The Graveyard Book #2 (graphic novel adaption), by Neil Gaiman

Previously, when I reviewed the first installment of the graphic novel adaption of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, I bemoaned the fact the graphic format had taken an awesome stand-alone book and split it into two parts. As of late, Hollywood has made this into a nasty trend with book-to-movie adaptions and, well, let's just say I'm not a fan of that concept. I hate waiting. Especially when there's a cliffhanger involved.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long before The Graveyard Book vol. 2 was in my hands. When book one ended, Bod, the boy raised by graveyard ghosts, made a few ill-fated attempts to venture out into the world. He met a witch--or at least the ghost of one. He visited the ghoul city of Ghulheim and was rescued by a legendary Hound of God. And, of course, The Man Jack begin to plot how to find (and dispose of) the child who escaped him years earlier.

Book 2 picks up where Book 1 left off. Here, we find Bod older, but not necessarily wiser, about the world outside the Graveyard he calls home. Still, Bod's previous adventures have made him curious. He wants to attend school and make friends his own age--friends who are not ghosts. Unfortunately this opens the door to more trouble...and that trouble leads Bod into the worst sort of danger. Yes, he has his friends and family to help, but ghosts can only do so much when one is faced with mortal danger. Can Bod figure out how to outsmart The Man Jack when the two come face to face? Will he ever get out of the graveyard? And, more importantly, will he want to? Read the book to find out. 

As with vol. 1, each chapter in The Graveyard Book vol. 2 is illustrated by a different artist. This time, however (with the exception of the first chapter), the artistic styles are more similar, so this second installment doesn't feel as disjointed as the first. 

Together, these two books pay spectacular homage to Gaiman's original story. The dialogue stays true to the original story, and the illustrations are beautiful, colorful, and detailed. These two books are definitely worth checking out! 

--AJB