This original story is set in the New York Times-bestselling world of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and is scripted by Butcher himself! When the supernatural world goes out of control, there’s only one man to call: Harry Dresden, the only professional wizard in the Chicago phonebook.
Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle #1
By jimbutcher
This is an older series but I love it and have read the books multiple times!
In this prequel to the first book in the beloved Dresden Files series, Chicago PD’s Special Investigations unit calls in wizard Harry Dresden to investigate an impossible murder at the Chicago Zoo. The best they can come up with is, “The gorilla did it.” But Harry and Lieutenant Karen Murphy know something dark is happening, with the zoo at its center.
This was a pretty fun entry in the series. It’s nice to read something set fairly early in Dresden’s life, before things get so…messy. The mystery is pretty straightforward and engaging enough. Harry tries to be his sarcastic self but I think the shorter format interferes with that a bit. How many panels of snark are truly important to an action-packed story?
The artwork was mostly great. I had to look at a handful of panels for a few minutes, wondering what was going on or why the artist chose to portray the scene from such an awkward angle. I’m no artist myself though, so I may have just missed something. Harry is portrayed pretty much as I picture him but Murphy is a bit more complicated. I do know that she’s a deceptively cute little blonde, but I cannot get the tall brunette actress who portrayed her in the TV show out of my head. It was kind of nice to see her as she’s really described but a bit jarring all at the same time.
I recommend this for fans of the series who also like graphic novels. It’s not necessary to the overarching series plot but it’s a fun way to pass an hour or so.
I am not normally a big reader of vampire/mystery sorts of novels, but this one came highly recommended, and I very much agree with the Locus review that this is ‘an unusually well-crafted first novel.’ There is much to admire in the plotting and pacing alone, which keeps the action coming and the pages turning. This was true even in the absence of any well-developed relationships, and normally I need to be deeply invested in at least one relationship to keep reading a book. One criticism that I have seen crop up relates to the rather chauvinistic protagonist, but this didn’t really rile me up, particularly as the narrator seemed self-conscious of his own blind spot around women. I actually enjoy reading the perspectives of flawed characters, and was happy to come along on this sojourn into Harry Dresden’s wizardly world. Not sure I will read the second book, but I learned a lot from this first one.
Jim Butcher always delivers. I love Dresden and crew!
The first in an addictive series, Jim Butcher successfully creates the fascinating world of Chicago’s sole public practicing wizard Harry Dresden.
I love all of the Harry Dresden books. He’s funny and sarcastic, but a good guy. Tough, but not invincible. Very wizardly. Good writer with good characters.
Jim Butcher always saw The Dresden Files as an animated cartoon, rather than a tv series. He collected every Marvel comic between 1983 and 1986, barring toy tie-ins and New Universal titles. He loved the stories – the heroes, the villains, the victims, the explosions, the battles. Those comic books heavily influenced the type of books he would write. “Welcome to the Jungle” is the first graphic novel set in the world of the Dresden Files, and takes place directly before “Storm Front”.
In “Welcome to the Jungle” we are introduced to Harry Dresden, Chicago’s first, and only, wizard PI. If you haven’t read “Restoration of Faith”, a short story in the anthology “Side Jobs”, this will be the first time meeting several characters of The Dresden Files. We also meet, briefly, Lt. Karin Murphy and Sgt. Ron Carmichael. Lt. Murphy is the head of a special division of the Chicago PD, Special Investigations, whose job it is to investigate and explain any weird happenings, since, of course, magic isn’t real, and monsters don’t exist. She is the one who calls Harry in as a consultant whenever something doesn’t make sense. Sgt. Carmichael, on the other hand, thinks Harry is a con man and running a scam. He is less likely to believe in the supernatural, but then again, Murphy was introduced to that world in “Restoration of Faith”, where she and Harry first met.
The illustrations drawn by Ardian Syaf and inked by Nick Nix, Joe Pimentel, Rick Ketchum, and David Rivera are absolutely amazing. This was my first graphic novel, and the stunning images pulled me in as much as Mr. Butcher’s writing! For this story, Mr. Butcher spent his time on creating his brilliant characters rather than world building. In conjunction with the illustrations, his characters leapt from the pages. You were given a solid feel for the character attributes through the writing and, in tandem, the expressions and action you saw on the page. Having a set picture of the characters, rather than just a well detailed description, made it easy to identify with them, and allow for continued relatability in the further novels.
Lt. Murphy and Sgt. Carmichael are introduced first, though we don’t know their ranks yet. However, it is clearly apparent who is charge. We get a feel for Carmichael first, simply by his comments on the city wanting the case closed quickly and his disagreement with the order to get “him”. When Harry arrives on scene, their back and forth easily shows Carmichael feels Harry’s service is a waste of budget and Harry himself is a shyster running a scam. We learn little about Murphy, other than she’ll push when she wants something and she, mostly, does things by the book.
The first thing we learn about Harry is his sense of humor is very dry and he gives people huge leeway in their beliefs and reactions. He uses kinetic energy, which is usually directed by a six feet oak, medieval quarterstaff, which is six inches circumference, and covered with runes and sigils. It also makes a great weapon to smack someone if necessary, since Harry isn’t against using regular physical ways to attack, including using a gun. “Fair fights are for suckers.” He’s intelligent and thinks outside the box in fights, using magic to manipulate objects when it seems as if he’s out of options. He has a high moral code in regards to innocents, he will not leave them behind or unprotected. “People suck but persons are worthwhile, always.”
In a note at the end the, Mr. Butcher mentions that Harry is meant to be an average person, who likes beer and pizza, and can’t always pay his rent on time. I’d say he achieved that very well.