Titan Comics is releasing a full trade
paperback of The Girl Who Danced With Death, a full color
continuation of the story of Lisbeth Salander, based on the books
written by Stieg Larsson. The graphic novel will be available for
purchase on January 31, 2019. This will be the second time in the
past several months that fans of Lisbeth Salander will receive the
opportunity to see their beloved character in action once again. With
Fede Alvarez’s film, The Girl in the Spider’s Web released
in November and then followed up with this graphic novel adaptation,
fans of the series are sure to be reveling in the attention the
gritty heroine is receiving as of late.
Since November, because I was able to
see The Girl in the Spider’s Web, I believe I have slightly
more backstory and knowledge of the character of Lisbeth Salander
than I did previously. Unfortunately, because that has been my only
interaction with the series in any way; I still would hardly call
myself an expert. Because of that fact, I am hesitant in critiquing
too harshly, as I truly have no way of knowing if my issue lies with
the newer adaptations or with the original source material. Without
reading any of the novels, it is so difficult for me to distinguish
where my distaste comes from. I hate to be too harsh to a writer if
they are simply staying true to the original books and the original
author’s style, but without reading the books I cannot say whether
or not that is what is happening. That said, my review will only
involve my feelings on this particular graphic novel and what I did
and did not appreciate about it.
I sincerely want to like Lisbeth,
her cohorts and the story altogether. I absolutely love a badass
woman with a no nonsense attitude who has zero time to sit back
silently while there are blatant injustices happening in the world
around her. Smart, cunning and edgy, Lisbeth has all of the makings
of my kind of heroine. Unfortunately The Girl Who Danced with
Death seemed to concentrate far too much on making the piece
political than they did developing the story or any of the characters
within. While I am definitely a fan of political takes within books
and understand comics have never shied away from pushing a certain
agenda, I think there is a line that has to be watched. This
particular story felt like its entire purpose was to beat you over
the head with their political agenda, and though it’s an agenda I
personally agree with, it felt forced and unnatural. It is difficult
to find that balance when you are writing something that has a clear
socially or politically motivated tone.
Though I genuinely do
appreciate the message that Sylvain Runberg was trying to convey, as
well as the fact he is not ashamed or afraid to publish thoughts that
could anger and frustrate some people, I just simply wish it had been
done in a smoother, more natural way. I am the first person to roll
my eyes when I hear an old school comic bro complaining about comics
becoming too social and political. Comics began as a social and
political commentary, so my issue is in no way that. I applaud
writers who tackle controversial topics and are not afraid to shy
away from topics that may cause tension, but I do feel like it has to
be done in a very specific, careful way, as to not take away from a
story flow. With The Girl Who Danced With Death I felt like
both the character development and overall plot pacing was sacrificed
in order to repeatedly get a political opinion across.
The artistic endeavor that went into
this nearly 200 page graphic novel was absolutely the highlight of
the read to me. The artwork by Belen Ortega is dark, gritty and
explosive. Her action sequences were vibrant to the point it nearly
felt like you were standing there watching it happen. It is clear
Ortega understood the characters in this adaptation of Lisbeth’s
Salander’s continuing story. Each character was drawn with such a
level of detail, down to the shoes they were wearing or the jewelry
adorning their faces. Lisbeth looked edgy, dark and quite frankly,
hot as hell. Though the writing of her character didn’t necessarily
appeal to me or make me want to get to know her more, her visual
depiction definitely piqued my interest. Looks wise, she was
everything I pictured for the intelligent, smartass hacker and Ortega
did an excellent job visually with keeping your undivided attention.
The book would be worth it for fans of the series for the cover art
alone; it is stunning.
The art being so fantastic left me even
more frustrated with the story itself, as I do believe the it had
massive potential and just missed the mark. I truly want to like
Lisbeth Salander as well as her exciting, action packed adventures,
but my limited experiences with the series each time have left me
disappointed. That being said, the disappointment has left me
wondering about the original Larsson trilogy and its immense success
and cult following. I think it may be time for me to pick up the
original books before reading or watching any new continuations.
-Rachel Rutherford