The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle

First and foremost, this is exactly what it claims to be...I have knocked it two points, because it really isn't very long, and frankly overpriced for what it is. The art is fine to good. The story is a good short story quality piece, that is a nice fun read. Did I mention it was short?

I prefer written texts, that way Harry Dresden is how I imagine him. So, this is a bit light reading for Harry Dresden fans. It was enjoyable as a Harry Dresden fan, but not very meaty. It is like reading a comic book with Harry Dresden as the hero. The book is a very quick read and as such does not have as complex plot/imagery as normal Harry Dresden stories.

I'm a big fan of the Harry Dresden novels. I think one of Jim Butcher's real strengths is in creating an elaborately detailed setting. The graphic novel format seemed like light fare by comparison. I read it in about an hour and it was fun. But, I found that it left me hungry for the next novel.

My first thought was, why didn't they let the artist who penned the cover art do the entire book? The Harry Dresden on the cover looks like the Harry Dresden of my mind and as how Jim Butcher paints him in all of the books. I found the Marine-styled Dresden on the inside pages to be not at all a person I could connect with. And why do they (this artist and the SciFi series) keep missing what Murphy looks like? She's short. She's got short blond hair. While a fan of many graphic novels, I found that I just could not reconcile this presentation with the extraordinarily vivid imagery of Butcher's novels. I have to believe, as much as he said he gave the artist a lot of feedback, that he wasn't entirely pleased with the outcome. Hence no more graphic novels have come out. Stick with the Butcher books. That's all you need. As it appears a cancelled SciFi series and this one-off graphic novel have attested, nothing can beat them.

Graphic novels are hot and are now considered mainstream reading among many age groups. I'd been thinking of trying one, but didn't know where to start. When browsing an online list for author Jim Butcher, I found that he had created a comic book/graphic novel for the Dresden Files. I love that series; this would be perfect for my reading in this format.

Welcome to the Jungle is a short story set prior to the events of Storm Front, the first book in the series. A violent death has occured at the zoo, and Harry is called in by the Chicago police to consult on the investigation. Characters I've grown to love in my imagination are introduced here in vivid colours. Harry is almost as I expected, though I had imagined an older version, I didn't realize he was only in his mid twenties.

I did have to change my frame of reference while reading/looking. I'm used to books that take hours to read, this I could power through in an hour or so. I felt that if I read it that quickly I would somehow be cheating, that I needed to spend more time with it. Daughter cleared this up and told me to get with it and let it flow, that it's totally acceptable to read a graphic novel in one sitting. With this new perspective, I was able to settle in an thoroughly enjoy the story.

This is a fun format. The drawings by Ardian Syaf capture all the action and details that the limited text can't . I particularly enjoyed the images of Harry's basement office and his confidant Bob.

I'm looking forward to reading more of the series, both the books and the graphic novels.

Welcome to the Jungle (2008) is a prequel to the Dresden Files graphic novel series.

In this novel, Harry Dresden is a private investigator and a wizard. He is the only wizard in the Chicago yellow pages.

Karrin Murphy is a Lieutenant in the Chicago Police Department. She heads the Special Investigations squad.

Ron Carmichael is a Sergeant in the Chicago Police Department. He is short and tubby and always looks like he slept in his clothes. He works in the Special Investigations squad.

Dana Watson is an expert of big cats on loan to the Chicago Zoo. She is from London.

Reese is the head of the Chicago Zoo. He is very protective of his animals.

Will is the assistant to Reese. Will is very knowledgeable about the everyday running of the zoo.

In this story, a security guard is killed outside the monkey house of the Chicago Zoo. A blood trail leads to the housing of Moe, a gorilla. Headquarters wants to close the case quickly. The gorilla is their scapegoat.

Murphy hires Dresden as a concultant on the case. Harry is fairly sure that no human had killed the guard. After all, the guard had emptied his pistol at the attacker, but no other human blood was found.

Harry is certain that a supernatural creature was involved, but nothing that he has met fits the modus operandi. He decides that the murder was probably an inside job. He tries to question the zoo staff, but they are not cooperative.

Finally, Watson informs him that a rumor is going around that he has blamed the killing on Moe. She sends him to talk to Reese. Reese has already heard the rumors and gives Harry a good tongue lashing.

Finally Dresden gets a word on his own into the conversation. He says that Moe hadn't killed the guard. Reese offers him a beer and the two discuss the situation.

Harry asks Reese if anything unusual was going on within the zoo. Reese says that he is asking the wrong person. He tells Harry to wait for Will to return.

Then a women come into the office carrying a box full of papers. Seeing Harry with a beer in his hand, her mouth opens and words spill out. Harry thinks she talks faster than Reese, but manages to interrupt her. He asks if she is Will.

The woman says that Will is better than Willamena, As they pick up the papers Will had dropped, she sees Moe being very agitated. Harry tells Will to look behind herself.

A lion is standing in the doorway. It has green glowing eyes. Someone has sent it to confront Harry.

This tale takes Harry and Will back to his apartment, where she sees him light a candle with two words. She also meets Mister and they like each other. Harry explains the situation to Bob and asks for assistance.

The author admits to liking comic books as a boy. He collected Marvel comics and they are part of his motivation for writing fantasies. So he was not adverse to having his Dresden Files published as graphic novels. This is an prelude to the graphic novel series.

I also liked comic books as a teenager and still don't mind reading graphic novels. They are more exciting and colorful. However, I now prefer text novels since they leave so much to the imagination. Since this work is only available as a graphic novel, I read and enjoyed it.

Harry needs more information. The next installment in this sequence is Storm Front. However, I recommend the printed text novel Storm Front for more mature readers.

Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of wizard investigators, murder mysteries, and lots of action. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

I'm a huge fan of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files. You may not have picked up on this, since there's only really been one book in the series come out since I started doing this review blog, but I await each new release for this series with a fervor previously reserved for new Star Wars books. For me, the start of the series was the Dabel Brothers comic miniseries Welcome To The Jungle. Conveniently, this miniseries/graphic novel (depending on whether you're reading the individual issues or the hardcover collection) acts as a prequel to the first novel. Now, whether you're a longtime Dresden reader or are only just discovering the distilled pure awesomeness that is this series, I highly recommend tracking down a copy of this one.

