Hard Case Crime/Titan Comics 2018
Based on the Novel Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
Written by Sylvain Runberg
Translated by Rachel Zerner
Illustrated by Belen Ortega
Lettered by Phillipe Glogowski
THE STORY SO FAR
Lisbeth Salander's peace never lasts, and the new family she'd built for herself shattered when Trinity was kidnapped. It's not long before Hacker Republic is on the Säpo's trail, but Salander's detective skills led her to a discovery she wasn't expecting. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist is investigating the rise of the fascist, racist roots behind the Swedish Republican Party. Relying on Salander's Intel risks putting his personal life on the line, but he knows the exposé – and the chance to reunite with Salander – is worth it…
This series has been absolutely amazing to read. I cannot sing the praises of Sylvain enough when it comes to his adaptation skills here. This has been so good that I went out and bought the entire series and subsequently gave to my father to read and we both loved it! So this from Titan is what the power of storytelling can do. It sparks something within the reader and moves them to read the original source material and when you find someone who do an adaptation that is so influential to a reader well that is a source you don’t want to pass up on.
The way that this is paced is stunning to me. I know these are oversized issues and that’s freakin awesome and helps with how much can be told and used in the issue. The whole thing reads like one huge action/adventure film and you have no idea what’s going to happen at any given moment except that somehow in some way Lisbeth and Blomkvist are going to come out on top. Still trying to keep up with Lisbeth’s mind is exciting and frustrating and it really rivals that of any person in comics you can think of. Honestly I think with her skills she’d give Batman a run for his money as intuitively she’s just that strong.
Also I really do enjoy this complex and complicated relationship that the two of them have. Lisbeth has a temper and when she finds something she’s like a dog with a bone and forgets manners or friendships because she is that focused on what SHE is doing. When trouble finds her and she needs help the only one she turns to is Bomkvist who lives for the chance that meeting up with her brings. The adrenalin rushes and the story that brings him more fame and notoriety. They feed off each other and then there’s the sexual tension as well which just heightens each of their experiences with one another.
I like the interiors here. Yes they are much more suited to comic books in style but there is still this fabulous degree of work to create individuality with the characters. There is some very nice manipulation of varying weights in the linework that helps to create so gorgeous work. The emotions and feelings we get from what we see is invaluable to the enjoyment of the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a very good solid eye for storytelling. Plus the judicious use of backgrounds is well done to me as they do such wonders expanding the story and giving the reader a sense of size and scope of the whole thing. The creativity and imagination is fun to see and that Diner to me kind of sums up how much I really enjoy what I'm seeing.
With a focus shift on a different kind of villainy that we’re used to seeing the sheer fact that we can see this kind of story published is special. No longer can anyone who’s got a deviant or subversive nature be able to hide instead we can see what kind of people they are through the clues and characterisation that we see here. The real world and the world of fiction cross lines here with a perfect example of what it means to stand up for what you believe in against those who are in positions of power and want to use that corruptly. Nike got it wrong they should’ve used Lisbeth and Blomkvist.