The Dark Hunters Vol. 1

Kenyon, S., & Fialkov, J. H. (adapted by). (2009). The dark-hunters: Volume 1. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN: 0-312-37687-1

Original Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Website: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/

Adapted By: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Website: http://www.thefialkov.com/

Art By: Claudia Campos with Glass House Graphics and Groundbreakers Studios
Website: http://www.glasshousegraphics.com/creators/pencilers/ClaudiaMedeiros/index.htm

Art Adapted By: Bill Tortolini
Website: http://www.tortolini.com/

Media Used: Printed in black and white using a traditional manga art style.  The book also reads in the tradtional manga format from right to left (as opposed to the Western style of left to right) and from back to front (when compare to the the Western style of reading). 

Summary: A quiet night alone, far away from men, was all Amanda wanted. Instead, mistaken for her twin sister, she wakes up handcuffed to a gorgeous guy in leather, who claims vampires are after more than blood, they’re after their souls.

Personal Reaction: Ahhh Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters series, my guilty pleasure.  I love her books and have read a large portion of the fiction book version of her series just in the last year.  So imagine my joy when I found out she had started a manga version of the series! But would it be good enough? Would the art and the adapted text stand up to the original? YES! Unlike some adaptations that I've read, the adapted text and the illustrations work wonderfully together.  Kenyon's jokes, sarcasm, action and romance translates wonderfully into a manga format.  While the text was paired down, what was left was still the original wording that Kenyon crafted so well. My only complaint? Volume 1 of the manga ends at Chapter 10 of the book! And now I need to go hunt down Volume 2 asap!

Use of Symbol: (1) The bow and arrow mark on the back of Kyrian/Hunter's shoulder represent his status of a Dark-Hunter in service to the Greek Goddess Artemis.  It also represnts his commitment to protecting human kind from the Daimans/vampires/Apollolites. (2) Kyrian/Hunter's eye color changes to represent whether his powers are present (black) or not (hazel-green).

Use of Sophisticated Language: (1) "Valerius was incensed." (2) "There's nothing in Acheron's database about his exact modus operandi and when when I talked to Ash earlier, he said he had no idea where Desiderius came from or who all his targets have been."

Use of Onomatopoeia: Several instances appear in the text.  Some examples from the text include: "Jingle" (keys jingling), "Bark Bark Bark" (dog barking in warning), "Gasp!" (deep breath upon waking up from a blackout), "Click" (door unlocking), "Gah!" (noise made when trying to pull something heavy), "Flush" (sound of a toliet)

Fiction in Graphic Novel/Manga Format