ago, and instead of rereading it before launching into the sequel, I thought the graphic novel adapatation would help.
It does not at all.
Yes, there are beautiful illustrations (though 2 male characters look too much alike, it's confusing). But it took me a while to recognize the original novel I had read!
Cixin Liu seems to be thrilled about this adaptation, so I must have missed the whole point.
If you haven't read it as a novel, starts by the novel (not an easy one, but rewarding, with great writing), ignore the comic edition, as it's even more confusing!
It does not at all.
Yes, there are beautiful illustrations (though 2 male characters look too much alike, it's confusing). But it took me a while to recognize the original novel I had read!
Cixin Liu seems to be thrilled about this adaptation, so I must have missed the whole point.
If you haven't read it as a novel, starts by the novel (not an easy one, but rewarding, with great writing), ignore the comic edition, as it's even more confusing!
June 18, 2025
This was a highly anticipated read for me but I felt a little let down. Perhaps I need the subsequent volumes to tie it all together. Perhaps something is lost in the translation. I thought I was familiar with the plot, having watched the Netflix special. Nevertheless I felt a bit lost at the end of this. It felt as if I was barely scratching the surface.
It's the winner of all these awards, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and check out the next installments. But I'm admittedly a bit more skeptical.
It's the winner of all these awards, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and check out the next installments. But I'm admittedly a bit more skeptical.
April 23, 2025
I liked it enough that I decided to check out the actual book from the library. The book version describes images and pictures that are sometimes difficult to visualize, and the comic version did well enough to give me some ideas. I am sad that the library did not have the rest of the comic series.
July 16, 2025
Easy to read and great art but basically nothing happens. I would hope the real book is better. The best thing we get is the premise of the 3 body problem and that eventually Physics breaks down into chaos.
November 28, 2024
I just don't think this is for me.
December 30, 2024
I'm glad I was not the only reader who had no idea what was going on.
January 6, 2025
I wanted to give this a shot with the graphic novel version, but I didn't really know what was going on at all. Thinking this is just not for me!
January 19, 2025
3.25 stars
February 17, 2025
Just because one can make a book into a graphic novel doesn't mean you should.
May 2, 2025
While the visuals helped some, this felt just as choppy as the book.
May 3, 2025
A thought provoking read. Good too!
May 12, 2025
Off to a good start!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews