Vertigo Comics’ Django Unchained hardcover is a full-length adaptation of the original screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, featuring artwork by an incredible list of artists such as R.M Guera, Jason Latour, Denys Cowan, Danijel Zezlj and John Floyd. The screenplay adaptation was originally split up into six parts by Vertigo Comics, and this hardcover collects each of those issues into a nice, small compact hardcover. Adapted by Reginald Hudlin, Django Unchained is incredible story of love, revenge, triumph and much more; it features some incredible characters and compelling suspense, but it does have its flaws, such as stretched out plot lines or inconsistent artwork in some issues. The book even has a foreword from Quentin Tarantino explaining why he thought Django was a great medium for comics and why he believed that his original screenplay would work perfectly as a book, and he’s right because it did make for a compelling tale.
Django Unchained features a very interesting and unique perspective on slavery, but it also features one of the most badass lead characters yet. Django, a seemingly average slave is rescued by a bounty hunter so he can find one of his targets. Eventually, he befriends Django and offers to help him rescue his slave wife – Broomhilda – from the notorious Calvin Candie. This book is really well-written, but it definitely has that “first draft” feel all over it, and I could see why Quentin Tarantino had to cut down areas and places because it often drags on far too long in some places and skips over some things that I really wanted to see; the buildup to the ending, however, is still incredible and a fun experience. I’ll say this now – I have not seen the film. I know, right? Regardless, this Vertigo Comics adaptation makes me eager – and scared – to finally see the film. One of the main problems I have about the book, however, is some scenes that were seemingly important in the movie trailers (“You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention”) don’t seem as important in the comic, as some are left to small panels in corners that may be hard to read.The characters of Django and King Schultz are really great and make for a nice, unexpected team. Schultz teaches Django the ropes of being a Bounty Hunter and he catches on, however this part was briefly skimmed over by a few pages before their ultimate hunt for Broomhilda began. Django gets a lot of development across the span of the book and eventually turns into a badass cowboy that makes Red Dead Redemption’s John Marston look like a pussy; Schultz on the other hand wasn’t as-developed, but still provided enough background for the audience to know who he is and what his intentions are. A few other characters didn’t get as much as development as I would have hoped they would, but Calvin Candie, Stephen and Broomhilda were all necessarily developed seeing as they are the main characters of the book.
The artwork in Django Unchained, however, is very inconsistent. They should’ve found one artist and stuck with them because there are some issues where the cartoon-ish style they present is fantastic, but there are other issues where it is downright lazy; the hardcover doesn’t even take “issue breaks” either, so it’s even more jarring to see the artwork and colors suddenly change. Regardless, some of the iconic action shots are brutal and detailed and make for some gruesome action that’s not quite over-the-top as it needed to be. Overall, though, Django Unchained sports some very interesting and unique art that isn’t unfamiliar to comic readers, but definitely doesn’t go the “realism” route.Vertigo Comics’ Django Unchained is full of twist and turns; it’s a compelling drama about one man and the hunt to save his wife. This book quickly became one of my favorite graphics novels and is well-worth its cover price (which is ever lower on Amazon ). If you enjoyed the award-winning film, you’ll most likely also enjoy the book and vice-versa. Reginald Hudlin did some fine work adapting the works of Quentin Tarantino, and the artists involved all helped keep the story alive.
Source: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/TheAlexLynch/news/?a=89621
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