I Am Legend, A Graphic Novel Review of Richard Mathesons Adaptation

 I Am Legend:  A Graphic Novel Based on the Richard Matheson classic

By Jacob Malewitz

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He smiles. He is last living person on Earth. His name is Richard Neville, a character who, in Richard Matheson’s original classic novel, chain smoked cigarettes, drank liquor, and had to isolate himself from the world. The Steve Niles (“30 Days of Night”) adaptation of “I Am Legend” has to be one of the most detailed graphic novels since Alan Moore’s “Watchmen.” Actually, it reads too much like a novel, with huge sections of text on almost every page. It has been said, one image can say a thousand words. Sometimes, one word can do what a thousand images cannot. Though detailed, this graphic novel is far from boring. Steve Niles pens a piece that is monumental in scope, and that should satisfy horror fans who missed its original release over a decade a go. Perhaps not timeless, “I Am Legend” reevaluates the old tale of one man against many.

It’s the well-known tale of a man battling odds, himself, and the common vampires who seem desire Richard Neville’s blood. He lives in a small, boarded-up home on the outskirts of a major city. Here, he wakes up every day early in the morning, sipping on coffee cups which he likes throwing across the room in rages, and goes to the meticulous day-to-day life of a man searching for hope, with the understanding he must continue to kill vampires, continue to be perfect in boarding up his home every night, and keep his eyes open, because sometimes the clouds hide the fact the sun has set.

One doesn’t pause glancing at the images of vicious vampires at Neville’s doorstep or the bodies lying on the ground in the morning. As a whole, these images are more than just story. The simple black and white artwork is fitting for a tale which would have suited the black and white era of film. What is lost appears to be the concept we are looking at drawings and not a film image moving. It is a graceful thing to watch artist Elman Brown build up a character, seemingly simple, into an icon. Of course, this graphic novel does pick up on the Matheson’s minute details. For example, Neville lights up a cigarette almost every chapter death isn’t at the door. Niles takes advantage of these details, almost too much. 

“Come out, Neville!” One vampire calls out every day, sending chills into Neville.  He gets to a point of madness. What follows is more than the common horror tale. We have possible survivors, possible conspiracies, reasons for the plague, and an ending that fits the title of the piece. Readers of Matheson’s original classic will find a worthy translation here. 

The “I Am Legend” graphic novel paints one of the longest major market graphic novels of its time. Niles never seems to rely on the imagery of Brown, which would be, depending on the reader, his biggest success or failure. He writes down every piece of the classic which is important. Few details are missing, making it hard to allow for the imagery to kick in. Perhaps Niles needed to step back from this piece for a moment and realize he was making “I Am Legend” a laborious pursuit to read. 

The story does build slowly, which might put off some readers. Steve Niles develops Neville, his daily activities, seemingly in the hope it will attract readers to following him with it. Instead of becoming mundane details, everything is involved in the story. Still, it almost feels like a list. Niles leaves nothing to the imagination. 

It’s a thinking man’s horror, where we must know everything. A few years ago, a remake of Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot” showed vampire stories could still be entertaining, and not just about clichés. One can see, if a novel is to be understood in the graphic novel form, something needs to be taken away. 

One thing Niles does do right is his call for humanity in times of trial. Survival is the key here, not scares as in Michael Myers stalking you, but seen through a mirror of a man trying to make it in a troubled word. For Neville, it becomes a story of madness in some ways. Why go on at all? No matter how bad the screaming vampires affect his mind, he continues. 

There are few better than Steve Niles who could have adapted this graphic novel with such force. As a horror tale, it provides a glimpse into the original vision of Richard Matheson’s novel. There are disturbing moments, mysterious events, and even some gore. But “I Am Legend” works as a glimpse into a world we wish would never happen; not the ones we dream about, with a killer walking up the stairs ever so slowly. Usually those are the most entertaining worlds to read about. Perhaps Niles just needed to make a choice on what to leave out.