DUNE: The Official Movie Graphic Novel (2022)
Author: Lilah Sturges | Artist: Drew Johnson | Colourist: Zid | Page Count: 120
Beyond the printed page, I've watched the David Lynch film so much that I could probably replay the entire movie in my head with a fair level of accuracy. And I've even watched the TV Miniseries about half a dozen times. Then there's the many video games, soundtracks, and previous comic book adaptations, all of which vary greatly in their relatedness and believability.
What I've not watched is the film version made by Legendary Pictures in 2021, for various reasons, none of which will add much to this review. The reason I mention it at all is because the comic book in question is an adaptation of it, not of Frank Herbert's original novel.
The film's fans claim it's very faithful to the source, so I figured I'd be in familiar territory, at least. Nevertheless, it means I'm writing about an adaptation of a film that I've not seen, which is a rarity for me. But I'll give it a try.
The comic's storytelling is lifeless and bland; but in truth the first half of Frank's original novel is pretty dry, so perhaps in that too it's somewhat faithful. I don't know. But a comic book has limited space, which makes it all the more unfortunate that it squanders what's available on uninspired, ham-fisted depictions of its primaries and almost non-existent characterisation for the supporting cast, some of whom play a crucial role in the story's direction; e.g., Doctor Yueh.
I read it in one sitting, which is my normal practice for books as short as it is, but at no point during the main story did I ever feel glad that I'd picked it up in favour of something else. And it's only half a story, ending just as its main character is thrust into the unknown. The second half of Paul's story is the better half, so perhaps the second comic book will follow suit.
The dialogue meets its equal in the colour palette. The artwork seems like it would be really great if only it wasn't smeared in dark colours that all too often obfuscate what's happening in panels. When it jumps location, from Caladan to Giedi Prime, for example, the tone barely changes, merely offering a new shade of dark. Arrakis, which I imagine as being rich with oranges and ochres, often feels like it's been painted with water from a muddy puddle, then put through some kind of sepia filter. The murky colouring sucks all the wonder from the alien environments.
There's good art in there, I'm sure of it, but it's utterly ruined by gloom. I began to question why it was so damned dark. Was it an error? Did the printer screw it up? Was it coloured with digital devices in mind, and not actual paper? Would a backlit device even penetrate the gloom and make an actual difference? I did some research and the few pages that I found as examples do look better on a screen than on paper. It's still dreary, but it's not the dark, ugly mess it is on paper.
The one redeeming part of the book, for me, is the Bill Sienkiewicz sketches that are included at the end. They look to be a combination of black pen, inks, charcoal, and watercolour, but digital techniques have evolved to the point where it's hard to tell anymore, so I can't say with any certainty what medium was used. Either way, they have the artisan quality that Sienkiewicz is known for. A few of them are part of the montage used on the book's cover. Each individual headshot fills a page, minus the smeary hues, in beautiful monochrome. I'd add a few example pictures if I could find any, but the internet is weirdly light on DUNE: TOMGN screencaps.
To sum up, the writing is prosaic, the art is ruined by the colouring in the paper version, and it's only half a story. If your preference is digital comics, then you'll probably see more of what's happening within it than I was able to, but it'll probably not help the feeble characterisation.
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