When the Chicago PD have a case they don't know how to explain, they give it to Karrin Murphy and the Special Investigations division. When Murphy thinks there may actually be something supernatural going on, she calls in the only practicing wizard in the Chicago phone book--Harry Dresden. This time, there's a dead guard at the Chicago zoo. Throat ripped out by a beast with maniacal strength, blood everywhere...including the gorilla cage, which is why the official story is that the gorilla did it. But something doesn't fit...namely, the gorilla was still in his cage with the gate locked when the body was found. Now unless Harry can figure out just what went down the innocent ape will be euthanized and the killer will go unpunished, free to pursue his or her devilish plot....

I can't praise this enough, honestly. The writing is pure Butcher, as good as you would expect from having read the Dresden Files novels. There's all the wry asides, self deprecation, vile monsters and supernatural action that Butcher can throw at you, with the added bonus of being able to visualize the characters and situations. The visual element of the story is really put to full use, especially in the sequence where Harry is running through his list of creatures capable of the violence at the zoo. Also, Harry is freaking tall! It's one thing to have him tell you this, but to see the way he towers above all the other characters is pretty fun. This is completely consistent with the books too, which is nice. I'm not a huge fan of the collection cover, honestly, which is why I went with the cover to one of the individual issues for the top of the post.

CONTENT: Mild language. Violence, sometimes disturbing and bloody. Mild sexual innuendos, nothing too explicit.

A short story, a prequel in the Dresden Files.

My Take
Do keep in mind that I don't like graphic novels. I much prefer using my own imagination. That disclaimer aside, I did enjoy Adrian Syaf's graphics---Harry is much more good looking than I had imagined! Although the Harry pictured on the inside doesn't appear to be the one on the cover...

It's a fun, flash-bang-smash'em-up in true Dresden fashion as Harry fozares his way from one clue to the next.

The Story
The police want to pin Maurice Sandbourne's murder on Moe, the gorilla. It's clean, neat, and not supernatural. Lieutenant Murphy, however, prefers the truth.

The Characters
Harry Dresden is a professional wizard and private investigator who occasionally is hired as a freelance consultant by the Chicago PD. Well, Karrin Murphy, anyway. Dumorne is Harry's foster father, mentor, and teacher. Bob the Skull knows more about magic than Harry can imagine.

Lieutenant Karrin Murphy is with Special Investigations and hires Harry on a fairly regular basis. She does believe there are things that go bump in the night. Sergeant Ron Carmichael is Karrin's partner; he's totally unenthused about Dresden.

Dr. Reese directs the gorilla program at the zoo; Willamena "Will" Rogers is his assistant. Dr. Dana Watson is on loan from London.

Anthrophages are the inner circle of the cult of Hecate.

The Cover
The cover is black and electric green highlighting graffiti'd brick walls behind a Harry posed with his black coat, staff, and star pendant, waiting for something to leap out at him. A bright yellow draws your attention to the smallish title while a colonial blue highlights "Dresden"...just in case you might miss seeing it.

The title is quite accurate as you are Welcome to the Jungle of both the Lincoln Park Zoo and Harry's world.

I am quickly becoming a big fan of the Dresden Files and when I found this graphic novel I had to pick it up and give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this. The story of course was wonderfully entertaining. Jim Butcher does an amazing job writing an entertaining story in such a short venue. I also enjoyed reading his introduction he says he is a fan of comics and Graphic novels and jumped at the chance to work on this project. He just hadn't any idea how hard it would be. At the end of this particular graphic novel there is some concept art and he has a description of each piece that adds a little background to his character Harry Dresden.

Tagging on to my last comment about the concept art, I have to say that Ardian Syaf did a great job with the art work. It was just how I pictured these characters from the books. It was such a thrill to see these characters brought to life in comic form.

The humor of Dresden is fully present in the pages of this graphic novel and I really enjoyed this. I will defiantly be checking my library for the other Dresden graphic novels. I am still very early in the series but I will be bummed when I catch up with all I have missed.

Jim Butcher's blue collar wizard for hire Harry Dresden continues his career in novels, has taken a brief tour through television, and now has a branch office opening in comics and graphic novels. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE was a four-issue arc in comics that has now come out as a hardcover graphic novel. In coming months, the books are supposed to be serialized as comics, then gathered again as graphic novels.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is an original story set earlier in Harry Dresden's career as a wizard. It's sort of a prequel, which is a good thing because Dresden's life has gotten larger and more complicated as the novel series has progressed. Butcher admits to writing the comics as a personal desire to do new material and explore some of the character's backstory.

The Dresden novels are a fun mashup of noir private eye novels and urban fantasy. Dresden drives a heavily used Volkswagen Beetle, consults for the Chicago Police Department when they run into magical trouble, and barely keeps his bills paid. The concept feels familiar but offers something different and occasionally distinct.

In this story, Dresden's relationship with the police department again comes to the forefront when a mysterious mauling at the Chicago Lincoln Park Zoo turns magical. Detective Kerrin Murphy (a regular from the book series) pulls Dresden into the case, and the wizard's senses start tingling immediately, though he doesn't know what precisely causes the reaction.

The story is straightforward and enjoyable without being a strain. Although the first three issues end on cliffhangers, I didn't feel compelled to finish the book in a single sitting. The breaks are natural and give the reader a chance to read the whole story in bits and pieces without demanding too much.

The narrative sections were a little heavy for the graphic novel medium, but Butcher was also telling the story in first person, which lends itself to a lot of verbiage, but none of it's truly wasted. They offer interiors of character and backstory.

Ardian Syaf's art is really good. He lays out the panels with strong, clean lines and manages to bring muscular action to the page. As I was reading, I often found myself flipping back through pages of a scene just to re-experience the art without dealing with the dialogue and narrative. I enjoyed his viewpoint shifts a lot, and there is more than enough variety to keep the story from turning into a montage of similar drawings. His supernatural creatures looked amazing and menacing at the same time.

Although regular readers of the Dresden series may be frustrated with the fact that Butcher backtracks on his story in a big way, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE offers a good detour and a great way for new readers to jump into the books with both feet . This is a younger, less cynical Harry Dresden, but all the action and danger is still there.

"Like any jungle, it is a world of predators and prey. Some of the most dangerous creatures in the world live here. Very few of them are in cages..."

Having appeared in bestselling books and on TV, detective/wizard Harry Dresden now has his own comic book series. And fortunately it loses nothing in translation -- author Jim Butcher wonderfully preserves the sharp, witty, literate fantasy-noir flavour of his books, which is brought to colorful life with Ardian Syaf's solid artwork. This is one to keep an eye on.

A mangled corpse is found outside the monkey house, but the facts don't add to the "gorilla attack" the city wants. So Murphy calls in Harry Dresden, who is busy dealing with a Rawhead and Bloody Bones near the train tracks. After casting a spell to see what killed the man, Harry knows it definitely wasn't a gorilla, especially since the man filled his opponent with bullets before dying.

