Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 2 by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim is the second (my review of Volume 1) in the series providing Meyer’s fans with even more Edward and Bella, but in visual form. Kim’s images are sharp and well shaded, but there are only a few splashes of color, mostly red. The story line is basically the same, with Bella and Edward running from James and Victoria.
There is a bit more back story of Carlisle and James here, and some of the scenes are modified to adapt it for the graphic novel and speed up the action. Kim is a deft talent with her shading and life-like images. She takes the story to a new visual level, making her characters almost 3-D with their depth. Twilight fans who cannot get enough of this saga will love to add these books to their collections, and others might simply enjoy the art in these volumes, especially how the clothes move with the vampires and humans so realistic that readers would wish to feel the fabric.
There are odd moments in the novel where “conversation bubbles” are empty except for an ellipses, which may be unnecessary, given the depth of Kim’s talent to create believable facial expressions. Meyer is surely capitalizing on her saga’s fame, and she’s looking to her character notes and sketches to offer her readers more than just the same story. Is there enough in these graphic novels to satisfy the less-than-die-hard fan? Maybe. What is the real gem in Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 2 is Kim’s talent as an artist.
