The Golden Compass The Graphic Novel Volume 1 by Philip Pullman and adapted and illustrated by Stephane Melchior-Durand and Clement Oubrerie

Summary (from Goodreads):

The world of Philip Pullman’s internationally bestselling His Dark Materials saga is brought to visual life in book 1 of a three-volume graphic adaptation of The Golden Compass.

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, and a mysterious substance known as Dust. As she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win—or to lose—this more-than-mortal battle.

The stunning full-color art offers both new and returning readers a chance to experience the story of Lyra, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary role to play in the fates of multiple worlds, in an entirely new way.

Review:

I picked up the ARC of this at BEA. It comes out 9/22/15. I started reading it at the conference. This is one of the books I wanted to pick up the most when I was there and I was beyond happy to just see it sitting there at the publisher’s booth, almost like it was waiting for me. My love for Philip Pullman’s books is borderline obsessive. I may have even dressed as The Amber Spyglass one year for Halloween…

I have re-read this series like I have re-read the Harry Potter books (over and over again). And they will always have a special place in my heart. Getting to see the story told in this format was beyond exciting for me. Seeing Lyra’s Oxford, the Gyptians, the daemons, the fantasy, and the suspense all over again was as close as I could get to reading this again for the first time.

The art is fantastic. It actually more closely resembles how I imagined things than the movie does. (Side note: why can’t they make the second and third ones into movies too?) So much goes down in book 1, that the makers of this have to turn book 1 into 3 volumes. So, this is only the first third of the story of the first book. I hope all the books will eventually be covered. I know the second and third volumes will come out one year apart (in 2016 and 2017). And it’s going to be a long wait for me. I already knows what happens, but it will sill seem like ages. That’s how good it was.

One of the things I found super interesting about this version, is what was revealed from the beginning. Certain things about Lyra’s daemon, about Lyra’s ultimate decision, and about the future in general were foreshadowed from the beginning. I’m not sure how I feel about all the hints for what’s to come, but I guess I won’t make up my mind about if officially until certain things come to pass. Though, it gives me high hopes for graphic novels of the other books hinted at.

This was a great graphic novel re-telling. The art was wonderful. The story was true to the original, minus a few more hints than there was before. Reading felt a bit like reading it again for the first time. I read it quickly and when it ended, I wanted more. I give it a 10/10.