Unfortunately, while Harry is able to dismiss many possibilities, he still doesn't know what's happening -- and Murphy gives him only twenty-four hours before the police pull away the welcome mat. So Harry starts investigating around the zoo, asking questions and getting acquainted with the main suspect. Unfortunately, someone doesn't want him poking around...

Most comic book spinoffs are tepid at best, and jaw-droppingly ghastly at worst. But Jim Butcher has struck a rare balance -- in just a few pages, he and Ardian Syaf spin up blood, sinister-looking beasts, Harry's unconventional detective work, and a quotation by Upton Sinclair thrown in for good measure. Most writers, even good ones, can't manage that.

Specifically, the plot is slow but not boring, albeit with a lot of chatterbox zoo personnel. Butcher includes the wry wit of his books' writing, condensed into sparer nuggets ("You're prettier than some of my clients, smarter than most, and you probably won't lie to me as much," Harry informs a gorilla). It's always boring when a comic book goes on and on, and Butcher knows how to keep us entertained.

But there are also some amusing moments sprinkled in the story, such as Harry walking through an imaginary gallery of supernatural killers, or getting whacked in the head with a notebook. And there are some very creative action scenes -- I've never seen train tracks used like that before.

And Ardian Syaf does a simply lovely job with this book's art -- it's realistic but not nastily so, full of good colors and atmospheric lighting, with lots of dark edges and backdrops. Harry is the tall, rangy, stubbly guy you'd expect, and though Murphy doesn't look quite as "cute" as you'd expect, she's a convincing hard-edged cop.

Butcher's anti-hero is no stereotypical wizard -- he's rough, a little sarcastic, and just trying to make the rent with his magical powers, despite the skepticism of some cops. Lest some readers not be acquainted with how Harry became so bruised, Butcher spins up a three-page revisit to Harry's teenage years -- lots of sunset hues, blood and raw misery.

Fresh and lovingly-crafted, "Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle" is a prime example of what graphic novel spinoffs should be. Definitely check this one out.

This book has taken some knocks from readers who purchased expecting a full-length novel rather than a graphic novel aka "comic book." When I first saw this listed I too thought it might be a new book but when I read the description I found out what it truly was.
So, let's focus on the contents of the story and not the type of media. I thought that Jim Butcher and Ardian Syaf have done an excellent job bringing Harry Dresden to illustrated form. In fact, I think this brings Mr. Butcher's vision of Dresden more the way I (and hopefully many readers) imagined rather than the Sci-Fi series. We see Harry as described, with the leather duster, the staff, blasting rod and scruffiness. Murphy looks as described in the books rather than some politically correct diversity-friendly version on the tube. Bob is a skull with glowing eyes. The blue beetle, the apartment building and his cellar pad all look more or less as I imagined.

The story is a good initiation to Dresden's world, focusing on a fairly straightforward adventure involving night hags at a zoo attempting to obtain great power. It introduces Harry and Murphy with hints at the dynamics of their relationship. There are also flashbacks of Harry's upbringing. The reader even gets a taste of Harry's internal monologue and wisecracks.

The illustration is outstanding, with some very creepy nasties wreaking havoc on Harry's world and Harry doing magic.

If you enjoy the Dresden Files series and like graphic novels, this is a definitely a treat. There was a tease at the end about a Storm Front version premiering in October 2008. So far I have not seen this anywhere unless it is currently in serial form and will be collected into a full book later.

I have to say that in spite of my current manga obsession, comic books have never been a preferred medium of choice for me. Because of this, along with my not so wonderful experiences with manga/graphic novel interpretations of books I've read so far, it is true to say I was a bit apprehensive about starting this. However, over the last couple months I've become quite fond of Harry Dresden and his universe so my curiosity won out over any reluctance I may have had.

I was actually surprised that I kind of enjoyed the story. I wasn't thrilled with the artwork generally speaking (not saying anything was wrong with it, it just doesn't jive with my personal preferences) but Dresden's ironic, self-depreciating wit managed to come through in the short narratives and dialog and the mystery itself was interesting. I especially liked Moe the gorilla.

There are some interesting tidbits at the end of the graphic novel, or comic book as Mr. Butcher insists it be called, such as a cover gallery and concept artwork. Although the comic book feel artwork wasn't my cup of tea I will admit that I did like the "variant covers" which appeared to take both the artwork of the original Dresden novels along with some real life photography, and with a bit of photoshopping made them quite atmospheric and something I really wouldn't mind seeing turned into wall posters.

Overall, this is one of the better book to comic/manga adaptations I've seen so far and I would be willing to take a peek at more original Dresden stories in this format.

A prequel to the first Dresden Files novel, "Welcome to the Jungle" is the first graphic novel addition to the series - a full adaptation of the first novel, Storm Front, is to come shortly. The comic's plot is boilerplate Dresden Files: a gruesome murder, this time at the zoo, has Lt. Karrin Murphy of Chicago PD's Special Investigations calling in Harry Dresden, the only professional wizard in the phonebook. Harry has 24 hours to uncover the killer, and, of course, has no idea where to start; in the meantime, the murder has been pinned on one of the zoo's prized (and innocent) gorillas, lending extra urgency to Harry's search for the real culprit.

Unsurprisingly, the Dresden Files, with their spectacular action scenes, car chases, and colorful magical rituals, translate perfectly to comic-book form, with quick panels here capably taking the place of the lengthy descriptions required in the book. Indeed, Butcher explains in his introduction that his storytelling is strongly influenced by the multitude of comics that he read when young (something that I definitely sympathize with).

For the most part, I really enjoyed artist Ardian Syaf's work: he has dynamic paneling and slick coloring that perfectly captures the Dresden Files' noirish ambiance. Crucially, he also renders action scenes well, leading to some spectacular doses of slavering beasties, crashing masonry, and explosions galore. There are some enjoyably subtle touches thrown in, too, like a potion label sloppily applied with bits of Scotch tape in Harry's lab. My only quibbles were that Harry, though saved from the realm of lantern-jawed superherodom by a generous helping of stubble and eye-rolling, seemed too buff for my tastes - I'd like more gangling with my wizard, please. Likewise, an improbably flowing-tressed Murphy seems a bit out of line with the books' button-nosed, pony-tailed Murph. Otherwise, many of the creatures and scenes in the comic could have been pulled directly from my imaginings of the novel, which is all that a fan can ask for. I especially liked the scene in which Harry walks the crime scene while imagining potential paranormal culprits, which gives the reader a great visual overview of the series' bestiary.

