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The Keep : the Graphic Novel
Graphic novel.
120 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
F. Paul Wilson
421 books1,990 followersFrancis Paul Wilson is an author, born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He writes novels and short stories primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer (1976). Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog and continued to write science fiction throughout the seventies. In 1981 he ventured into the horror genre with the international bestseller, The Keep, and helped define the field throughout the rest of the decade. In the 1990s he became a true genre hopper, moving from science fiction to horror to medical thrillers and branching into interactive scripting for Disney Interactive and other multimedia companies. He, along with Matthew J. Costello, created and scripted FTL Newsfeed which ran daily on the Sci-Fi Channel from 1992-1996.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 3, 2022
I really like The Keep....the original novel, the graphic novel & (don't laugh) even the film. Oh yes, I also have the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. This is the fourth time I've read this graphic novel, having already read the book twice & seen the film at least five times.
F Paul Wilson pretty much rehashes his novel for the graphic version, but Matthew Smith's simple & straightforward drawings add a nice new dimension to this somewhat offbeat horror story. Wilson admits he dislikes the film, which is why he released this graphic version. It's director Michael Mann (who also made Heat, The Insider etc) disowns it, even though it's his best film. Just check out Imdb for the superb cast list.
Of the three formats this graphic novel is my favourite. In fact I only took it down from the loft after a friend asked to borrow it, & ended up reading it again myself. Now that's the sign of a good story.
F Paul Wilson pretty much rehashes his novel for the graphic version, but Matthew Smith's simple & straightforward drawings add a nice new dimension to this somewhat offbeat horror story. Wilson admits he dislikes the film, which is why he released this graphic version. It's director Michael Mann (who also made Heat, The Insider etc) disowns it, even though it's his best film. Just check out Imdb for the superb cast list.
Of the three formats this graphic novel is my favourite. In fact I only took it down from the loft after a friend asked to borrow it, & ended up reading it again myself. Now that's the sign of a good story.
January 24, 2019
This is the comic adaptation of the novel. It has a lot of similarities to Hellboy even though the novel came first. It's about a keep taken over by Nazis in Romania. Every night one of them is found with their throat slit or beheaded. A Jewish professor and his daughter are brought in to discover the murderer. Matthew Dow Smith's art is almost a clone of Mike Mignola's but with less detail. All of the Nazis look the same and are hard to differentiate. Other than that he does a great job of setting a horror vibe. All in all, it's worth a quick read if you're into horror comics.
December 7, 2020
When the Nazi's are cartoons rather than characters it detracts from the story.
December 2, 2023
The Keep, written by F. Paul Wilson, was a popular horror novel published back in 1981. The graphic novel adaptation was drawn by Matthew Dow Smith and the script was written by F. Paul Wilson himself and published by IDW.
It’s April 1944 and a unit of Wehrmacht soldiers occupy an old “keep,” a fort-like structure in the Dinu Pass of Romania in the Transylvanian Alps that’s rumoured to be over 500 years old. Crosses are embedded in the walls. Men start dying mysterious deaths. Meanwhile, in Taviera, Portugal, a man wakes up after sensing a shift in the Force. He sets out by land and sea to you-know-where.
The Captain in charge of the Wehrmacht unit sends a request for help to HQ. A Major from the SS, notorious from his “success” at Auschwitz, is sent by HQ to secure The Keep. The Captain and the Major have a history together that goes back to the trenches of World War I. One man was brave, one man was a coward. Considering that one man is regular Army and the other SS, you can probably guess which man is presented as the coward. Even the highly-trained SS men begin to die.
A message in an ancient language is scrawled on the wall with blood. The caretaker offers up that there’s an old man, a Professor in Bucharest, who can translate the message. The Professor is old and sick and Jewish. He is brought to The Keep along with his daughter who is his caretaker. The Professor stalls the soldiers. The man from Portugal arrives. The murderous presence reveals itself to the Professor. The daughter instantly hooks-up with the man from Portugal.
I have read F. Paul Wilson's novel, and I have watched the critically shellacked movie, directed by Michael Mann. The writing of the graphic novel is good, and it translates most of the key plot points into the comic format. The problem is the art, which is terrible. The art style is very scratchy and the faces and figures lack definition. Nothing is drawn in any detail. It looks like the work of a teenager. Comics are a visual medium and this graphic novel adaptation fails completely in the art department. That is why I only awarded this 2 stars.
I would recommend that people read the novel because it is very good. I would take a pass on the film and comic adaptations of this story.
