It's remarkable that someone saw enough of an interesting concept here that they made a big-budget film. Don't bother reading before (or even after) seeing the movie. ( )

There's the really weird sense of banal nihilism that pervades most of Millar's work. It's just always there, even in this precursor to the Kingsman movie. In fact, the entire evil plan of the book's villain is so straightforward that it succeeds in horrifying where a spandex villain couldn't. It's a very clever narrative trick that would otherwise have made The Secret Service just another Bond wannabe.

BTW, if anything this book points out how impressive the Kingsman adaption was. It somehow keeps Millar's basic feel but also adds a human element (particularly Colin Firth's analogue to Uncle Jack) that helps the story from coming across as bleak as this original. ( )

Like all graphic novels I've read in the past six or so months, this one is compared to the ideal, my favorite (and much raved about) Saga, but also to the film because I broke my rule of waiting to watch a film until after I've read the book, er, comic. And like most comics that I've read post-Saga, it doesn't quite reach the bar, and, surprisingly, it's not as good as the film. Most other times when I have broken this unofficial rule of mine I have concluded that the book is better, but alas, in this case it is not to be.

That certainly, however, does not mean that I didn't enjoy it! As a former film studies major, I love comparing movies to the source materials, and because there are so many differences between page and screen, I loved trying to figure out why certain aspects where changed. Through this lens I read so that I could focus on story and character, but without having to directly compare quality and could therefore assess the comic on its own merit and not in competition with the film (which I loved - go see it!).

The story line of the graphic novel is quirky, irreverent and unexpected which I thoroughly enjoyed - seemingly random deaths of favorite characters keep you on your toes! The characters are compelling and the plot intriguing. However, the art style was not a strength, as it resembled just about every superhero comic out there. Most would find it adequate, if not exceptional, but when compared to Fiona Staples' art in Saga, unfortunately it just didn't stand a chance. ( )

In one of the rare instances, I think the movie did a better job here. ( )

É divertido, tem bons momentos. Um James Bond moderno, com várias tiradas da cultura pop. ( )