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hwat66's review

5.0

Adapted and illustrated by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter, what the graphic novel excels in is the art and formatting. I was immediately taken in by the storytelling and kicking my feet with glee at seeing my favorite story retold in pictures. However, no adaption is perfect and often has problems.

Follow this link to read about the Good, the Bad, and the Worrisome (MAJOR spoilers): https://www.fandomspotlite.com/warriors-graphic-novel-adaption-does-it-work

I initially started off ecstatic when reading this graphic novel adaption, but I’m left feeling uneasy. The art is the best part, yet the shifts in the narrative alert me to potential problems down the line.

Does it work then? I think so, in the grand scheme of things. New fans won’t know anything different and longtime fans might not care as much as I do about the continuity if the story remains mostly the same (some people might even think I’m being nit-picky). It’s fun, colorful, dramatic, and really, just a good time. If you’re looking for a more surface-level overview of the Warriors: The Prophecies Begin arc, then the graphic novel is perfect.

Frankly, it’s worth it for the art alone.

Beautiful art it was nice to see the warriors story come to life. Did feel flat  character wise & pacing knowing the full stories but it is a graphic adaptation. An impulse purchase to get mentally  get me through uni. The urge to read all the warriors books is strong.
adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I absolutely adore this book series and I’m so excited to finally see it put into a visual medium! 

The character designs and artstyle is simply amazing, and embodies the books perfectly. 

The only thing that’s keeping this from being 5 stars is the exclusion of the gorge scene, which in my opinion is very important to Fireheart and Sandpaw’s relationship development. Her going from teasing him with Dustpaw to suddenly out of the blue being friendly just doesn’t work that well. 
adventurous inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous dark inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I love seeing my favorite series since childhood being turned into a graphic novel. Seeing Fireheart come to life alongside thunderclap makes my heart swell with love. I can't wait to see the next book and watch fireheart bicker with his old lady best friend yellowfang and get mad at his stupid friend greystripe
adventurous fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It feels rushed as it is a combination of 2 books into one graphic novel adaptation. 
adventurous fast-paced
Loveable characters: Yes

This graphic novel adaptation of the first Warrior cats series is phenomenal!  The art is vibrant and expressive, and it captures unique character personalities well.  Unlike most Warrior cats manga, where you could change who a character is simply by coloring them in differently, each design in "The Prophecies Begin" has a distinct shape and flair.  The artists' notes at the back of the book even address the design process for Fireheart, explaining how his upturned cheek fur is meant to resemble little flames.  It's that kind of attention to detail and the characters that makes this adaptation feel so alive and well-loved.  

I know that some fans are frustrated with how little of "Fire and Ice" was adapted relative to "Into the Wild," but I have faith that these artists will adapt the first series as best as they can and will continue to address vital plot points, such as Cloudtail's arrival in ThunderClan and Cinderpelt's accident.  They have three graphic novels to adapt six full-length books, and that is no easy task.  But comparing the graphic novels point by point to the original story is counterproductive, in my opinion.  The real question is whether this adaptation can stand well on its own, and I think that it's done a great job of that so far.  

My one burning question is: What's going on with Frostfur's litter?  In the original series, Frostfur has four kittens: Brackenfur, Cinderpelt, Thornclaw, and Brightheart.  This is confusing, because the siblings get apprenticed in chunks of two, which doesn't make sense if they're all the same age.  Did Brackenfur and Cinderpelt get apprenticed early, or did Thornclaw and Brightheart get apprenticed late?  But in this adaptation, I noticed right away that Swiftpaw seemed present in the nursery at the same time as Brackenfur and Cinderpelt, seemingly at the expense of Brightheart.  

This makes sense, because Swiftpaw comes out of nowhere in the main series.  He is there as an apprentice once he becomes relevant to the plot, although we never see him as a kit in the nursery.  I wonder if Goldenflower is still meant to be his mother in this adaptation, or if he's now a sibling to Brackenfur and Cinderpelt.  And is the fourth kitten in the nursery supposed to be Thornclaw?  But then, why remove Brightheart from the equation?  Couldn't there have been five kittens in the nursery in this book: Frostfur's four and Goldenflower's one?  

I wonder if Brightheart will be added to the nursery at the same time that Cloudtail arrives, but then I worry that she will be part of Ferncloud and Ashfur's litter, whose mother Brindleface nurses Cloudtail in Princess's absence.  Considering their eventual romance, I want to avoid any potential foster sibling situation between Cloudtail and Brightheart, if possible.  I trust the artists to continue adapting this series in good faith, but I can't help but be curious about this new arrangement. 

Speaking of Frostfur's litter, kudos to the artists for deciding to make Brackenfur stand out through his manner of speech.  While every other character's dialogue is written in all caps, which you see in many graphic novels, Brackenfur uses traditional capitalization and comes across as very polite because of it.  What a sweet and thoughtful detail! 

This adaptation of "The Prophecies Begin" is great for fans of the series and newcomers alike.  I am excited to see where the next graphic novel goes, and I'm grateful that this series has given me so many delights and things to look forward to!   
fast-paced

All in all, just a very good adaptation of the first two books! The art was very cute and I think the spirit was captured pretty much perfectly.