Harry Dresden is Chicago’s only professional wizard. You can find him in the Yellow Pages, under W (for ‘wizard’). He’s also a private investigator the main character of the long running The Dresden Files novels, also written by Jim Butcher. The novels are a mish mash of hard-boiled detective fiction and fantasy elements, all wrapped up in the sarcastic humor that results from Harry Dresden‘s first person narrative. They are, in short, some pretty fantastic urban fantasy, and I’ve read all but one (Side Jobs), but I have never picked up a comic featuring Chicago’s only professional wizard.

So how does the character translate to comics?

Surprisingly well, actually.

Set, as near as I can tell, somewhere between the novels White Night and Proven Guilty, Down Town finds Harry Dresden again facing another threat to Chicago. Originally published earlier this year as a six issue miniseries, Down Town is an original adventure that’s written – at least in part – by Jim Butcher. This undoubtedly helps with the series capturing the feel of the novels, right down to the characterizations and even the mental image I have of the characters. As an original entry into The Dresden Files, Down Town holds up fairly well. It isn’t the longest of stories in comparison to some of the novels, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth reading.

Featuring appearances from the characters that many familiar with the novels would expect, this collected edition really hits all the points that Dresden fans would expect; the customary wit of the lead character, some of the various lovable and not so lovable supporting cast. Although for those not as steeped in the novels, or for those who have never read the novels, however, the supporting cast may seem a bit overwhelming. We’re not given as much of a back story to some of the characters as they turn up, which may make it tough for those unfamiliar with Harry Dresden‘s world to find their way. 

When comparing The Dresden Files: Down Town to a novel of The Dresden Files, I found that the graphic novel feels like a simpler story, which isn’t a criticism, as it allows Jim Butcher and Mark Powers to craft a tale that is perfectly suited to a different medium. By embracing the size constraints of the six issue minis series, the writers haven’t tried to force a full novel length tale into a smaller page count, and Down Town is all the stronger for it. The story doesn’t always strictly follow the same first person narrative of the books, but in this case that works, allowing us to glimpse scenes and characters in situations uninfluenced by the smart ass wizard we all know and love. Yes, it’s a shorter and simpler entry into the world of The Dresden Files, and set between two books as it is you know there’s no real danger to the wizard’s life, but that doesn’t make the story any less enjoyable.

The art work from Carlos Gomez is also very good for this collection, his ability to capture the facial expressions of Dresden‘s apprentice and dog was something that I really enjoyed. It was also very interesting to see how Gomez interpretation of the world of The Dresden Files matched up to my own mental image, and I enjoyed seeing a world that up until now I had only seen in my imagination depicted on the page. A large part of my enjoyment in seeing that world come to life was also down to the superb colouring of Mohan; the magical elements of the graphic novel really shine because of the colours applied to the line work, and the mood of the story is enhanced by Mohan‘s work.

Overall, this is a really enjoyable collection, both for fans of the novels and comic fans who may have never read a novel of The Dresden Files, and I’m really happy that I was able to give it a read. I’ve mentioned already that The Dresden Files: Down Town hits all the points that you’d be looking for in a story set in Harry Dresden‘s world; it’s not an adaptation of a previous novel, and for that, I’m glad. It meant I wasn’t comparing it to a novel that I had already read and enjoyed, and so I was able to allow the graphic novel to stand alone on its own merits.

And it does that very well indeed.

Story: Jim Butcher, Mark Powers Art: Carlos Gomez  Colours: Mohan
Story: 8.5 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy a FREE copy for review.