Frank Herbert would be proud – comic book review “Dune, graphic novel. Book 1 “

A masterpiece of a novel or a comic?

Here we have another proof of how great art can be a comic in the hands of skilled artists. Duneas a graphic novel, theoretically, it offers us nothing new. We get another story that we know from books, movies; Another film adaptation will be released soon. The authors and cartoonists, however, decided to give the readers another version of this plot, this time in the form of a comic book. And not just any. A beautifully published graphic novel is the first part of the entire series. The multi-threaded story of Herbert has been captured here in a completely new medium, in the form of which you can just as well show all its intricacies, and also illustrate the described events. The drawings full of momentum have enormous power of expression, and readers can even immerse themselves in the world of a desert planet, huge maggots, court intrigues and real, deep science fiction. The great artistic value of this comic book makes it impossible to separate from it.

The titled authors herald success

The graphic novel is certainly a faithful adaptation of the original by Frank Herbert. Brian Herbert, son of the original author, and Kevin J. Anderson are responsible for this edition. Both gentlemen have a place on the New York Times bestseller lists. The drawings are the responsibility of Raul Allen, Patricia Martin and Bill Sienkiewicz – renowned graphic artists known for their cooperation with, for example, Marvel and DC Comics. The work of this team of artists gave the novel a new lease of life, faithfully reproducing the story it depicted. Remember that the prototype of the Dune is a real masterpiece, and the comic book should not be treated as a substitute, but a supplement. However, I think that a fascinating reading of this graphic novel may inspire a large group of readers to turn to the prose of Frank Herbert.

Too long waiting time

Unfortunately, the whole thing has been broken into parts. Book One , as could be expected, breaks off at a key moment and makes readers wait impatiently for the next installments of the series. The announcement of Dune’s second graphic volume is even more worrying – we can expect its continuation in 2022! This waiting is a bit too much, even for the most faithful fans of the Arrakis stories. Until then, it remains to read the originals and watch films about the world of Dune .

Comic book inspiration for young people

The wonderful drawings perfectly reflect the atmosphere of Herbert’s work. Exotic palaces and hot wastelands give the impression that we have moved to them. Giant worms almost crawl out of the pages of the comic. The plot is conveyed very faithfully, which influenced the decisions of the creators and dividing the story into parts. I think that the innovative, comic approach to the science fiction classic is a very good solution for the young generation of readers. As I mentioned earlier, the graphic novel can encourage the audience to reach for the original Dune , and that alone is reason enough to support the authors of this book with all their might. Now I will look forward to the second volume. But why so long …