Richard Matheson's I Am Legend

This graphic novel is yet another adaptation of Richard Matheson's I am Legend. Unlike so many of the others, this one attempts to stay fairly close to the original work with changes made in order to transform the story to a visual medium rather than some marketing roundtable idea of what might sell well to a certain audience. If the name Steve Niles does not sound familiar, perhaps his work on 30 Days of Night does - both the film and graphic novel adaptations (short aside, the film pitch for those came first and failed...then the graphic novels were born of those lemons and then the studios came to them offering movie deals). Matheson's story of Robert Neville may not seem like a match for the ultra-violent world of Barrow, Alaska, show more but when you realize that both men wanted to take aspects of the vampire legend and narrow the scope to isolated stories with no hope of rescue from the outside, they become a natural match.

Robert Neville is the same man of Matheson's original story. He is a working class man, having survived a mysterious plague that has left him seemingly alone in a city full of vampires. He has learned to surround himself with the protective items of legend - garlic, mirrors and crucifixes. After all, if it walks and quacks like a vampire... But this isn't just the story of discovering that your old neighbors have all become vampires while you're likely the only survivor left. This is the story of the relentless passage of time and the deterioration of self as the sole survivor's task begins to reveal the true weight and finality of what it has to offer. In all of this, the drawings of Elman Brown really shine through.

All in all, an excellent addition to the already crowded I Am Legend table. In fact, its one of those reminders that we should always save room to sample a new spin on a classic dish even if we think we can't possibly take another bite. show less

I picked this up on a whim the last time I was at the library, thinking that my boyfriend might be interested since he had liked the movie reasonably well. By the time he was 10 pages in, he wouldn't shut up about it, and by the time he was done, he was practically trying to force me to read it, so he could discuss it with me.
Tonight, I both started and finished it.

Caveat: I have no idea how closely this follows the original book, and I have only my boyfriend's word when it comes to comparing it to the movie, as I did not see it. I may also include spoilers.

I Am Legend tells the story of Richard Neville, who believe himself to be the last man alive on earth. A plague of sorts has swept the world, turning everyone else into a vampire. show more (Why he is immune is discussed later in the book, for those who were wondering.) Neville lives in LA (not NY) and spends his days trying to create a life for himself, with some time out for killing vampires. He also tried to research the plague, to determine its cause and a possible cure.

According to the boyfriend, this is very different from the movie. Neville is not a scientist. He does not have a dog. He lives in LA. He is kind of creepy. The people are definitely vampires, and all of the terminology and superstitions associated as such are mentioned. It is also not a very hopeful book. At all, really.

It is, however, a very good book. Some of the scenes are rather heartbreaking, and this coming from a woman often accused of having no heart when it comes to books and movies. Tracking Neville's mental stages, from denial, to rage, to despair, to hope, back to despair, and ultimately to resignation of a sort is what really moves the book, since there's not a ton of plot. It still manages to be a page-turner, however, since the reader can easily identify with Neville's plight. At least I could.

Back in my misguided youth, I read A LOT of vampire fiction, and this is easily one of the better ones. I wish I had found it back then, actually- made I would have read less garbage. Who knows? It's a great graphic novel by any account, and I am eagerly awaiting word that the novel is available at the library, along with several other books by Matheson. show less

Such a dark and brooding tale - I loved it! The artwork is like the sketch work of a very obsessed introvert - intense black and white with loving detail devoted to areas of the visuals not normally focused on, but somehow not quite as satisfying as the best color stuff out there today. So much different than the movie, better. I saw Omega Man many, many years ago and can't remember how similar that one is to this. Will have to get it on Netflix.

This adaptation seems awfully heavy on text for a graphic novel but an effective one nonetheless.

This is a graphic adaptation of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel. As such it really does follow the story very well and uses a lot of the text from the original novel. What I like about the story is how it portrays an average man dealing with a horrific situation. There are no superheroes or brilliant scientists, just Robert Neville trying to survive and cope with being the last human on the planet. The stark black and white drawings really bring home the bleakness of what is happening. We wonder just what it means to be human and if you are the only one of your kind in a world of others who has the right to survive? The original novel came out 45 years ago and this graphic adaption 18 years ago. It is still as good a read today.

So, to begin with I try as much as possible whenever comes a film inspired by a book to read the original so I won't get contaminated by the first one. It didn't happen with "I Am Legend". I chose to read the graphic novel instead of the book itself 'cause I already loved the film best, obviously they have the same plot but to me they sort of head to different intentions and to me the film was more about the psychological effec of being alone had on him after the whole apocalyptic affair and the book was more about the suspense, the horror of the scene. Now, about the graphic novel itself it's not a small baloon monologue thing it's a book turned into a new language. The drawings are not my cup of tea, but overall it's a valid reading.

I loved reading the original I Am Legend story, but I did not like this version. I did not like the illustrations and I thought there was to much text for a graphic novel. The pages were so filled with letters that it was overwhelming and the artwork didn't stand out for me.