The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher, Ardian Syaf

The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle

by Jim Butcher and Ardian Syaf

When the supernatural world spins out of control, when the police can’t handle what goes bump in the night, when monsters come screaming out of nightmares and into the mean streets, there’s just one man to call: Harry Dresden, the only professional wizard in the Chicago phone book. A police consultant and private investigator, Dresden has to walk the dangerous line between the world of night and the light of day.

Now Harry Dresden is investigating a brutal mauling at the Lincoln Park Zoo that has left a security guard dead and many questions unanswered. As an investigator of the supernatural, he senses that there’s more to this case than a simple animal attack, and as Dresden searches for clues to figure out who is really behind the crime, he finds himself next on the victim list, and being hunted by creatures that won’t leave much more than a stain if they catch him.

Written exclusively for comics by Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle is a brand-new story that’s sure to enchant readers with a blend of gripping mystery and fantastic adventure.

Reviewed by Melanie on

4 of 5 stars

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Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.

This graphic novel is a prequel to The Dresden File series. It is set just before the events of Storm Front, book one. Here, Harry is called in to help CPD Sergeant Murphy investigate a strange murder at the zoo. It appears that gorilla killed a man, but the gorilla is in its enclosure. What gorilla will lock itself back into an enclosure after killing a man? It just doesn’t make sense.

This was a fun story. I always love to see Harry Dresden in action. In addition, we get some time with Murphy and Carmichael. Oh and I can’t forget Bob, the Skull and Mister, the cat. There’s also a really sweet girl zoo keeper who goes by Will, because she doesn’t want to go my Willamena.

I don’t want to go too much more into the story, because I don’t want to give anything away. However, I can talk about the artwork, which is very well done. It has dark drawings that fit well with The Dresden Files series. According to the Forward, written by Butcher, the characters are pretty much what he sees in his head when he writes. He also includes a bit about the process of writing for a comic versus a novel, which I found very interesting.

The one thing I thought was really funny (and I’ve never noticed with previous graphic novels, or if I did that with others, I didn’t notice it at the time), I read the pages with James Marsters in my head. He is just Harry Dresden for me.

The next book is Storm Front in graphic novel. I might grab that too, but I’m not sure when. I do enjoy comics as a general rule, but most of what I’ve read are from authors that I’ve read as novels (Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs and Laurell K Hamilton), but I’ve also read Jennifer Jones Alias and one of the many Deadpool books. I want to get more into the Marvel Universe that I love so much. Maybe even try some DC Comics too.

See some examples of the artwork below. Click on the images to see a larger version.



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  • 8 February, 2018: Reviewed