Once I got past the appearance of Butler, I really enjoyed the comic adaptation of the first Artemis Fowl book. Overall, it did a good job of staying true to the original plot and brought new life to old characters. The Artemis Fowl books are wonderfully descriptive, but it’s still hard to truly imagine Foaly or Haven City. With the exception of Butler, I found all of the characters to be well designed and drawn. My problem with Butler was that I imagine him looking something like Brock Sampson (Venture Brothers) or Race Bannon (Jonny Quest)—a tough, macho bodyguard who still has some sex appeal. Instead, Butler has a giant body and a head that looks tacked on as an afterthought. Honestly, he looks a bit like an alien.

There wasn’t much added content; mostly the value of the book is a chance to see these places as the author intends. It’s been about a year since I last read the books, but I think that if I’d read this right after I read the first novel, I’d feel like there was too much repeat content. Other than the addition of images, it’s pretty much like reading the same story over again. I did feel like I gained a bit of insight into the other characters’ thoughts, but it was at the expense of seeing the inner struggles of Artemis. I didn’t get the same sense of Artemis’ humanity and his struggle to be a criminal while still not wanting to hurt people.

So if you like the Artemis Fowl series, you should definitely pick up this comic. If you’ve always been meaning to read the book though, pick up the novel first and wait for the graphic novel. I think the story is overall more enjoyable in text form, and I would have much rather seen an original Artemis Fowl story in comic form than just a rehash of the first book.

(All my ratings, extras, and parent info still stand from the review of Artemis Fowl)

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