Written by: Sylvain Runberg, Stieg Larsson
Illustrations: Manolo Carot
Coloring: Alex and Mirabelle
Publisher: Dupuis
Millennium #3 Gerechtigheid Deel 2 – Comic Book Review
Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy is probably one of the most read novels of this century. There have been several series and movie adaptations, but today we present you with one that is somewhat more original. Millennium #3 Gerechtigheid Deel 2 is the sixth and last issue of the comic book series based on Larsson’s novels. It seems high time to look into this intriguing series.
Lisbeth Salander’s trial is getting closer, and she will need a very convincing defense, since she is accused of murdering several people. Lucky for her, Annika, Mikael Blomkvist’s sister and a brilliant lawyer, is willing to take this difficult task upon her. Mikael is still convinced that Lisbeth is being set up, and keeps digging deeper into her story in order to find out the truth. Lisbeth gave him the name of Birger Wadensjöö a man who used to work for the Säpo, the Swedish Secret Service, which is not as clean as it sounds. Soon after Blomkvist found out about Wadnesjöö, another Säpo agent plants cocaine in his apartment, to try and discredit the journalist. Luckily the intruder is caught on tape and the plan fails. Meanwhile Lisbeth’s trial has started and time runs out for both Blomkvist, who still hasn’t found out exactly what has been going on, and Wadensjöö, who needs to do something before Blomkvist finally does find out.
The pace of this story is rather quick, which is only to be expected. A lot still needed to happen in this final installment, but it never feels too hasty. The story switches a lot between the different characters and settings, giving you a good idea of what is going on, and what has been going on prior to this album. Even without having read the previous issues, this album is captivating, although it would be a shame not to read them.
It’s a titanic task adapting a novel into a comic book. Lots of unnecessary information has to be left out, to get to the core of the story, but that’s easier said than done. Nonetheless, Sylvain Runberg did a marvelous job. Of course many details have been left out, but it never feels as if you lack too much information for it to still be interesting.
Man uses quite an angular style for his illustrations. While this makes the album look rather artistic, the illustrations also look less realistic, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Also, movements don’t look very lively, which sometimes makes the characters look more like motionless dolls. Alex & Mirabelle opted for more muted colors, which helps to evoke a feeling of drowsiness and suspense.
Conclusion
While it must be extremely difficult to adapt a trilogy such as Stieg Larsson’s Millenium to a comic book series of only six issues, it’s only fair to say that Sylvain Runberg did a great job in doing so. Of course, the story has been adapted and many things have been left out, which might cause fans of the trilogy to be less excited than we are. The story still stands strong and is accompanied by artistic, yet not that lively illustrations. Still the two make a very interesting whole and are a perfect ending to the series.
Millennium #3 Gerechtigheid Deel 2 - Comic Book Review,
No Comments