A few sprinkled flashbacks also fill the reader in on Harry's childhood, making this as good an entrypoint as any into the series for any unfamiliar readers (and arguably much more newbie-friendly than the increasingly complicated later books in the series). Overall, this is classic Dresden Files, with Harry brawling, detecting, and quipping his way to the final showdown in wizardly style. By turns irreverent and gruesome, snarky and slightly cheesily heartfelt, it's what I like to call brain candy: consummate entertainment paired with a modicum of emotional and intellectual content. "Welcome to the Jungle" is a decent addition to the collection of a Dresden fan, and a good taste of the series for those curious about starting it, though it lacks the stronger emotional draw and character development of the novels. The hardcover edition also has a number of fun goodies tucked in the end - the original issues' covers, Syaf's concept sketches for the characters and creatures, along with Butcher's notes, and some previews of iconic scenes from the upcoming Storm Front adaptation.

As a story written just for comics, Welcome to the Jungle is supposed to be a prequel for Butcher's Storm Front. (The first issue of the comic adaptation of Storm Front is available now in comic shops.) In this story, Harry Dresden, Wizard P.I., is called in by the Chicago police to investigate a mysterious killing at the local zoo. As Dresden soon discovers, something magic and evil is behind the grizzly murder. And he's the only man that can hunt down the killer.

True to feel of the novels, this urban fantasy noir transitions well to comic form, and can open up to a wider audience. With several familiar characters, such as Lt. Murphy and Bob the talking skull, long-time fans will enjoy the attention to details as well. The story itself is exciting and action-packed, much like the novels. Of course, the comics have to be a bit more fast-paced and skip over some of the character development to keep to standard length. But the story doesn't suffer for it.

The artwork by Syaf was a good choice, with his attention to detail and the ability to capture scenes without the need for long narrative. This is an exciting new media that will hopefully keep the series going, while we have to wait for longer periods between novels.

This beautiful graphic novel (that's fancy talk for bound Comic Book) is an excellent prequill to Stormfront and the rest of the Dresden series. For those who say it has no plot, I say try READING it. Aside from an amusing murder mystery, it also provides a flashback to Harry's battle with his former Master. Now, it's not as involved as his text-only novels, but then it doesn't have nearly as many pages.

To the people who bought this without realizing it was a graphic novel - did you even go to the description page? It is impossible to NOT know that it's a graphic novel - I stumbled on it when it was a preorder months yet away, looked up its info, and went "oh, neat, graphic novel" and went out and found the comics (a couple of them anyway). I finally got to read he whole thing when the graphic novel came out and it is excellent.

So, to sum up, if you don't like graphic novels, don't buy it. Butcher loves them, and everything feels very comic-like, so if you don't like the genre it isn't going to change your mind. And, people who bought the comic by mistake - stop being idiots and giving it a one star rating! If it isn't what you wanted, well, that's your own fault for not reading what you were buying. I think the store should remove some of these one-star reviews because they obviously don't reflect on the quality of the book. And if someone bought it knowing it was a comic book and STILL didn't like it, then let THEM give it a bad review.

I'm familiar with Butcher's Dresden Files, but I've never read any of the books. Reading the graphic novel, thus, became my first Dresden experience, and it's a bit of a mixed bag.

Welcome to the Jungle follows none other than the infamous Harry Dresden, sorcerer extraordinaire turned mystical detective, as he takes on yet another case: a brutal murder at the Chicago zoo with too many unanswered questions for the poor Chicago PD to handle; that's why they've called Dresden, because his specialty is with the supernatural. As Dresden investigates, he starts to learn that there's far more to this case than meets the eye, beyond the typical otherworldly things. The more he digs, the more he comes to realize that he's dealing with forces greater than his own, forces that could kill him if he's not too careful.

Welcome to the Jungle is a fairly stand-alone tale. One doesn't need to have read any of the Dresden books to get a clear picture of who Harry Dresden is or what he does. This might mean that fans of the novels may find this graphic novel a tad redundant, but I understand the reason for trying to make this graphically visualized addition to a popular series separate from the books--it is touching on a new market, and leaving them high and dry would be comparable to career suicide.

That said, there is much to be admired about Welcome to the Jungle. The artwork is fairly standard as far as American comics are concerned, with a glossy, bright coloration and American-style structuring of characters. I'm not a big fan of American-style comic art, but it seems to work particularly well for Dresden. He has that ruggedness that American comics tend to demonstrate both in character and build. My only criticism of the artwork, and with the characterization, is the stereotyping of women in this piece, something I would have thought had gone out of style years ago.

The story is nothing to get excited about, but I suppose that Welcome to the Jungle is less about the complexity of plot and character development, and more about the injection of noir elements to produce a grungy, updated fantastic detective story. It seems to work, though a deeper plot could have helped pull things out from the "shock-and-awe" jumps that existed in the plot.

My biggest issue with Welcome to the Jungle (which, by the way, is the name of a song by an rather popular 80s rock band) is the way the dialogue is structured. Much of the story is told through Dresden's internal thoughts, which might not be a problem except where his thoughts point out the glaringly obvious. In novel form, these sorts of thoughts would certainly work well to establish Dresden's voice, but here it is irritating. We can see most of the detail in the image; telling us about such things in Dresden's mind is redundant.

Overall, I think current fans of the novels would enjoy Welcome to the Jungle. While it is far from perfect, it doesn't lack in interesting elements, and would have much to offer people who are already familiar with Butcher's fiction. New readers might not enjoy it nearly as much, but I suppose that depends on your tastes in graphic novels/comics. As it is, Welcome to the Jungle is an entertaining read.

Prequel to Storm Front, this is an original Harry Dresden story done in a graphic novel containing four chapters. The graphic stories from Storm Front are to be released soon.

This story centers around the killing of a guard at the zoo and the attempt to lead police to believe that a gorilla escaped from it's cage, killed the guard, and locked itself back in. Harry is given twenty-four hours to find out what really happened.

The graphics are well done, very close to what I imagined them to look like from the descriptions in the novels. The only `way out there' characterizations belong to the monsters. I found the first four pages a little confusing with the rectangular boxes. After those pages, they were used to either tell us what Harry is thinking or what's going on.

Harry's sarcastic wit isn't lost in this format and the action in this story is exactly what you'd expect from this series.

Mind you, I haven't actually read the bound graphic novel (though once I recoup from buying Backup and Blood Lite: An Anthology of Humorous Horror Stories Presented by the Horror Writers Association, I'll consider getting it), but I have read the individual issues of the comic book release (no easy matter since the second issue sold so madly I had to bid for a copy on eBay after not finding it in any the local comic book shops).

