Reviews

Wild Card by Mark Powers, Jim Butcher

miocenemama's review against another edition

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4.0

It's fun to see Butcher's characters as an artist would depict them. I also like seeing Molly come into her own more with each story. The ending was a little too convenient, but it had to be resolved somehow and the villain was not something that could be conquered by Dresden's usual techniques. This story fits nicely into the Dresden Files continuing saga

rouver's review against another edition

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4.0

An extra star for introducing a fun, quirky new villain. A lot of reviewers were disappointed by the ending, but not every solution is going to involve explosions. I think trying to do this story as a graphic novel meant that Butcher couldn't build up the ending like he would have liked to, to make it feel more satisfying & a bit less like random chance. We finally get to see Butters and Harry's godmother, Leanansidhe, too.

Harry tries to prevent a war that's brewing between the White Court vampires, Johnny Marcone's mobsters, and the police force...something that would definitely tear the city of Chicago apart & result in a lot of innocent deaths. But who is orchestrating the mysterious attacks that seem to be blamed on one of the three factions?

It follows Butcher's standard template: some big problem is brewing, Harry gets the stuffing pounded out of him, time is running out, but he somehow manages to pull it off and save the day. It's what we like & it keeps us coming back for more. I don't have a problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is the Esher Girl illustrations. The skin tight clothing can be excused because this IS a succubus, but we really need to educate illustrators on the human form.

description

If this doesn't look strange to you, it's because you've become used to it. Go and look at some of the work on Escher Girls where they're fighting the good fight against ridiculous T&A illustrations & sculptures. It's shocking what all is out there, and how we have become desensitized to it.

If you're a fan of the Dresden Files, go ahead & pick up this graphic novel.

carroq's review against another edition

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4.0

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wild Card is the second graphic novel set in the Dresden Files universe that I've read. This one takes place further into the series than I've read, but it has a lot of the same elements that make the series so enjoyable.

Harry Dresden is the only private detective in Chicago that is also a wizard. The blend of the realistic setting with magic works great. He is asked to investigate the deaths of two young women, which leads him into a feud between vampires, the mafia, and the police force. This is all orchestrated by a mysterious bad guy.

The art is solid, and the whole book looks great. Karin's depiction is a little off from that I remember from the books. Unless something changed with her that I'm not aware of, it could bug fans. It wasn't anything major though. I swear the bad guy looks very similar to one of the creatures in the other Dresden Files graphic novel I read.

On its own, the book isn't anything special. The story is fun to read, but it doesn't explore any themes in depth and doesn't reveal much history of the characters involved. Anyone that reads the series should enjoy it for another chance to visit these characters though.

piratenami's review against another edition

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3.0

It's the Dresden Files, so of course it's great seeing the characters I love from the novels. The story was good, the characters felt true to their novel versions, and it kept my interest. I would have rated this 4 stars for the original story, but I have to subtract a star for some of the art. The character designs look fine, but there were a few 'anatomy fails' in the artwork, including some poses that looked back-breaking and painful. The ending felt a bit rushed and somewhat anti-climatic considering the build up to that point. But still, I overall enjoyed the comic as a side story in the Dresden universe.

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

kaitwalla's review against another edition

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4.0

A worthy addition to the Dresden Files, even if the ending fell flat. Other than that, a perfect graphic adaptation of the best parts of the series.

heregrim's review against another edition

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4.0

Playing more on the political side of conflict then I was expecting, but fitting perfectly into the world of Dresden's Chicago. One more bandaide to hold me over to Peace Talks. Although, these comics I might come to love as much as the stories themselves.

melissajmay's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

jeamar82's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

tylovesbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

This was just like reading a full Dresden Files book. I felt that all the dialog for the characters was on point and as happy to see that the drawings really reflected the way Jim Butcher describes the characters. I will be reading more of these.

pjmurphy3's review

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5.0

a fun visualization to the Dresden files books.