denise mina - Graphic Policy

Tag Archives: denise mina

Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Volume 2

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Brett

Vertigo presents the concluding volume of the official graphic novel adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!

In the second volume, the mystery of Harriet Vanger’s disappearance deepens as crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the indomitable Lisbeth Salander join forces to crack the decades-old case. Together they uncover a twisted secret that may end up costing them their lives.

This second volume concludes the first book in the Millennium Trilogy. I didn’t read the first volume of this, nor read the original material, but I did see the American movie. Because of that, I was able to figure out what was going on.

To start with, I had issues with the movie. As a whole, despite all the buzz and praise and hype, I didn’t get it. To me it came off as an average crime story with a lot of rape. Nothing special at all, an average movie, an average story.

This second volume matches up pretty well to what I remember from the movie. Some things are a bit different, but as an adaptation, the volume does a good job. It hits the major notes I remember. But, having had issues with the source material to begin with, of course I have similar issues here too. That’s not the fault of writer Denise Mina at all.

The art is interesting, it switches between Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti. The back and forth actually bothered me. It’s clear their styles were used for different situations, but a coherent look would have suited me better. There was enough of a difference I noticed.

Overall, this is for folks who are diehard fans and want even more, or those who want to check out the story, but don’t want to read the original books or see either of the movies.

Story: Denise Mina Art: Leonardo Manco, Andrea Mutti
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

Vertigo provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Graphic Novel To Hit Shelves In November 2012

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Brett

Official Press Release

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO GRAPHIC NOVELTO

HIT SHELVES IN NOVEMBER 2012

DC Entertainment Announces Top-Notch Creative Team Including

Denise Mina, Lee Bermejo, Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti

NEW YORK, NY, January 11, 2012 – Best-selling comic book and graphic novel publisher DC Entertainment announced today the creative team for the highly-anticipated new graphic novel based on Stieg Larsson’s international sensation THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Crime author Denise Mina will write the book, with the cover image created by Lee Bermejo and art from Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti. DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint is working closely with the estate of Stieg Larsson and Hedlund Literary Agency to adapt the book, which will be released in November 2012.

“We’re thrilled to be adapting this incredible story into a series of graphic novels,” stated Karen Berger, executive editor, Vertigo. “Denise, Lee, Leonardo and Andrea have such great passion for the material and stylistically they’re a perfect match to bring it to comics life. Their beautifully dark and visceral work will certainly blow us all away.”

Scottish writer Denise Mina is the acclaimed author of DECEPTION and FIELD OF BLOOD, and is considered a leading international crime fiction novelist. Mina has also written for Vertigo’s HELLBLAZER series and most recently, she wrote A SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY graphic novel, also for Vertigo.

Lee Bermejo is fresh off the critical and sales success of graphic novel BATMAN: NOEL, a New York Times best-seller and follow-up to the 2008 hit JOKER. Bermejo has also worked numerous comic series including Vertigo’s HELLBLAZER and the Vertigo Crime graphic novels, among others.

Argentinean artist Leonardo Manco has worked extensively on Vertigo’s HELLBLAZER comic, while Italian artist Andrea Mutti first worked with Vertigo on graphic novel THE EXECUTOR, and then worked on the imprint’s popular DMZ comic series.

DC Entertainment is the worldwide leader in producing best-selling graphic novels and comic books, including best-selling Vertigo titles SANDMAN, FABLES, 100 BULLETS and ROAD TO PERDITION.

Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy is an international publishing juggernaut, with more than 60 million books sold worldwide and reaching the top of numerous best seller lists. Published by Knopf in the U.S., sales for all three books exceed 17 million copies, including digital sales of 3.5 million copies. Since September 2008, when THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was published in hardcover, Larsson’s books have been a constant presence on bestseller lists across America.

The various storylines in Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy revolve around enigmatic and dangerous computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist.

About DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

Review: A Sickness In The Family

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Brett

I’ve been a fan of Vertigo Crime‘s gritty noir graphic novels. A Sickness In The Family is the latest entry to the pretty impressive collection of comics. Written by Denise Mina with art from Antonio Fuso, the story has a very Agatha Christie feel to it and follows a family break down in a house that may be haunted.

Meet the Ushers. The parents, Ted and Biddy, Grandma Martha. The three kids, William, Amy and Sam. Just a normal family gathered around the dinner table.

Until they start dying. One by one. Each of most decidedly unnatural causes.

Is there a curse on their house, as a recently unearthed history of witchcraft in the area would suggest? Or has one of the Ushers declared open season on the rest?

As shameful secrets and bitter resentments boil to the surface, it becomes clear that more than one Usher harbors a motive for killing off the others. But in the end, the truth turns out to be far more shocking than anyone in this ill-fated family could have imagined.

The story feels very familiar, but that’s not a bad thing. There’s twists and turns and I was guessing what really was going on until the very end. And that’s a huge compliment to Mina’s writing ability. The story is written in a mix of the events unfolding and flashbacks. Not the easiest thing to pull off without tipping your hat as to how the story ends. But again, I read and read and didn’t figure it out to the end.

The art by Fusa is fantastic, top notch throughout the whole comic with each player being very unique and easily distinguishable.

This is a spooky psychological thriller and one I absolutely recommend. Vertigo Crime has quickly become synonymous with quality and this graphic novel is no exception.