I've been a fan of the series in all forms (prose stories and novels, the sadly short-lived TV series), and I'll admit, I was hoping to see a graphic novel set in this universe. Jim Butcher himself has said he himself visualizes the story as an anime as he's writing it, thus translating it to a graphic novel is ideal! It's great to get a clear picture of a certain wizard in a mantled duster in action, and it's fun to see an earlier chapter of his story, prior to the start of the odd doings in "Storm Front" which later led our hero to suspect there's someone or something or a group of them in the shadows pulling all the strings and leaking very dangerous dark magic into the world of the unsuspecting. Maybe the strange creatures creating havoc at the Lincoln Park Zoo have something to do with it... This is very much worth a read by TDF fans, even if you're a newcomer to comics: lots of fun and some nifty visuals.

I love the visual view of Harry's world. I read the introduction by Jim Butcher and was thrilled to see that he thinks this Harry is dead on what he see's him looking like. he looks very close to what was in my head as well.
The art work is very well done. Harry is beautiful and strong. Mister is huge ! Murphy was a bit more angry then I pictured her, but hey this book was in the very early stages of their relationship. Kudos to the artist, everything was very emotional.
Harry is hired to find a killer at the local zoo. Some believe the animals have gone killer, but Murphy senses something off and calls him in. He does what he does best, gets into the tangle of bad and takes care of business.

The artwork in this graphic novel was phenomenal. Syaf has some vivid coloring and his use of light versus dark is amazing. That being said, Butcher wasn't too bad, either! I liked the story. It was obviously a bit more of a faster pace given the graphic novel setting, but I felt like he fleshed it out and the characters were believable. Murphy doesn't look like I imagine her in my head, but Mister was right on target.

I'd like to see more of Butcher's graphic novel forays. With that in mind, I have "Backup" on my list to read.

I had never heard of the Harry Dresden Files until my son told me about the short-lived television series. I was a fan from the first time I watched it. Immediately thereafter, I started ordering all his books. I believe I just ordered the most recent two in the series. I can honestly say this is one of the most original characters I have read in a long time. For someone who's read thousands of books over the years, that's quite an endorsement for Mr. Butcher and his wizard.

What's even more fun is that the author is a "neighbor." Although his wizard is in Chicago, Mr. Butcher is just a stone's throw away. Kinda nice to have an author in the neighborhood.

Keep 'em coming.

"Like any jungle, it is a world of predators and prey. Some of the most dangerous creatures in the world live here. Very few of them are in cages..."

Having appeared in bestselling books and on TV, detective/wizard Harry Dresden now has his own comic book series, the four-part "Welcome To the Jungle". And it loses nothing in translation -- author Jim Butcher wonderfully preserves the sharp, witty, literate fantasy-noir flavour of his books, which is brought to colorful life with Ardian Syaf's solid artwork. This is one to keep an eye on.

A mangled corpse is found outside the monkey house, but the facts don't add to the "gorilla attack" the city wants. So Murphy calls in Harry Dresden (who was killing a Rawhead and Bloody Bones), and after casting a spell to see what killed the man, Harry knows it definitely wasn't a gorilla, especially since the man filled his opponent with bullets before dying.

Unfortunately Harry only has twenty-four hours to find the culprit. And as he starts poking around the gorilla house, he and nervy zookeeper Wil are attacked by bespelled jungle cats, and later by the Big Bad Black Spectral Dog. Harry suspects the mysterious Dr. Watson, but has no idea of her true plans -- or her true monstrous nature.

I'll give it to Jim Butcher -- not only can the man pen two vastly different series and assorted short stories, but he can turn out a pretty thrilling graphic novel prequel. Though "Welcome to the Jungle" is a short work, it's still crammed with action, monsters, magic, and a unique new supernatural threat that Harry alone can deal with. Basically, what one expects of the Dresden Files.

The plot is a pretty straightforward one, and most of the first quarter involves Harry poking around at the zoo. But soon it speeds up as Butcher introduces lots of splattered blood, glowy eyes, monstrous hags, and some solid action scenes involving train tracks, car chases and flying boulders. By the time Harry rushes into the underground lair (complete with bubbling cauldron), Butcher is officially on an action-packed roll.

Since this is Jim Butcher, there's a hefty dose of humor (Harry getting whacked in the head with a notebook, or chatting with a lecherous talking skull), and also some wonderfully snappy dialogue ("I've taken your staff. I've taken your rod." "You should have taken my gun"). But there are also moments of poignancy, such as Harry recognizing the accused gorilla's grief over his human friend's death.

And Ardian Syaf does a simply lovely job with this book's art. Lots of shadows, blurry corners and just enough gritty fantasy realism -- one stunning image portrays the hags as hooded clawed creatures reaching to a blood-tinted moon. Harry is the tall, rangy, stubbly guy you'd expect, and though Murphy doesn't look quite as "cute" as you'd expect, she's a convincing hard-edged cop.

Butcher's anti-hero is no stereotypical wizard -- he's rough, a little sarcastic, and just trying to make the rent with his magical powers. And in the story's quieter moments, we get to see how Harry became such a cynical loner. And on the ordinary-people front, Wil... acts the way you'd expect an ordinary gal suddenly confronted by magic fire and evil hags to act.

"The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle" is a primo example of what graphic novel spinoffs should be -- fast, sharp and action-packed. Definitely a good read.

You're read him in books, you've seen him on television, now Harry's in the funny papers. Okay, graphic novels, but I had to say it.

"Welcome to the Jungle" is a collaborative effort between author Jim Butcher and artist Ardian Syaf. In my opinion, most of the characters (except Harry) look more like what I expected in the graphic novel version than the televised one.

Our story opens with a murder at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. A zookeeper is found outside the gorilla house mutilated. All fingers point to Moe the gorilla. The only folks coming to Moe's defense are Harry and the gorilla's custodians. Harry's got to solve the case before the police opt to put the gorilla down.

Regardless of whether the story's written or graphic, Jim Butcher's humor comes through. Syaf's renderings are well done and definitely resemble the images of the characters I had in my mind. Syaf's a talented illustrator and very much worthy of keeping an eye on.

Rebecca Kyle, October 2008

I liked this graphic novel, but I read it in 30min at my local bookstore. The art in the panels is in full color, and the use of perspective and inner dialogue is masterful. I'd highly recommend this book to any aspiring manga/comic artist who wants perspective done right.

That said, the entire thing is four (thin issue) comic books long. It goes fast.

