Mini Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Graphic Novels #1.1 & #1.2

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Denise Mina, Leonardo Manco, Andrea Mutti, Stieg Larsson
Series: Millennium: The Graphic Novels #1.1
Publisher: Vertigo, a trademark of DC Comics
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 146
Format/Source: Hardback Graphic Novel/Library

Age Group/Genre: Adult/Mystery, Thriller

DC Comics/Vertigo will publish the official graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy,” starting in Fall 2012 with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, the international publishing phenomenon. Each book in the “Millennium Trilogy” will be adapted in two hardcover graphic novel volumes.Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads.)

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Denise Mina, Leonardo Manco, Andrea Mutti, Stieg Larsson
Series: Millennium: The Graphic Novels #1.2
Publisher: Vertigo, a trademark of DC Comics
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 160
Format/Source: Hardback Graphic Novel/Library

Age Group/Genre: Adult/Mystery, Thriller

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. Years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. Mikael hits a dead end in the case, so to help, he brings in Lisbeth Salander, a fearless pierced and tattooed punk prodigy. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

Written by Denise Mina (John Constantine, Hellblazer) with art by Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti, Book 2 of Stieg Larsson’s international publishing phenomenon The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo picks up the story following Lisbeth’s final confrontation with her “guardian,” Nils Bjurman. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads.)

I enjoyed these adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s novel, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but I didn’t write too many notes down as I was reading them. So I’m just going to make this a mini review and share some of my notes with you:

I really like the artwork, especially the covers.
Gotta love men telling women they don’t eat enough. And this was a pretty good character, too! (In #1.1)
The parts with Lisbeth and her evil guardian are SO HORRIBLE, no matter if I’m reading them in the original book, or watching the scenes in the movies, or reading these graphic novels.
I really like how it shows how haunted Lisbeth is after certain events. (I won’t go into it because spoilers.)
It is NOT a good idea to read these graphic novels (or the original books, either) at night when everyone else in your house is asleep. I was so creeped out!
The panels in both volumes were kind of hard to read at times, because of the placement of the speech bubbles. I would read one person’s dialogue first, when I was supposed to read the other person’s first. It was just kind of confusing.

My rating for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo graphic novels #1.1 and #1.2:

3.5 stars each. I thought the artwork was great, and they followed the story quite well, but I didn’t love them and the panels were hard to read at times.