Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics 2018
Based on the Novel by Stieg Larson
Written by Sylvain Runberg
Illustrated by Belen Ortega
Lettered by Phillipe Glogowski
Translated by Rachel Zerner
Previously:
With the truth of Sweden's insidious sex abuse ring revealed and their leader dead, Lisbeth Salander was free to walk the streets again, with her name cleared and without fear of what was waiting around the corner. Mikael Blomkvist, Salander's confidant and Millennium's lead journalist, published her story and watched his career and the magazine he cared so much for go from strength to strength.
But the peace can't last for long…
One of the things that I really like about these adaptations is how close they get to being the novel itself. The other is how Stief himself was a journalist and writer himself who saw what was happening in the world and put down a fictionalised version of the truth that he saw. These are completely modern and relevant to today’s world not just in Sweden. It really is kind of scary as to just how real this is and that scapegoats are railroaded and forced down our throats so that even though innocent the public wouldn’t be able to believe that. Don’t get me started on the immigrant and hate groups but then again without them their wouldn’t be these ultra-secret organizations that kidnap folks with seeming impunity.
Still with what Sylvain has to work with and what chooses to use in this medium I have to admire him for it. The story here is dynamic, shocking and incredibly human interest so that the characters and their characterisation are brought to life making them feel real, as if this were a documentary and not a comic. Also this is 60 pages of goodness and it wouldn’t bother me any if it were 100, I would still probably think it could be longer. There are few franchises where you feel as if there is never enough space or story for it to be told and this fits into that category. For all the longing of wanting more Sylvain does a masterful job interpreting this into it’s current form.
I am fan of Belen’s work on the interiors here as well. There’s a great sense of style and attention to detail that I am loving with this and the manipulation of the linework so we see so much delicate parts come to life like do is sensational. The faces of these folks are amazingly well done and they have that comic realness to them that makes them individuals and yet isn’t so real that they look like they are based on real people. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a great eye for storytelling. Backgrounds come and go as needed and I can’t complain about that since they are used rather effectively.
I love the characterisation that we get. From Lisbeth and Blomkvist naturally but from the supporting characters and the villains as well. I call them villains and in a sense they are but the are certainly an affront to people who don’t think genocide is the answer to a problem. The other hackers in Lisbeth’s squad are being fleshed out nicely but really it’s Erika who’s personality seems to have been revealed the most. I mean correct me if I am wrong she’s happily married and that Micke’s source is Lisbeth shouldn’t be a problem for her. However it is a problem for her, sigh this is going to get messy and soon but then again I can’t wait to see that either.
In a world of secrets nothing and no one is safe from Lisbeth and Blomkvist when they work together. Power of the press is a real thing regardless that some would call the truth Fake News to make themselves look better (or much more stupid) it’s all about swaying public opinion. Facts however are not what they used to be but that doesn’t stop our intrepid heroes as they risk life and limb to expose those who plans will do the most harm.