I did have one criticism. Dresden is supposed to by six feet nine inches, and Murphy is supposed to be five feet nothing, yet when they are draw together in the same panel, their heights are too close together.

Personally I'd rather spend my entertainment money on a book which will take me a few hours to read. While I liked it, it would end up on my bookshelf gathering dust. I put it back on the shelf in the bookstore. Sorry Jim.

For those that don't know, the Hugos are the genre's version of the Oscars, except they are selected by the readers. This may not jive with the 13 reviews of 1 star on here, until you do a little digging and see that the low reviews of this book are based on the reviewers who purchased it thinking it was a new Dresden novel, instead of an original comic, scripted by Butcher and a prequel to his novels.

(Storm Front is now halfway through being adapted, and will be sold by Del Rey in two volumes...the equivalent of four issues each. Welcome to the Jungle was a four issue miniseries)

I added this to my Butcher collection & bought it knowing I was getting a (short) graphic novel vs. a book. With the in mind, I truly got what I paid for. Cost may exceed the norm for a comic book, but if you have priced short manga novels lately - this one is not exorbitant. Graphics are great, story line was good. I got exactly what I paid for - a new addition to my Harry Dresden collection, in a slightly different format. All is good.

Don't gripe about the size of the book; it is a quality product.

How the hell can you go on the store and give a book a low rating because you were too stupid to realize you were buying a graphic novel? How is that the novel, author, or illustrator's fault? If anyone deserves 1 star, it's YOU.
There's no logical way to justify giving a graphic novel a bad review simply on the grounds that you yourself don't like graphic novels. You are all retarded.

As far as graphic novels go, I think it was brilliant. It's a nice little insight into Harry's back story and I think the art is good as well. Stupid little details are overlooked as someone else mentioned-like height differences and stuff, but really-illustrators get creative leniency in this department. Worth the purchase.

Welcome to the Jungle, based in the Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files universe, is one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a long time. I'm one of those annyoing people who tends to read books based on very specific standards-- if it's unoriginal in general, I don't care, but if it's identical to other books in the series or books written by the same author, it'll drive me up a wall.

As such, I approached this book, with which I had little to compare it to (I'm not a big graphic novel reader, but I am a huge fan of the regular books), with an open mind and LOVED IT. There are very few things to be actively annoyed by-- the art is very good, and varys in tone well (one thing I have noticed in comic books as a whole is that the tone of the art tends to remain the same throughout the book). The story is, well. It was written by Butcher, and as anyone who's given his books a go will know, that means fantastic.

Said plot is set before Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files books. It features Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, in his role as the consultant Karrin Murphy (head of CPD's Special Investigations unit) calls when things get weird, and things are definately weird. A man if found mauled to death near the gorilla enclosure, and the beast is blamed. However, some things just don't click, and so Harry sets off in his coat to find the truth. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens, and doing that is something I highly recommend. The one thing about this book that set me off a little was in 4 instances, the artist reuses panels-- I don't know if thats an industry standard or what, but it just rubbed me wrong. Anyway, if you don't have a rabid hatred of graphic novels, this is something you should definately consider reading.

As a side not to all the whiners who gave this book 1 star revues because you "didn't know it was a comic book": a, you should read the description, b, you should at least give it a shot before sending it back, c, do a forum post or something so people who actually know what the product is don't get a misrepresentation from the ratings, and d, read the description, morons! (did I mention that already?)

Meet Harry Dresden, WIZARD FOR HIRE.

In this prequel to Storm Front Harry Dresden works on an earlier case with the Chicago PD. People are getting ripped apart and no rational explanation is available. Harry Dresden must track down the killer and try to keep alive while doing it.

In this first attempt at writing for this medium, Jim Butcher (an avid fan of the medium), does a wonderful job at bringing Harry Dresden to life in graphic novel form. If you like this, I suggest you pick up the graphic novelization of STORM FRONT as well.

This was great.

Yes, the book is a graphic novel--a comic book (I'll defer to Butcher's wishes and not put that in derogatory quotes). Please don't jump to conclusions based on that alone. Yes, not all stories translate well into a visual form, and not all writers can manage the lower word counts needed for the medium. That isn't a problem here. The visuals are gorgeous, and the writing is very, very Jim Butcher.

The artwork is always something to be aware of in graphic novels, and I have been turned off more than one series because I couldn't stand the artist chosen. This one really works for me, though. Not being an art major (or minor, or really knowing anything about art), all I can say is that I found that the characters look enough like I pictured them to be, and the art always seemed to add to rather than distract from what was happening.

There's a fair bit of internal monologueing being done in this book, more than you usually see in a graphic novel. Given how the Dresden books are usually written in first person, though, it really works. The words never seem to overwhelm the art, but rather to work with it. I have no issues with it whatsoever.

This isn't like the first book of the new Thor, or *that* chapter in Watchmen (the one that's never going to translate to another medium, because it's pretty much perfect as is). It's a Dresden book, and it sidles quite nicely into its new format, keeping everything that was good about the novels (the characters, the poignancy, the humor) and adding some nice visuals. If you like Dresden, you'll probably love this if you give it a fair chance. It's shorter than a novel, yes, being only four comics long, but it's a well-made, well-drawn book none-the-less, and the price being asked for it is not outrageous. (Go look at other hard-cover graphic novels if you don't believe me.) If you're into graphic novels, this gives a fair representation of the series, though without quite as many twists as you would normally find in one of the novels (again, it's only four comics long). Give it a try.

I'd have to say Dresden Files is one of the best fantasy series of our time, and this makes a fine prologue to the series. There's one line that might give some continuity issues (about Justin and Elaine), but that can be handwaved away as the character ossilating between two possibilities.

Anyway, hopefully this will be helpful to someone. If you're still uncertain, hop into a bookstore and flip through a copy. It won't be a waste of time.

I've my own "sense" of what Harry Dresden and his world looks like. Big deal, I know, 'cause the Dresden Files are set in our world with some slight differences. Regardless, it's refreshing, no..reinvigorating to see Dresden as his author sees him.

We get that:a vivid depiction of the Harry, his slightly askew world of magic, rainy days, supernatural monsters, cynical police - and Harry's trademark sardonic humor.

Butcher has created another interesting original tale; his artist colleagues have supplied the change of pace visuals and we're all the better off for it.

I enthusiastically recommend buying this novel in its hardcover edition: you won't regret it.

