Written by Sylvain Runberg Artwork by Bélen Ortega Translated by Rachel Zerner Based on the novel trilogy by Stieg Larsson
ISBN 9781785866937 Published by Titan Comics
The girl with the dragon tattoo is back! The character originally created by Stieg Larsson for his Millennium trilogy returns in a brand new story. The franchise keeps growing with additional stories such as 2015’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web book (and its subsequent 2018 movie adaptation) and this original graphic novel. Larsson’s characters are continuing their adventures even after the author’s death way back in 2004. Being a fan of the trilogy and having already read the graphic novel adaptation of the main novels, I am always curious to see how new authors will capture the essence of Larsson’s original creation.
Written by Sylvain Runberg with art by Belen Ortega, The Girl Who Danced with Death is an all-new story in which Lisbeth Salander’s friend Trinity is kidnapped, leading her to recruit Mikael Blomkvist to investigate what happened, and discover the secret of a group known only as Sparta. Of course the mystery gets more complicated as Lisbeth diggs deeper and the stakes get higher. Set in Sweden, the stories always turn out to have a political angle which gives them a distinct thrilling tone, similar to the Scandinavian noir crime television series The Bridge (the original version, not the American remake). As a result, the stories include a lot of dialogue and exposition, which can be a turn off for some readers. On the other hand, the plots are so intricate that they keep you hooked with every page you turn. This new adventure carries the same tone as the original trilogy, even though it isn’t as personal for Lisbeth.
The Girl Who Danced with Death is a good addition to the Millennium series and I like the fact that the story of Lisbeth is being expanded in different formats. I would love to see the character unravel other mysteries with her unique style of justice.
