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 Harry's comic transition Jul 25, 2009
I have to say that in spite of my current manga obsession, comic books have never been a preferred medium of choice for me. Because of this, along with my not so wonderful experiences with manga/graphic novel interpretations of books I've read so far, it is true to say I was a bit apprehensive about starting this. However, over the last couple months I've become quite fond of Harry Dresden and his universe so my curiosity won out over any reluctance I may have had.
I was actually surprised that I kind of enjoyed the story. I wasn't thrilled with the artwork generally speaking (not saying anything was wrong with it, it just doesn't jive with my personal preferences) but Dresden's ironic, self-depreciating wit managed to come through in the short narratives and dialog and the mystery itself was interesting. I especially liked Moe the gorilla.
There are some interesting tidbits at the end of the graphic novel, or comic book as Mr. Butcher insists it be called, such as a cover gallery and concept artwork. Although the comic book feel artwork wasn't my cup of tea I will admit that I did like the "variant covers" which appeared to take both the artwork of the original Dresden novels along with some real life photography, and with a bit of photoshopping made them quite atmospheric and something I really wouldn't mind seeing turned into wall posters.
Overall, this is one of the better book to comic/manga adaptations I've seen so far and I would be willing to take a peek at more original Dresden stories in this format.
 Interesting read. Jul 10, 2009
I'm familiar with Butcher's Dresden Files, but I've never read any of the books. Reading the graphic novel, thus, became my first Dresden experience, and it's a bit of a mixed bag.
Welcome to the Jungle follows none other than the infamous Harry Dresden, sorcerer extraordinaire turned mystical detective, as he takes on yet another case: a brutal murder at the Chicago zoo with too many unanswered questions for the poor Chicago PD to handle; that's why they've called Dresden, because his specialty is with the supernatural. As Dresden investigates, he starts to learn that there's far more to this case than meets the eye, beyond the typical otherworldly things. The more he digs, the more he comes to realize that he's dealing with forces greater than his own, forces that could kill him if he's not too careful.
Welcome to the Jungle is a fairly stand-alone tale. One doesn't need to have read any of the Dresden books to get a clear picture of who Harry Dresden is or what he does. This might mean that fans of the novels may find this graphic novel a tad redundant, but I understand the reason for trying to make this graphically visualized addition to a popular series separate from the books--it is touching on a new market, and leaving them high and dry would be comparable to career suicide.
That said, there is much to be admired about Welcome to the Jungle. The artwork is fairly standard as far as American comics are concerned, with a glossy, bright coloration and American-style structuring of characters. I'm not a big fan of American-style comic art, but it seems to work particularly well for Dresden. He has that ruggedness that American comics tend to demonstrate both in character and build. My only criticism of the artwork, and with the characterization, is the stereotyping of women in this piece, something I would have thought had gone out of style years ago.
The story is nothing to get excited about, but I suppose that Welcome to the Jungle is less about the complexity of plot and character development, and more about the injection of noir elements to produce a grungy, updated fantastic detective story. It seems to work, though a deeper plot could have helped pull things out from the "shock-and-awe" jumps that existed in the plot.
My biggest issue with Welcome to the Jungle (which, by the way, is the name of a song by an rather popular 80s rock band) is the way the dialogue is structured. Much of the story is told through Dresden's internal thoughts, which might not be a problem except where his thoughts point out the glaringly obvious. In novel form, these sorts of thoughts would certainly work well to establish Dresden's voice, but here it is irritating. We can see most of the detail in the image; telling us about such things in Dresden's mind is redundant.
Overall, I think current fans of the novels would enjoy Welcome to the Jungle. While it is far from perfect, it doesn't lack in interesting elements, and would have much to offer people who are already familiar with Butcher's fiction. New readers might not enjoy it nearly as much, but I suppose that depends on your tastes in graphic novels/comics. As it is, Welcome to the Jungle is an entertaining read.
 God love Jim Butcher AND Harry Dresden Jul 04, 2009
I had never heard of the Harry Dresden Files until my son told me about the short-lived television series. I was a fan from the first time I watched it. Immediately thereafter, I started ordering all his books. I believe I just ordered the most recent two in the series. I can honestly say this is one of the most original characters I have read in a long time. For someone who's read thousands of books over the years, that's quite an endorsement for Mr. Butcher and his wizard.
What's even more fun is that the author is a "neighbor." Although his wizard is in Chicago, Mr. Butcher is just a stone's throw away. Kinda nice to have an author in the neighborhood.
Keep 'em coming.
Yes, it's unfair, but ... Jul 03, 2009
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is a graphic novel that takes place in professional wizard Harry Dresden's early days as a freelance consultant for the Chicago Police Department. As in the rest of the Dresden Files series, diminutive detective Karrin Murphy is Dresden's often-skeptical, sometimes friendly liaison with the PD. In this particular adventure, Dresden encounters an evil somebody/something that is attempting to perform one of those all-too-familiar rite of ascension things (happens all of the time in "Buffy"), using the Chicago Zoo as a base of operations. The police think that the gorilla did it, but they're wrong. Can Harry find the big nasty and at the same time clear the poor gorilla? And how's about that cute zoologist?
Overall, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is just OK. There's not a lot to the story, although it does give us some glimpses into Harry's deep dark past. The artwork is fine, but doesn't do anything for me. You can't fault WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE for being a graphic novel, that's just what it is. Nevertheless, if you're a Dresden Files fan and not a comic book/graphic novel fan, you can't help being disappointed at how little you get in this package.
Recommended mainly for hardcore fans and for graphic novel fans. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE does not presume knowledge of the Dresden Files universe and so is perfectly suitable for newbies.
Dresden Files Jun 28, 2009
Love Jim Butcher's characters....always a new turn in the road and I love how Dresden just doesn't give up. Have the whole series
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