American Gods Volume 1: Shadows by Neil Gaiman

​I read this first when it came out. Ages ago. Even met Gaiman for a signing of it. Even watched Starz’ mess of an adaptation. Well, some of it, anyway, Before it became utter caca.
American Gods is the last time Gaiman did proper adult fiction. Which boggles the mind because he is so, SO good at it. But for some reason he seems to prefer children and YA writing, even though he occasionally passes the latter for adult. So then, it’s special.
So then, naturally I was interested in checking out the graphic adaptation. Yes, it’s three volumes, but the book itself is huge. Plus, I like Russell’s art, and the guest artists are just as good.
Reading volume one was a trip down memory lane. I don’t usually remember books very well because I read so many, but some are more memorable than others. Plus, the TV show did get some things right. Not Shadow, not really. In my mind he’s forever kind of like young Vin Diesel.
I actually do prefer him as Russell draws him to the Starz’s casting, but in the graphic novel he doesn’t look that huge. Not like he’s meant to be. Tall yes, but quite slim, actually. Nice face, though. And faces are kind of weird in this book at times, weird angles, anyway.
The book itself though does the original justice. There’s a lot of material to process there. It’s why the TV adaptation likely failed, but books are a different beast. And Gaiman is no stranger to comic book writing, so this works. This works very nicely.
Even knowing the story, I found myself completely drawn into the mysterious world, much as Shadow Moon does. Completely admiring the author’s skill and imagination. The artist’s talent.
All in all, a very good read. Now all I want to do is read the rest of the books. Long as they are. I suppose that’s as much of a compliment as one can pay to a book. Recommended.