It was my fault I did not notice that this book was more along the 'comic' book line, but that being said, this is fantastic! The idea to create such a book is a stroke of genius. I wil collect them if more are published. See the quality and know that it is the same great Jim Butcher quality. I started by watching the show which the Sci-Fi channel so foolishly cancelled now there's a whole lot of garbage that's not fit to watch and I mean garbage. Thank You Jim Butcher.

I am not a fan of graphic novels. My idea of a good read is sitting with a book, one with some pictures but mostly words.

I was very reluctant to by Welcome to the Jungle, but I figured since I love the series I would give it as try. This graphic novel contains everything the series has, the only difference being that the pictures are drawn up for you instead of using your imagination. I throughoughly enjoyed it and will wait for Storm Front and Storm Front Vo. 2 to come out so I can dive into them.

Well, I'm sorry there's people who didn't enjoy the graphic novel.

I for one throughly enjoyed this prequel story. It is classic, vintage Dresdin. The story is great, the art work is great. I found it to be well worth my time and money.

I look forward to see other entries in this series or as more of the books get translated to Graphic Novel, seeing the transitions.

I'm a big fan of the Dresden Files series and will happily read (usually)anything put out by Jim Butcher. Unfortunately, I'm just as big a fan of comics and graphic novels as I am Butcher's novels, and it's a bit disappointing to me that Mister Butcher hasn't been able to transfer his skills to this medium as well as he could have.

The problem is entirely in the execution of the plot; the art is gorgeous (excepting the oddly pinched facial expressions all the characters seem to share, especially the women; it's reminiscent of Steve Dillon when he's in a hurry), but the exposition is really laid on too thickly. It's the same problem Laurel K. Hamilton has with her Graphic novels; explaining too much. Telling us instead of showing us. Comics are a "show-me" medium that work best when they give information quickly and keep the plot moving forward. Trust the readers to figure things out, trust the artist to translate it, and let's get this thing going! Whenever Harry stops to explain something in his ponderous caption boxes, the story slows down greatly, and that's no fun.

Sure, Alan Moore can do the slower paced thing, but that's because he's Alan Moore; his graphic novels are meant to absorbed slowly, whereas a typical Dresden Files novel is meant to breeze by. If it's so in the books, it should be so in the comics. I personally believe that Butcher's work in comics would benefit greatly from him undertaking a reading of comic writers like Ed Brubaker and Brian Azzarello; these are men who work with similar noir-ish themes like JB, but they work exclusively in the graphic novel medium and they get their rather substantial ideas across to the readers with maximum effect for minimum effort.

My criticism in short: Too much yammering can bog a comic down, and giving us information is not the same as telling us a story. I hope Butcher gets better at this aspect of his craft as he works on it; I'd really love for him to be as good at writing comics as he is writing novels.

The only complaint I have is that Dresden looks like the recent film version of Batman. Those who did not buy the graphic novel might find humor in this as the graphic novel itself includes notes from Jim Butcher, to the effect that it is important that Dresden not look like a superhero, even elaborating how thin the wizard detective is. Did Ardian Syaf not read the text he was penciling in on the drafts for the graphic novel? It is one thing to go from, for example, a blond ink Constantine to Keanu Reeves on the silverscreen, since a live actor can lend life to a potentially bad aesthetic/casting choice (or not). There's not much the ink Dresden can do to exonerate Syaf's aesthetic decision of drawing Dresden as tall, dark, rugged, strong, built, and handsome (Dresden is only tall and dark). This lack of the latter features is actually a part of the character of Dresden and a contrast between Dresden and another similar-looking (but handsome) characer. I wonder what Syaf will do when he is faced with drawing the White court vampire who looks more like Dresden, but is handsome (i.e., looks like Syaf's Dresden).

There are actually several versions of Dresden included in this publication, if one counts the cover to this graphic novel and the cover art to the print-books. The cover of this might actually be the one Jim Butcher approved.

It is not much of a complaint, but it is enough to keep me away from any future Dresden graphic novels. The story is pretty good and at least Ardian Syaf got the hair color right.

For those who might otherwise miss this, Welcome to the Jungle is a graphic novel, meaning it's a comic (actually 4 comics compiled into one book). It's not kid stuff, however; it's a prequel to the Dresden Files series.

The artwork is gorgeous, the narrative (especially Harry's trademark wit) is snappy, and the story flows fast and furious. A picture in this graphic novel is probably worth much more than 1000 words - the quality is that impressive. I hope to see more graphic novels from Jim Butcher in the future, as well as more work illustrated by Ardian Syaf.

Just who exactly is Harry Dresden? Private detective? Wizard? Chicago Crackpot?

After you read "Welcome To the Jungle" (Jim Butcher and Ardian Syaf), you won't really care who Dresden is, but rather when he's coming back for another adventure. "Welcome To the Jungle" is a remarkable story of Hectate coming back for the Ascension, and the truly dangerous job of Dresden tracking down the clues that help him (and Will) restore the world to normal.

The zoo is normally a place of enjoyment, with spectators ogling the various animals in their `natural' habitat. Not so in the Lincoln Park Zoo. The murder of a security guard under suspicious circumstances leads to Harry Dresden being hired as special consultant. Following the clues to a Doctor Watson and Dr Reese (the suspected killers handler), pits him against evil in a wizards duel that can only result in death.
I loved this book. Based on the popular Dresden files, Jungle, is packed with many elements of noir and supernatural fiction that linger on the edge of popular culture. Bits of Richard Diamond, Shakespeare (Toil and trouble), and a talking skull combine to make this book timeless and entertaining. Ardian Syaf contributes outstanding art that turns this book into a must read, and the rest of the series one to pick up and enjoy time and time again.

Two hairy thumbs up for Welcome to the Jungle. Keep the books coming Dabel Brothers.

[...]

It's nice to put a face to one of my favorite detectives! The illustrations and action are classic Dresden, although I think they made Karen Sullivan a little too severe. She does show her humorous soft side far more than what the story and illustrations suggest. Nonetheless, the story is top notch and a great lead in to the first book of the series.

Don't let the negative reviews fool you, Welcome to the Jungle is a great graphic novel. It was kind of short but the story was interesting and the artwork was very nice. In my opinion this is a must have for fans of the Dresden series. I don't normally leave reviews but this was a nice book. It pisses me off that it's rated so low because a bunch of morons gave it one star because they ordered it without reading the information page and were upset when it turned out to be a graphic novel.

I understand that that there is some confusion about
"Welcome to the Jungle ". If you go the the web site[...] then they always explain in detail what the product is available and even provide pictures. "Welcome to the Jungle" is fantastic. It is a comic book but some people call it a "graphic novel". I also love the art. I am biased in that I do love the Dresden Files. I am ready for Storm Front.
I hope people will give "Welcome to the Jungle" a chance.

