The Runic Review: Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files - Storm Front (Dabel Brothers Publications) By John H

Urban magic at it’s best.

When a storm rages, I feel a kind of fearful glee. I love to stand with the door open and just watch the chaos ensue. The wind, rain, and lightning along with the other elements unfolding their power. For me it is amazing to see this: to feel the electricity in the air, the crash of thunder in your ears, the smell of ozone in your nose as the lightning flashes, sensing the arc of the lightning through your closed eyelid. Now imagine wielding that kind of Power.




When I heard about Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files- Storm Front TPB, I was curious. Having not read the original novel myself, but followed the TV series ( which got canceled way too soon), I didn’t know if this comic was true to Jim Butcher's original work, but I figured having the original author writing the comic couldn’t hurt!

For those who don’t know, The Dresden Files follows the life of a tortured soul named Harry Dresden. A Wizard by profession, Harry works as an on again, off again, freelance private eye for the Chicago Police Department. He helps out Lt. Connie Murphy, a Detective in the Chicago P.D. and gets involved in all sorts of “special” cases. Now everybody thinks Harry is some sort of Psychic working for the Police force, but instead he meddles in the arcane, solving the unsolvable with a twist of the wrist and few ancient verses.

Now being the tortured soul he is, Harry has the Sword of Damocles swinging over his head, and believe me in this case it isn’t a metaphor! To make a long story short, Harry’s parents died when he was young and he was raised by his uncle. This uncle taught him everything Harry ever wanted to know about magic, even stuff he didn’t want to know. His uncle was involved in the Dark Arts, and tried to seduce Harry into the same path, but Harry would have nothing of it, so Harry’s uncle decides to kill him for his rebuff. Calling on the same magic, but with more will and vigor than his mentor, Harry carries out this spell which slays his mentor by magical means. A slaying by sorcery is an act punishable by death, but since it was in self defense, Harry is given a kind of probation…which leads him to having the Sword of Damocles, a one strike and you’re out type of deal.

The one major difference I found between the TV series and the comic is when Harry helps Lt. Murphy. Harry can’t divulge anything about the world of magic without breaking one of the rules of magic, thus bringing about his death. In the comic book there is no such law, and he freely speaks to her about the inner workings of the mystical community. It seems to me, any magic community would want to keep its secrets hidden from the whole “mortal” world, wouldn’t they?

But besides that little idiosyncratic outrage, I found the story to be true to what I know from the show. The art is complementary and flows nicely with the storyline. This is one of the rare comics where I sat down to read and was surprised how each issue ended so quickly. This collection held me captive as only a well written story usually does. For those who love their magic in an urban setting, you will be very pleased.

Overall, this trade paperback is a gem and absolutely worth reading, regardless if you are a fan of the novels or the TV Series. . My only wish is that if there is another TPB, it will conjure up the same mystical feelings I felt reading this one. But for now, I guess I’ll leave the sorcery to Harry, or Jim Butcher for that matter, because that is exactly what this TPB collection is: Pure magic.

9.5/10

John H