New Alex Rider Graphic Novel Available Now In Britain

Due in November in America

I missed this! I was expecting another end-of-the-year release like the first two (clearly forgetting that I actually reported the September release back in January), but the latest Alex Rider graphic novel adaptation actually came out last month in Britain, where it's available to order on Amazon.co.uk. Skeleton Key: The Graphic Novel, adapting Anthony Horowitz's third novel about the reluctant teenage secret agent, comes out in the U.S. on November 12. Once again, acclaimed comics writer Antony Johnston (Queen & Country, Three Days In Europe) scripts and Kanako and Yuzuru handle art chores in a manga style. Skeleton Key is probably my least favorite of Horowitz's books, but I'm still looking forward to the graphic novel version. All adaptations are by necessity a little different from the source material, and one change has already been forced on Johnston by what's come before. The character of Sabina Pleasure, introduced in the novel Skeleton Key, was introduced in the film Stormbreaker... and the graphic novel of Stormbreaker was based on the movie, so that's already happened. Small change, but it will be interesting to see how it's handled. Hopefully better than John Gardner's awkward attempt to explain why Felix Leiter had been eaten by sharks twice in his novelisation of Licence To Kill! As previously reported, an Eagle Strike graphic novel is already in the pipeline, which I'm looking forward to as that's my favorite of Horowitz's books.

Speaking of those books, the eighth one in the series, Crocodile Tears, is just around the corner. Crocodile Tears comes out in the UK on November 12 and the US on November 17. This time around, Alex faces a villain who intends to use genetically-altered wheat to release a highly-potent virus capable of taking out an entire country in a single day, thus creating the worst disaster mankind has ever faced—and reaping the profits. Unsurprisingly, the UK gets the classier cover (pictured)—much, much better than the wretched mess adorning the American edition. Oh well.