DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Neil Gaiman
SCRIPT: P. Craig Russell
LAYOUTS: P. Craig Russell
ART: Scott Hampton; Walter Simonson
COLORS: Scott Hampton; Laura Martin
LETTERS: Rick Parker
COVER: Glenn Fabry with Adam Brown
VARIANT COVER: David Mack
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2017)
American Gods is the award-winning, 2001 novel from author Neil Gaiman. It is now being adapted into a comic book series, published by Dark Horse Comics. The novel won several fantasy-literary awards, and there is currently a hit television series adapted from the novel and televised on the cable network, Starz Media. American Gods blends Americana and also ancient and modern mythology to tell the story of a man caught in a war between the gods of the Old World and the new American gods.
The guiding hand behind the American Gods comic book is frequent Gaiman collaborator, P. Craig Russell. Russell wrote the script adaptation of Gaiman's novel and provided the layouts for the art. American Gods the comic book is drawn and colored by Scott Hampton and lettered by Rick Parker.
American Gods #3 finds the protagonist, Shadow Moon, and his mysterious employer, Mr. Wednesday, still in Indiana where Shadow attended the funeral of his wife, Laura. The duo prepares to leave for Chicago the following day, but that night, Shadow has strange, troubling dreams. Then, he gets a visit from Laura. Plus, meet the strange fortune tellers of Chicago.
I always feel or think that I have to let you know, dear reader, that I am a big fan of American Gods, although I did not read it upon its original release in 2001. I read the tenth anniversary edition which featured a longer text – the author's preferred edition. I also feel that I must admit that I loved that book, and that “love” is not a strong enough word in this case. American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition is one of my favorite books, and I consider the reading that edition of American Gods to be life-changing event for me in terms of my life as a writer. True, swear to an American god.
Dark Horse Comics, over their three decades-plus of publishing comic books adapted from other media, has produced countless high-quality “media-tie” comic book and adaptations, and American Gods is one of their best. Even into this third issue, P. Craig Russell and Scott Hampton's American Gods feels true to Neil Gaiman's storytelling and text.
Russell is patient and allows his script adaptation of Gaiman's expansive novel to breath, rather than forcing the pace to squeeze the narrative into a miniseries. Hampton's naturalistic art captures the supernatural aura surrounding American Gods' narrative, while fashioning a world that is both natural and supernatural. I wondered how they could pull off Laura's return, which is one of the more troubling sequences in the novel. They got it right; the comics vision of that event is also quite eerie.
So for a third time, I implore you to set aside your four dollars each month so that you can buy this lovely comic book, dear reader. American Gods may end up being on the short list of great comic book adaptations of a prose novel.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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