Review: Artemis Fowl

I read Artemis Fowl and some of its sequels when it was first released in 2001. And I’m realizing that today’s audience for the book wasn’t even born yet or a glimmer in their parents’ eyes. So revamping the book into a graphic novel, which seems to be a continued trend, seems logical. Though there already was a Graphic Novel released in 2007, the publishers revamped the comic with new text and new art in honor of an upcoming movie, whose release date is pushed around constantly.

Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel
By Eoin Colfer, Michael Moreci. Art by Stephen Gilpin
2019, Hyperion, 128pp.
Grades 4 and up

Artemis Fowl is a boy Genius whose father is missing and his mother is out of commission due to depression. Artemis is determined to replenish his family’s wealth and so he devises a plan to steal fairy gold. Most humans are unaware of the existence of fairies, so Artemis’s attack catches the Fairy world, specifically, Holly Short, with the LEP Police by surprise. The Fairies are formidable opponents. They have lots of strength, but Artemis is a genius who is a match for them.

The graphic novel follows the same plot as the novel with details I could not discern having read it so many years ago. But the charm of the story and the fast paced adventure still exist. There’s bathroom humor that’s entertaining for young pre-adolescent kids. There are twists and turns.

The artwork is loud and brash. It’s exciting. The colors are dull and dark at just the right places.

My 5th grader read this and was begging me for the next installment. There are 8 books in the prose series, but as of now the graphic novel series has not continued. So it might just be a good link for those who want their kids to also read prose. As for me, even after all these years, I felt like the adaptation left the good parts out. But it’s like any movie adaptation, it can’t capture everything.

Perhaps it isn’t a first purchase for library shelves, but there will be an audience for this title. Especially if that movie is released in 2020 as promised.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews