Helpful Score: 3
This is a very quick read - so short that they didn't put page numbers on the book, so I can't tell you exactly how short but I'm getting less than a hundred pages. It contain several sections, which might have been individually released comics detailing the origin story of how Mercy Thompson became a VW mechanic in the Tri-City area and got involved with werewolves, vampires, and fae. A ton of primary and secondary characters in the later books are introduced here, setting the stage for later conflicts. I'm a much bigger fan of the books than the graphic novels, as I like meatier stories. These read like a few short stories or back-story, in illustrated format. The edition I got was hardcopy from the library, and I would not have paid $23 for 30 minutes of page flipping and reading. Hopefully the author will come back to this time period in flashbacks in the books or write a more detailed book that covers these events.
Unlike the other reviewers, I didn't think the drawings were bad, but the opening sequences had a ton of gratuitous nudity due to shapeshifting without spare clothes. A different artist did illustrations for later in the book that had some clothes and a bit less over-emphasis on Mercy's sexuality (which seemed over the top during fight scenes). The pictures of the coyotes and vampires looked good, some very gritty/realistic while others were very dreamy and blurred, based on the atmosphere they were trying to convey.
Unlike the other reviewers, I didn't think the drawings were bad, but the opening sequences had a ton of gratuitous nudity due to shapeshifting without spare clothes. A different artist did illustrations for later in the book that had some clothes and a bit less over-emphasis on Mercy's sexuality (which seemed over the top during fight scenes). The pictures of the coyotes and vampires looked good, some very gritty/realistic while others were very dreamy and blurred, based on the atmosphere they were trying to convey.
Talk about disappointing - take a good series and destroy it. Not for people who actually like to READ a book. There's little story but lots of sub-par drawings. This item (I refuse to call it book) makes a wonderful hot pad.
Helpful Score: 3
There's nothing really new about this offering for Mercy Thompson fans. It fills in backstory for Mercy, but nothing earth-shattering, and the inconsistency of the graphics is distracting. Really only for the completist fan. I won't be re-reading this, but it'll stay a part of my Briggs collection because of that.
This graphic novel is absolutely awesome. The artwork is beautiful and I loved how all of the characters looked, especially Mercy and Adam, but was a little disappointed in Stefan. Not at all what I thought he looked like. I give this graphic novel 5 stars. The only problem is that it is too short. I can't wait for more.
Helpful Score: 3
Graphic Novel - aka cartoon - Surprised me... I reserved/borrowed this from the local library. It's the short story of how Mercey came to be a mechanic in her existing series. I liked it. But, it was no where near my favorite in the series.
