Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code graphic novel will please longtime fans and bring a spark of wonder to the magical story from author Eoin Colfer. Fans of the novel know that nobody is better at being a criminal mastermind than Artemis Fowl. In the newest adaptation by Michael Moreci with art by Stephen Gilpin, Eoin Colfer’s book will entertain and amuse readers all over again.
With this being the third book of the series, readers will find Artemis trying to go straight. The boy genius who would make an excellent Bond villain is following the wishes of his father and plans to use the family fortune for good. Artemis wants to make one last big play in the world of criminals, gangsters, and the underworld. Thanks to his incredible brilliance, as well as LEP technology Artemis has built an all-powerful computer, the C Cube.
Unstoppable, the C Cube can hack any technology, and Artemis plans to use the technology for a substantial payment from kingpin criminal John Spiro. No matter how well Artemis schemes, Spiro is one step ahead. The meeting is a failure, with Artemis left picking up the pieces. With help from Foaly and Holly Short, there is a small chance that Artemis will be able to regain control of the C Cube and save those he loves. Of course, this will all come at a price.
The Artemis Fowl books are one of the magical moments in literature that is not only steeped in the fantasy/mythology genre, but each of them is spectacularly funny, thanks to the brilliance of author Eoin Colfer and his ability to make life and death experiences and fart jokes so unbelievably hilarious. From passing gas to emotional stakes, Colfer lures the audience in with his wit, but the stakes of his tales are deadly, and even though our main character does bad things, we root for Artemis.
Having read all the books in the series, I was delighted to return to the story of the Irish mastermind with Michael Moreci’s wonderfully succinct adaptation. A graphic novel cannot show everything from the original text. Moreci chooses the essence of the story and skillfully spends his time allowing us to focus on those critical moments from the book that fans of the series will know well.
The adaptation is concise in the narrative, but the artwork from Stephen Gilpin pairs perfectly with the text used by Moreci. Readers that have read the full-length books, know the story, so the graphic novel must choose the essence of the original while standing out from the novel.
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code is an excellent adaptation in graphic novel form. Not only do we see the visual of Artemis’ plan fail splendidly at the beginning of the book, but we also get to invest more in the relationship between Artemis and Butler. How Colfer describes the pain that Artemis feels at what happens to Butler, is matched with skillful artwork that builds on the emotional output of the book.
We care about Butler and root for Artemis because Eoin Colfer has built such a detailed world of fantasy that it would be impossible not to root for Artemis. Moreci and Gilpin take this original story, and make it their own with their choices, and how they choose to place their own stamp on Colfer’s books.
Graphic novels are an incredible lens to revisit a book you know with a new perspective. Michael Moreci and Stephen Gilpin have brought a fresh look to a well-loved story. Fans of the original book will be delighted with the graphic novel version of Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code and will want to add this newest book to their collection.