The Dresden Files: War Cry by Jim Butcher

JButcher-DresdenWarCryThe very popular Dresden series expands with the comic The Dresden Files: War Cry. Jim Butcher brings the intricacies of his world to beautifully illustrated panels. Fast paced, this is just the fix for Butcher fans.

A war is raging between the vampire forces of the Red Court and the White Council – a war that the wizards are losing. So desperate are the Council that they’ve dragooned the experienced and the outcast to reinforce their thinning ranks of Wardens. One of these draftees is one Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only wizard-for-hire and a guy who’s long been looked upon with suspicion by the supernatural authorities. Now, he’s one of them, and his first big mission as a Warden is a doozy: take a small team of greenhorns to a frigid town in the middle of nowhere to rescue a handful of mortals who’ve been targeted by the Red Court. The question is, why exactly are these particular mortals so crucial to the outcome of the war? The answer will come only if Harry can keep them, and his team, alive for one very long night.

This is probably the shortest Dresden story I’ve ever read. That being said, it was still enjoyable. It is incredibly short, only spanning the actions of one mission/battle. The characters aren’t really expanded on but even someone just picking up the comic would be able to guess a lot from the presentation.

The one downside is definitely that the story doesn’t feel fleshed out. I understand not wanting to make a full length novel out of one small instance. Unfortunately, this story feels too short even by comic standards. There is little plot and the bulk of the story is predictable. The Dresden Files: War Cry is a great example of sticker shock in the graphic novel world. Does it rate the hardcover price? I don’t think so but it was an ok read for the five or so minutes it takes to read cover to cover. My suggestion is to skip it (or borrow it from the library) unless you’re a huge Butcher fan.

 

 

About Natassia 143 Articles
I am a performer by trade and have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. My bookshelves are full of many genres but I have a love of fantasy, SciFi and steampunk which have only spurred my performing dreams to help one of these fabulous worlds come to life. I tend to read books with a lot of edge and grit; if it's got zombies, space battles or fantastical steam inventions, I'm in. When I'm not reading or off making my own adventures, I can be caught watching movies of every era, gaming, and being scandalously political like any good steampunk heroine.