Title: Artemis Fowl: the Graphic Novel by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin and illustrated by Giovanne Rigand and color by Paulo Laminna
Genre: Fiction - Graphic Novel
Targeted Age: Ages 10-12
Plot Summary: This title has transformed the original Artemis Fowl book into a graphic novel. Artemis is a 12 year old genius who has followed in his Fowl family legacy to be a criminal mastermind. He has been using all of his resources to track down real fairies and manages to kidnap one. He and his bodyguard Butler find themselves battling multiple magical creatures in their quest to obtain fairy gold.
Justification for book choice: This book was a favorite of my children and we enjoyed listening to the audio versions. I had not read graphic novel version previously, and after the disappointing movie version I was not looking forward to a different written version. But I was pleasantly surprised. While of course the dialogue and details were reduced, using the graphic novel version was able to capture all of the important details.
Evaluation:
Illustrations: The illustrations in this graphic novel version really brought a gangster feel to the book. Fowl manor is a darkened setting, not a cheerful place. So many details were included in the drawings that additional narration was not needed. For instance, the images of Artemis' office show lots of technology but also piles of books, papers, notes, images, etc that all indicate that he has been studying a lot of resources. Aside from a understated mention of some hard copies of images on the wall, the images speak for themselves. The use of including secret files and documents about characters was a creative way to add details about the characters in a single page.
Pacing: The graphic novel format kept the story moving at a quick pace. A few pages included information that needed some extra reading, however, it was a fast way to explain character traits, such as why Butler was so skilled as a body guard. I liked that the dialogue was often brief because it added to the pace. Narration boxes were also kept at a minimum. This is an action filled story and it was able to include all of the important events from the original book.
Characters: This book is the first in a series. It is where the main characters that will be seen throughout the following books are introduced. Having read the original versions first, I feel that the basic elements of each of the main characters was covered. Artemis' genius is well described and observed. While being introduced as a criminal, there is also a softer side when it comes to his mother. Butler and his sister Juliet are given backgrounds that leave you wanting more, but that is also the allure to their family history of being body guards. The magical creatures are briefly introduced and we understand Holly more than any of them. They are pretty well rounded out as much as the original title provided.