It’s April 1944 and a unit of Wehrmacht soldiers occupy an old “keep,” a fort-like structure in the Dinu Pass of Romania in the Transylvanian Alps that’s rumoured to be over 500 years old. Crosses are embedded in the walls. Men start dying mysterious deaths. Meanwhile, in Taviera, Portugal, a man wakes up after sensing a shift in the Force. He sets out by land and sea to you-know-where.
The Captain in charge of the Wehrmacht unit sends a request for help to HQ. A Major from the SS, notorious from his “success” at Auschwitz, is sent by HQ to secure The Keep. The Captain and the Major have a history together that goes back to the trenches of World War I. One man was brave, one man was a coward. Considering that one man is regular Army and the other SS, you can probably guess which man is presented as the coward. Even the highly-trained SS men begin to die.
A message in an ancient language is scrawled on the wall with blood. The caretaker offers up that there’s an old man, a Professor in Bucharest, who can translate the message. The Professor is old and sick and Jewish. He is brought to The Keep along with his daughter who is his caretaker. The Professor stalls the soldiers. The man from Portugal arrives. The murderous presence reveals itself to the Professor. The daughter instantly hooks-up with the man from Portugal.
I have read F. Paul Wilson's novel, and I have watched the critically shellacked movie, directed by Michael Mann. The writing of the graphic novel is good, and it translates most of the key plot points into the comic format. The problem is the art, which is terrible. The art style is very scratchy and the faces and figures lack definition. Nothing is drawn in any detail. It looks like the work of a teenager. Comics are a visual medium and this graphic novel adaptation fails completely in the art department. That is why I only awarded this 2 stars.
I would recommend that people read the novel because it is very good. I would take a pass on the film and comic adaptations of this story.
September 13, 2025
The Keep is a great book and, despite its many faults, one of my favourite films. This is a graphic retelling of the original book: written by F Paul Wilson it follows the original faithfully. The art though just didn't work and was, for me, more of a distraction than an enhancement.
May 18, 2018
nazi against monsters , i am on the monster side !!!
October 30, 2016
Finished in one sitting.
It's a novel, which was apparantly turned into a terrible film, and then (from the novel) turned into a graphic novel.
I really like the way it's drawn, very much like Hellboy (which suits the nazi theme). The decision to keep it primarily in black, gray and white was a good one, again it reflects the era and enhances the occasions colour is used.
The story is ok. Creepy castle in Transylvania and nazis. You can probably accurately guess the majority of the plot from this alone.
It looks like it was originally a 5 issue run comic, but the story at 116 pages felt cohesive and strong as the full article.
I felt that the main plot points were executed well, but I felt that the characters were executed in a weak way. I put this largely down to the comic format, in which it is very had to build characters over a relatively short run.
It's a novel, which was apparantly turned into a terrible film, and then (from the novel) turned into a graphic novel.
I really like the way it's drawn, very much like Hellboy (which suits the nazi theme). The decision to keep it primarily in black, gray and white was a good one, again it reflects the era and enhances the occasions colour is used.
The story is ok. Creepy castle in Transylvania and nazis. You can probably accurately guess the majority of the plot from this alone.
It looks like it was originally a 5 issue run comic, but the story at 116 pages felt cohesive and strong as the full article.
I felt that the main plot points were executed well, but I felt that the characters were executed in a weak way. I put this largely down to the comic format, in which it is very had to build characters over a relatively short run.
July 24, 2016
I was unfamiliar with the source text(s) of this when I picked it up in the library stacks.
It already was a book, and it was a movie, and then it became this graphic novel.
And it’s a compelling story about Nazis and Vampires (or are they something else) and ancient curses that must not be broken or evil will spread greater than the Nazis. It works as a graphic novel, but you can tell that it is a bit of a derivative product - some depth of character has been removed to make it work as a picture book. No matter, it was a fun read.
It already was a book, and it was a movie, and then it became this graphic novel.
And it’s a compelling story about Nazis and Vampires (or are they something else) and ancient curses that must not be broken or evil will spread greater than the Nazis. It works as a graphic novel, but you can tell that it is a bit of a derivative product - some depth of character has been removed to make it work as a picture book. No matter, it was a fun read.
October 27, 2013
Reduces the much richer novel to the barest bones plot, and does not give much in return. I haven't seen the film version, but if it offers even less than this it must be a bad movie indeed.
August 30, 2016
Too close to the orginal novel. A graphic novel work differently than a novel. The adversary was not at all scary and the final battle did not at all feel like anything special. I really did like the very sparse use of color :)
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September 23, 2010Keep by F. Paul Wilson (2006)
July 10, 2011
I had never heard of the author or the original motion picture which came out in the 80's. This was a really fun read, well paced and well drawn.
February 10, 2013
You have to extrapolate the religious and philosophical implications while enjoying the action. Also the time period.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews