This is a truly beautiful adaptation of the film version of The Man Who Fell to Earth. The illustrations alone are well worth the read.

Did Not Finish* I made it about 3/4 of the way through this book before accidentally putting it now and never coming back to it.

I did receive a copy of the book through netgalley to read and review.

I loved the art in this work. I've been trying to branch out in graphic novels more and I found this one an approachable choice. While I can't connect to the source material nostalgia that others might, I did appreciate the story and the visual characteristics that seemed identifiable. Overall there was nothing truly unique about this, which probably lends to why I never actually finished what I was reading but I had a decent enough time doing so that all this time later I have nothing significantly negative to say about it. If you're looking for an easy read with some good art, this is definitely worth a look at least.

I had a hard time putting this graphic novel down. The story really pops off the pages of this graphic novel and they tell this out of this world story in a whole new way. We see a man who wants to save his family and goes to extremes to do so. When things take a bad turn it looks like mission might end in failure. As this graphic novel comes to a close things aren’t going so good for the main character.

This graphic novel is a rehash of David Bowie‘s first movie by the same title. This movie was originally a book from a few years before the movie. This comic book claims to go past where the movie ends and provides more ending to the story. This was an interesting read. It is about a man who falls to earth purposefully, because there is no longer water on his planet, and he must find water and get it back home to his family. However, he falls first into the lust of earth, both drinking and sex, and then once people realize he’s not human he falls into scientific lab hands. He never makes it home. This is an odd little graphic novel and the story. I guess I’m just a sucker for happy ever after which you do not get in this book. What I found much more interesting was the back matter all about the making of the original movie along with the still pictures from the side. The artwork is nice and the storyline OK, but when your extra material is better than the rest of the story that’s not a good thing.

My thanks to Titan Books Titan Comics for a digital advance review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth: the Official Movie Adaptation’ written by Dan Watters and illustrated by Dev Pramanik.

In 1976 Nicholas Roeg directed David Bowie in this science fiction film. This is a fully-authorised graphic novel adaptation of the film, itself based on Walter Trevis’ 1965 SF classic of the same name.

The plot has extra-terrestrial Thomas Jerome Newton land on Earth in search of water to save his dying home planet. Using his advanced scientific knowledge, Thomas becomes incredibly rich and uses his wealth to search for a way to transport water back to his home planet. Yet Thomas falls victim to the excesses of our world. Bad things happen to him, especially when the U.S. Government and a sinister corporation, capture and exploit him.

This graphic novel contains an abundance of bonus material including an article by film journalist Stephen Dalton on the production of the film, including dozens of on-set photographs, cover concepts, characters designs, and more.

While it’s been years since I last saw the film memories flooded back as I continued to scroll through the graphic novel. I felt that Watters did well in adapting this complex film. Pramanik’s artwork uses line and colour to great effect in order to highlight the dramatic resonances of the film’s scenes.

While both this is my first encounter with both Dan Watters and Dev Pramanik, this graphic novel has made me curious about their other graphic novels.

I love David Bowie, and I love the film version of Man Who Fell to Earth he made with the legendary director Nicolas Roeg-- and I was pleased to love this graphic. novel adaptation as well. I still miss Bowie six years after his passing, and I am grateful that this lovely book let me spend a little more time with him.

Amazing graphic novel adaptation of The Man who Fell to Earth. Loved it!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

I've not seen the movie, so I'm judging the book on its own merits. The Man Who Fell to Earth is an utterly compelling sci-fi story with gorgeous art.

The colouring and linework radiate an eerie menace that permeates the story. Just from the art, you get the sense that none of the characters are who they are presenting themselves to be. There were moments, especially later in the book, that made me gasp at the horror of it all. It is a beautiful thing to look at, and the panels are cleverly laid out in a way that makes this a breeze to read.

Thomas is enigmatic as the titular alien, and his relationship with Mary Lou, a regular human, is one of the strongest elements of the story.

The characters are written in a way an ambiguous way that, for me, at least, left me wondering what their real motivations for doing any of the things they did were. Regret seeps into each character as the action moves on, and the ending left me thinking about how humanity corrupts everything it touches.

A brilliant adaption that makes me want to watch the original.

"An all-new, fully-authorised graphic novel adaptation of the cult 1976 movie starring David Bowie and directed by Nicholas Roeg.

This book includes a gallery of never-before-seen photos used to illustrate an exclusive feature on the making of the movie. Also included is a bonus section showcasing the development of the book itself.

The film, based on the classic science fiction novel by Walter Trevis, sees an extra-terrestrial called Thomas Jerome Newton (played in the movie by David Bowie) land on Earth in search of water to save his dying home planet. Using his advanced scientific knowledge, Thomas becomes incredibly rich and uses his wealth to search for a way to transport water back to his home planet. But as his mission on Earth drags on, Thomas becomes seduced by the excesses of our world and desperate to return home unaware he has become a target of interest for the U.S. Government and a sinister corporation, eager to exploit him.

The all-new graphic novel also features exclusive bonus material including a 10-page article on the production of the original film illustrated with dozens of rarely seen on-set photographs. As well as cover concepts, character designs, a 'script to art' section chronicling the development of the artwork, and a reproduction of the original movie poster."

When you're craving some David Bowie but don't have the emotional resources to watch The Man Who Fell to Earth again this is for you!

They say the best film adaptations are not of novels, but short stories. Having less to cram in, you scale things up and are left with the ideal amount of narrative and visual content. This book takes a movie that supposedly needs two hours twenty of your time, and redacts it into a half-hour read. Ignoring the fact it was based on a novel way back when, is it a sign of a classic film that so much can be removed, or does the visual medium go a long way to making such comparisons irrelevant?

Or is it just the case this isn't a classic film? I certainly never thought so – for in my teenaged years I found Bowie as desperately overrated as ever he was, with his semi-acting providing a leading man who could stare at copious televisions all day, but never justify our interest in his inertia. This, then, is the official graphic novel representation of the film, and not the original novel, which may raise its own issues, especially among those who say the book is necessary to understanding the movie (pace that much superior sci-fi thought-piece, "2001"). And it's neither here nor there – it kind of shows an alien crash-landing, and bringing his ideas about the Internet, and Polaroids, and such businesses, with him, in order to make multiple fortunes and be able to return. Or, perhaps he wants – well, the issue is nobody can ever really care that much.

And the fact this like so many other bletherin' 70s films forgot to include a proper ending just goes to show how ignorable so much of the decade was/is.

After we get to 'The End' (for which read 'random place to stop that makes no sense') we get a couple of bonus art pages, and then a photo essay about the film's making and existence. So no, the entire book isn't a half-hour read, but the core adaptation is. And it's all so airy-fairy, wishy-washy, make-of-it-what-you-will-(or-can-be-bothered-with) that it really is not an essential read. Except I would have liked to have seen a similar version based on the book. Just in case that actually has something about it, you know? And before I sound like I'm willing this book into an early grave, and declaring the creators here inept or anything, I'm not – I'm just saying there is a need to realise how big a pile of dross their source is. You can't take a pig's ear off an alien in Latex, and all that...

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Titan Books/ Titan Comics for an advanced copy of this graphic novel adaptation of a classic science fiction movie.

David Bowie in his life was many things. Artist, singer, songwriter, a musician and a magician, a man who sold a world, an alien, a duke, a diner of only peppers and milk for a time, a dancer in the street, a tin machine. And an actor, with a particular oeuvre. Dan Watter, writer and artist Dev Pramanik in The Man Who Fell to Earth, captures the spirit, essence and skill that Bowie brought to the screen in this comic adaptation of the 1970's film.

A man appears who claims to be British, with a passport and a need to make money quickly. He claims to be Thomas Jerome Newton, but is really an alien sent to Earth to collect our water and bring it to his world. Newton uses his knowledge of science, biology and engineering to gain a fortune to complete this mission, hiring people to be the face, so he can stay in the background. He forms a relationship with a young woman, that slows his mission down, as he learns more and more about our strange planet, becoming almost addicted. Meanwhile around him enemies are forming to steal his technology and keep him here forever.

The comic captures both in art and story the feelings of the movie, the uniqueness of both the director's vision, Bowie's acting and the story which I can say is only of its time. The writer does a very good job of adapting the script to graphic novel form, adding a few things to make the story clearer, and a little tighter. The story is wild, crazy and beautiful, just like this is. The art is astonishing, capturing the cast, the feeling of the movie, and the backgrounds. The colors pop when needed, remain neutral when called for, but with an sharpness that makes the story move. There are reference photos and a making of article included in the collection to fill out some of the story.

Dan Watter is unfamiliar to me, but this is a great introduction to his work, and can't wait to read more. Dev Parmanik I knew from his work on the Dune graphic novels, but this work really stands out to me. Again I can't wait to see what their respective projects will be. I do hope it is together as they complement each other well. Recommended for David Bowie fans, fans of the movie, or fans of well written, well drawn graphic novels.

This makes about as much sense as the film and knowledge of the film is ideal to fully appreciate the visual references, like the near-identical frame and panels. There's an interesting commentary of the film at the end of the book that aids in this comparison.

Whereas the film can provide visual and auditory clues to help with character identification, the graphic novel has to rely solely on visual prompts. As such, there are times that it is unclear as to who a character is, or the change in time or setting. Little is lost as a result of this, but there is still a loss.

The presentation of the beloved story is well-done in this graphic novel and is a fitting homage to a cult film.

This graphic novel undertakes a very hard task (adapting a unique film, that had unique actors whose personalities may not be able to be replicated in other mediums). Fortunately, it finds ways to make them relatable and create fresh suspense by altering the story's structure in a clever way.

I will admit I am a major Bowie fan and I absolutely adore the film of the same name. So when I was approved to read an early copy of this, I was over the moon (no pun intended).

This certainly didn't disappoint and it's such an intriguing storyline that I loved in the film as well.
I definitely recommend if you are into sci-fi storylines.
Bowie was the perfect person to play this role at the time, and I loved seeing him come to life again in this graphic novel version.

David Bowie took his first turn as an actor in 1976’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, based on the 1963 novel of the same name. In it he played Thomas Joseph Newton: an alien who journeyed to our world to bring water back to his dying planet, only to find himself caught up in the excesses and vices of Earthly life. Newton’s surreal journey is reimagined into graphic novel form by Dan Watter and Dev Pramanik in The Man Who Fell to Earth: The Official Movie Adaptation (Titan Comics, $29.99). Nicolas Roeg’s dreamlike film transfers to the comic page with surprising ease. A handful of liberties have been taken, chief amongst them a framing story in which people in Thomas’s life are interviewed about their experiences. But those liberties function together with Pramanik’s art to capture the film’s otherworldly feel in a single volume, preserving its unique aesthetic and tragic story. The inclusion of never-before-published set photos, as well as an essay on the making and influence of the cult classic, makes this book a must-have for fans.

An enjoyable visual adaptation with a high degree of style — I enjoyed this exploration of film and comics, and would recommend this for fans of film, science fiction, and visual storytelling. Well done work.

I had a bit of trouble following the storyline. Perhaps that was the format which didn’t allow for dialogue to blow up without blurring. But then again, not all graphic novels do it for me.