Fangirl, Volume 1: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell, adapted by Sam Maggs and illustrated by Gabi Nam

Summary from Goodreads:

The manga adaptation of the beloved novel by #1 Bestselling author Rainbow Rowell!
New York Journal of Books

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can't let go. Now that they’re in college, Cath must decide if she’s ready to start living her own life. But does she even want to if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Cath doesn’t need friends IRL. She has her twin sister, Wren, and she’s a popular fanfic writer in the Simon Snow community with thousands of fans online.  But now that she’s in college, Cath is completely outside of her comfort zone. There are suddenly all these new people in her life. She's got a surly roommate with a charming boyfriend, a writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome new writing partner ... And she's barely heard from Wren all semester!

Review:

As I mentioned on Goodreads, I forgot how much I loved the original. I guess I will read this story in any format. But, it works remarkably well in this one. Simon and Baz need more pictures. And, I connect way too much to Cath. As soon as I learned this book was being turned into a graphic novel, I ordered it for my library. I only recently finished Wayward Son, and revisiting this original story felt almost like returning to old friends.

It’s hard only getting so much of the story though. It kind of just leaves off at the beginning of the story! I think because this is only Volume 1. I guess there’s going to be multiple volumes. But, ugh…I could easily have read the whole thing in this format, even if it was 1000 pages.

The illustrator nailed college life! The pictures of Cath’s dorm, the cafeteria, the library, etc all seemed so realistic. Seeing Cath’s emotions on her face also allowed me to feel for her in a way, I’m not sure I did before. Though, I must have always connected her because why else would be wanting to read this story again in all formats? I’m trying to remember if I always hated her twin so much….I must have. I’m excited to read more when it comes out.

Do I like this version as much as the book version? It’s been a long time since I read the original. Rowell’s unique power with words isn’t quite here, but all the key parts are. It’s hard to explain. I really enjoyed this. The characters all rang true. And the pictures were spot-on for me. It did feel like a little of Rowell’s magic was missing, though, I’m not sure this is something that’s achievable in a redone format. I give it a 9/10.