What if, for once, the predictions are right, and the Apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea?
It’s a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, now find themselves in. They’ve been living amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse.
And then there’s the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .
The beloved novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, lavishly adapted by Eisner-winning artist Colleen Doran.
Source (only available through Kickstarter und second-hand so far)
Good Omens
I discovered the growdfunding project for this graphic novel many, many months ago and was super hyped to participate. When it was released, I loved to watch the series adaptation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens, but—despite owning a copy of the book—never read the book myself. With this graphic novel, I imagined myself to finally getting to read the story in one way or another. And as expected, I could easily fly through the pages and swallow the story of the ineffable husbands and the apocalypse within a few days.
Colleen Doran as Illustrator
I had not seen or read anything illustrated by Colleen Doran before, although she is an Eisner-winning artist. With this 200-pages graphic novel, she certainly outdid herself. There are breathtaking page-filling drawings, conversations in several tiles, as much as a combination of both which is just beautiful and fun to look at. The page design never gets boring but engages the mind and eye. She presented not only the individual characters wonderfully but also gave them lovely tweaks throughout time. She further adapts the humor of the writers through the characters’ facial expressions and general appearance but also gave the actual more dangerous figures a badass and determined look, instead of just ridiculing characters like the authors do.
The Story and Its Adaptation
As I mentioned above, my knowledge about this story is based on the series adaptation. Therefore, the graphic novel seems to hint at a bit more background stories to some points, which makes me wonder how much still got cut from the original book. Naturally, one cannot represent the whole storyline with every detail in a graphic novel. Therefore, I believe this adaptation has done a great job in encapsulating the story with most its funny references and twists. I, for my part, got lost a few times or was wishing for a bit more depth and explanation, but—thanks to having seen the show—could nonetheless follow along and enjoy.
In conclusion,
A intriguing and exciting, short read with a lot of humor and amazing plot twists, illustrated by Colleen Doran to encapsulate the individual characters as much as the story in beautiful details. I think fans of the original book will love it as much as newcomers.
An update, Jan 2025. The Good Omens graphic novel Kickstarter and PledgeManager is now an entity fully run by, and financially tied to, the Terry Pratchett Estate. Neil Gaiman has not received, nor will he receive, any proceeds from the campaign.
The author:
Terry Pratchett was born in 1948 and had his first story published when he was just thirteen. After leaving school at seventeen to become a journalist he continued writing, publishing his first novel, The Carpet People, in 1971 and going on to produce the phenomenally successful Discworld series. Terry proved early critics wrong and became one of the UK’s most successful authors, receiving a knighthood in 2009 and seeing many of his books adapted for the screen. He died in March 2015 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Read More
The illustrator:
Colleen Doran is a The New York Times bestselling cartoonist. In 2023, she was tapped by Neil Gaiman and the Terry Pratchett estate to adapt their international bestselling Good Omens book into a graphic novel. It was financed by a $3.1 million campaign, the highest and most successful comic crowdfund in Kickstarter history. Read more