Review: Twilight - The Graphic Novel Volume 1

Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 1 
Written by Stephenie Meyer                
Art and Adaptation by Young Kim
Published by Yen Press
Available Now!!

I will admit that I have never been a graphic novel fan.  I do own the first volume of the Dark Hunter Series graphic novel by Sherrilyn Kenyon (cause I love me some Dark Hunters!!), but that's it.  I really didn't have any intention of purchasing the Twilight Graphic Novel- until I picked it up off the shelf and looked at it!  It is truly beautiful!

Summary from Goodreads:

"When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret... Beautifully rendered, this first installment of Twilight: The Graphic Novel is a must-have for any collector’s library." 

My Thoughts:

As I stated earlier, I have never been a graphic novel fan.  That being said.... I am a fan of this book!  I read it cover to cover in one sitting.  I love all of the Twilight books and the first is my favorite.  With the movies, hype, and overall Twilight craziness, it is easy to forget how beautiful the book is!  The graphic novel brought me back to the first time I read Twilight and allowed me to revisit the feelings I felt while reading it.  I read the books before any of the movies came out and I pictured the characters a certain way in my mind.  Although I do love the movie cast, they don't really look like what I had pictured in my head while reading the books.  The graphic novel's characters look so much more like my versions of Edward, Bella and the gang (except Jacob- I didn't like the way he looked in the graphic novel).  The cool part is that on the back of the book jacket Stephenie Meyer is quoted as saying, "I've enjoyed working on this new interpretation of Twilight.  Young has done an incredible job transforming the words that I have written into beautiful images.  The characters and settings are very close to what I was imagining while writing the series."

The artist, Young Kim,  is so talented!  I thought that her use of color was striking.  She only added color a few times in the book, and it was at crucial times (the meadow, to show the amber color of his eyes, when he revealed how he looks in the sunlight, and a few other places).  The pictures are meant to tell the story and they do their job!  There is just enough dialogue to aid the pictures in telling the story, but not enough to overpower it.  This volume ends with the meadow scene and their first kiss, with the continuation of the story to be picked up in volume two.  If you are a Twilight fan, I encourage you to add this to your collection.  I know many of you may be thinking that this is just ANOTHER piece of Twilight commercialization, but I feel that it is truly a wonderful addition to the Saga.