by Marc Guggenheim, Illustrated by Alex, Maleev
Marvel, $24.95, 112 pages
Seeing Stephen King’s work come alive through graphic art can be more terrifying than reading his words alone. It takes talented artists to turn a short story (written by the master of the horror genre himself) into a comic adaptation. Stephen King’s N., a story found in the 2006 collection Just After Sunset, has been adapted into a Marvel comic by writer Marc Guggenheim (The Flash) and artist Alex Maleev (Daredevil). Having read the original, this reviewer can confidently state that both men do the story justice and add creative new layers of terror into an already scary story. During a visit to his therapist, patient N. shares that he can’t stop thinking about Ackerman’s Field. Strange stone pillars jut from the ground. When counted with the naked eye, there are seven. In photos, eight appear. And when there are only seven, bad things happen. People are drawn into N.’s story. He warns them never to visit Ackerman’s Field, but they don’t listen. In addition to straight forward comic strip panels, Guggenheim and Maleev use a technique that makes some of the artwork look “photo-real” (newspaper clippings, letters, and psychologist’s notes). This one’s a must read!
Reviewed by Katheryn Franklin