I can't believe I read the first and third graphic novels but skipped the second one! As usual, this was a great companion to the book with the story. The graphics are good and I enjoy seeing Lisbeth in all her glory. If you don't know this part, this is where Henrietta disappears and Mikhael is investigating her disappearance. Is she dead or just vanished without a trace? Loved this series. ( )

Interesting adaptation from the book. The art is typical of what I've been seeing in gritty, dark graphic novels. ( )

A graphic novel version of the first of Stieg Larsson's books about Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, adapted by Scottish writer Denise Mina. It's a great adaptation, but (inevitably) quite a few details get lost and I'm not sure if I fill in the blanks with knowledge I have from the books or if the comics do stand on their own. The art is very good and the characters' looks "fit" how they are described in the original - only a couple of them look like the actors from the movie. I do have a problem with them splitting this into two volumes (of about 150 pages each) - it's clearly only in order to charge for it twice, since it would easily fit into one volume. ( )

A bit of a letdown for old fans.

(Trigger warning for discussions of rape.)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Book 2 is the second and final volume of the comic book adaptation of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I won't rehash the book's plot here, except to say that it's equal parts murder mystery, rape revenge, and social commentary. Wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger hires disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist to solve a decades-old mystery: the disappearance of his niece Harriet from the family's isolated estate on Hedeby Island. Meanwhile, a young woman named Lisbeth Salander - the eponymous "girl with the dragon tattoo" - is struggling to deal with her new court-appointed guardian, Nils Bjurman, a "sadistic pig, a pervert, and a rapist." Lisbeth and Blomkvist's paths converge when Vanger hires Lisbeth's employer, Milton Security, to dig into Blomkvist's life.

The problems I had with the first volume carry over to the second one as well. In her attempt to boil a long and complicated story down to a more terse comic book format, the changes introduced by Mina often distort a character's personality and motivations - or alter specific scenes and plot lines - in fundamental ways. For example, Lisbeth doesn't join Blomkvist's investigation until after he and Pernilla decode the mysterious strings of numbers found in Harriet's notebook...thus uncovering a prolific serial killer (or team of them) that's been hunting down "sinful" women for decades. As a result, Lisbeth's contribution to cracking the case is diminished significantly; her awesome talents almost seem inconsequential here.

Exhibit B: When Blomkvist is attacked and kidnapped by the serial killer, he's trussed up and suspended from the ceiling with an elaborate rope and collar getup: arms stretched tight above him, wrists tied to the ceiling, with a rope securing his ankles behind his back "hog style." While there is a rope around his neck, it's more of a leash - not a noose, like in the book. While no doubt painfully uncomfortable, Blomkvist is in no immediate danger of expiring. Thus, when Lisbeth comes to the rescue, she's not presented with the Sophie's choice of saving Blomkvist from death by strangulation or pursuing the serial killer (though she unties him first anyway). This climactic scene lacks much of the tension and suspense present in the original.

If you haven't read the books, the comic book adaptation is an interesting enough story. But longtime fans like myself are likely to be disappointed by the many changes and inconsistencies. That said, I haven't cancelled my pre-order of The Girl Who Played With Fire, Book 1; I'm still holding out hope that Mina will have better luck with another book. Fingers, crossed.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2013/12/27/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-book-2-by-d... ( )

These graphic novel adaptations just don't have the same punching power as the novels. Meh. ( )