Book Review: A Scanner Darkly

[brandonklassen]

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A Scanner Darkly (Graphic Novel)

Length: 190 pages
Size: 9" x 6.25"
Written by: Philip K. Dick / Richard Linklater
Published: 2006, Pantheon Books
Purchase: Amazon.com

(Please note: the film that this book is based on is rated "R" for "Restricted".)

I have to admit... and as a fan of good science fiction literature, I'm a bit ashamed to admit this... but I've never read Philip K. Dick's original novel, A Scanner Darkly.

I had heard that they were creating a live-action animated film based on the novel, with a truly unique visual process that I haven't seen since - the film was shot live-action, and then animated over with a cel-shaded-like appearance, to give it a realistic animated style that seemed to be part cartoon and maybe part video game-like. It was an interesting mixture that ended up successfully reflecting the hallucinogenic state of mind of the characters in the film - as they felt unnerved, we were to feel the same way - but always with the flowing beauty of this new art form, the animated live-action film.

I was working in a bookstore at the time, and actually saw this graphic novel adaption of the film before I saw the film itself - instantly intrigued, I bought the book and was immediately drawn into the story.

(A sidenote: I love books that have quite a few illustrated pages before the actual beginning of the book, which is the case here. It shows that the publisher really cares about the presentation and the mood/feeling of the book, and is willing to spend valuable pages to do this instead of just rushing into the book - in fact, sometimes at the expense of adding extra blank pages at the end.)









This book exemplifies the quality of the graphic novel designation. It's a sturdy hardcover with thick pages that have a soft, vintage feel to them and a pretty good binding that basically lets you lay the book open.

This science fiction classic of drug addiction and law enforcement envisioned in a not-too-distant future really comes to life in this graphic novel. The film starred Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder, and the vibrant, unsettling and realistic manner that they're animated in is apt for Dick's themes of personality and paranoia.





The animated film images seem perfect for the comic page. Sometimes, "photo comics" based on movies, such as Cine-Mangas, have layouts that seem completely careless. Instead, here, this is not just a cheap "picture book" tie-in to the film - great care has been taken to make the story stand solidly on its own as a graphic novel, with lots of work put into all the necessary considerations from panel size and composition to narration, pacing and dialogue layout to the delightfully wide cinematic format of the book.

You do need to have patience when reading this graphic novel to fully enjoy it, to look at each panel individually and see what's happening visually in places where there isn't any dialogue. My personal experience reading this graphic novel is that the story has been masterfully translated from Dick's original novel to the screen and then back to the print page. This graphic novel represents a fantastic merge of mediums and, for those who can embrace the somewhat rambling narrative and enjoy the ride, it unfolds with a gripping sense of things spiralling out of control, with many subtleties to discover with each read.

Absolutely a unique book created from a unique film and well worth checking out, especially if you saw the film and liked it, or liked Dick's original novel. Appears to be out of print on Amazon, but there are currently many people selling copies at low prices.

[parka]

The book looks better than the movie. The style of presentation suits the book more.