First of all, I love how people are giving one star reviews because they thought this was a book. It says "Graphic Novel" in plain sight. And please, READ IT before you write a review!!
That over, I thought this GN was an awesome start to a whole new Harry Dresden series. The art was nice, but got a little too old school generic at times. Butchers writing really just saves the day. A great read!

the store could do a better job describing what this is. I did not see the words "graphic novel" anywhere in the description. I thought I was buying a Jim Butcher Dresden Files novel. This was a waste of money.

I only bought this because I am a Dresden completist - I am not a fan of graphic novels and this was no exception for me. Like the friends of mine - a couple who went to a light-opera production because one of them was a theater fan and one a fan of opera and they thought it would be a good compromise. Well - one of them thought they should stop singing and get on with the story - and one thought they should stop talking and just sing. More story, less "art" for me. I won't be buying more "graphic novels", completist or not.

Just received this book and it's a blasted comic book. I wanted to buy a book, and when I saw a new dresden book was out, I immediately ordered it. Now it's going on the return list, I'm sorry to say. I wish there had been something more prominent on the listing so I wouldn't have made this mistake.

... I'm going to modify my review as the commenters are totally correct. It's not fair to give a poor review when the mistake was mine, and I absolutely love the dresden series. As long as people are aware this is a comic.... Err..... 'Graphic novel'.

Still, I did look through it and that format was a really disappointing way to try to tell a story, even when I love the characters. But, everyone to his own preference.

Caveat Emptor! I should looked deeper into the write-up before I ordered this silly comic book/Graphic Novel. I just checked "Backup" to make sure it is truly a novella, not a CB. Why do I care? I read for pleasure, not instant gratification. I also tend toward fantasy because it is escapist and relaxing. This comic book may be OK. for someone learning to read, but when I read a book, I like to develop my own interpretations from the authors text, not an illustrators. Kerrin Murphy was shown not as the small, tough "chick" I have come to know in the first ten books, but to a wasted, bitter-looking drug user with greasy hair, and bad posture. The graphics are too over the top, so you can't determine any of the finer points that needed to be there(like the "magically enhanced") leather (yes, leather, not canvas leather, ,Murphy wasn't so cheap) duster, and the totally failed attempt to bring you up to speed on background. I don't watch music videos for the same reason- I don't want a third person telling me how to interpret the music. So sell the comics to kids, and write BOOKS for adults. Thanks. P.

Despite the hard-back cover, this is just a comic book - no kidding. Lot's of full color pictures with minute bubbles of words - no plot, no story. My wife read it in 10 minutes (no kidding, I timed her). I didn't even bother - I just sent it back.

It is a shame Jim Butcher has decided to quit writing books and has started publishing comic books. He is (was) one of my favorite authors.

But I like to *read books*. With real plots, real characters, words of more than 1 syllable and real sentences. I don't want to browse a bunch of color pictures. If I want to a picture book, I'll buy a coloring book and crayons.

It's not worth owning, certainly not worth the price. Wait for a real book.

This was ungodly stupid. The product description should have been a little...oh hell a lot for forthright about this being a graphic novel. Not only was this a crappy book. It's pretty damn obvious by the content the illustrator never read the books. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND WAIT FOR A REAL BOOK TO COME OUT. I read comics also when I was a kid and teen...even in my early adulthood. But when I read a good story I love the aspect of using my imagination to allow the talent of the author to put the images in my head.

I expected a new novel of the Dresden Files, and was disappointed to find that this hard cover book was in comic form. The story is simplistic, as many comic books are, though the illustrations are good for a graphic novel. If you're looking for a novel, don't buy it.

Well I'm sure its a fine Graphic novel (comic book) but when i ordered this months ago there was no editorial review and no mention of it being a graphic novel. A couple of days a ago i get notice that the book has been shipped. Imagine the look of horror on my face when the book arrived as a graphic novel instead of "a new adventure of dresden".

Yes im sure i could have done some reasearch between the time i ordered and the time the book came out but really, should i have to do research to find out that what im ordering is not a novel but a "Graphic Novel". Now back to waiting impatiently for the next dresden book in APRIL.

I'm a dresden fan, big time!. this is so disappointing. we have alot of unfinished business with the black court, faires, winter and summer as well as dresden position on the white council. To put out this comic book as a novel was a ripoff. Let us know when the next real harry dresden novel' comes out

The comics "Welcome to Jungle" was written to please author not me. He want to try it in new form. OK. But why he did not announced it openy on the store before I (and many others) spend my money? Do not spend your money on it if you expect something like "Dead Beat". Why he behaves like most Wall Street companies out there - just try to capitalize on his brand? I am not going to support anything else coming from the guy in the future. Thank you for introduction to the jungles of capitalism.

What at rip off!? Who knew it was a comic book? For the price, you'd never expect it. What a waste of a good writer. Shame on you Mr. Butcher for misleading and taking advantage of your fans. I will NEVER pre-order a book by you, again. I'm not buying "Back Up" either just because I'm angry about this book. If you want to sell your new one, "Turn Coat," I suggest you stick to your previous format.

I love Jim Butcher, and bought this immediately. When it arrived I was disappointed. Not that the story is not good, but I greatly dislike the comic-book format. (Some don't like calling it such, but that is what it is.) Nowhere on the purchase page could I find a warning that it was a comic book. Very disappointed in the sale. Have to admit story was good, just too short and misrepresented.

It was really subtle that the book was co-written (notice Jim Butchers name is in 36 point font). Second, I don't care if they try to make it sound better calling it a graphic novel, it's still a comic book. I outgrew that when I became an adult.

This is a joke of a book. If I had known what type of a "comic" book this was I would NEVER have purchased it! This book should be labled and put into the comic section. I buy books to READ and not to look at the pictures!

I pre-ordered "the next novel in the Dresden Files", and got a very expensive COMIC BOOK. I have awaited it all summer. And then it came. It was a five minute experience. I wanted a book to read and enjoy for hours. The same kind of read I had enjoyed in the preceding novels.
If the store had truthfully listed is as a COMIC BOOK, I would have passed on it. the store misrepresented it!
I like reading. I haven't looked at comic books since grade school.
I don't blame Jim Butcher, he wished to try a different medium. Good for him. I read often and especially enjoy Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. I did not like the TV series at all. It seemed the people "adapting" good writing have to twist it to suit themselves. They reduce it to shambles. He had a hockey stick and an old jeep.

the store...Truth in advertising!