Neil Gaiman’s “Troll Bridge,” Illustrated by Colleen Doran

I read “Troll Bridge” for the first time when I was 13, in the very first issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine. (“Troll Bridge” was, of course, first published in Terri Windling’s Snow White, Blood Red in 1993, but I wouldn’t discover that anthology for a few more years.) I didn’t understand everything in it at the time, but it shocked me and saddened me and shaped my world in surprising ways – forming one of those guideposts to the sort of writer I wanted to be, and demonstrating profoundly how deeply a story could stick with a person.

I always circle back to “Troll Bridge” when discussing how effective a simple story can be.

When I heard that “Troll Bridge” was being adapted into graphic novel form at Dark Horse, I was skeptical. This is one of those stories that has lived in me for such a long time that I’m automatically doubtful anyone can adapt it visually to my satisfaction.

Turns out I needn’t have worried – Colleen Doran’s adaptation is a visually effective and enthralling masterpiece.

Her pencils are gorgeously detailed, and the coloring so lush the eye thinks it can feel the illustrations. Colleen Doran is a consummate professional and award-winning artist who’s worked with clients from The Walt Disney Company to Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics to Lucasfilm, and more. Every ounce of her skill is on display in “Troll Bridge,” crafting a visual spell to ensnare the eye and affect the spirit – which means you’re getting a double dose of coming-of-age confusion, the death of dreams, and entropic adulthood (since Gaiman’s words already delivered those things in spades).

Furthermore, Doran’s illustrations evolve with the aging of its disappointing protagonist – at the beginning of the graphic novel, the child and his environment are depicted in full color and well-defined shapes. The world is detailed, and magical – Jack’s imagination shapes his environment and the art, so that we see his fantasies on the page – those witches lurking in the shadows, fairies dancing among tree branches, and a clinker-loving pirate on some far shore. The troll is larger than life and painfully vivid, despite the textual clues that it’s mostly transparent and its voice a whisper on the wind. (The troll’s complexity and sadness are intimated here, much as Jack’s darkness in his disturbingly mischievous bargaining.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Jack matures into puberty and describes his first love, the art softens. Forms are still bright, but their edges are not so painstakingly marked, with most of the illustrations filtered through the soft focus of nostalgia and confusion – the confusion of first love, and the confusion of unwelcome self-knowledge. By the second troll encounter, as he’s threatened by the troll’s phallic tongue and with one of Jack’s eyes gone dark, the art becomes darker and ever less distinct.

In the end, Jack lives in an almost formless world of dull colors, where he does not look at himself and doesn’t recognize what he sees when he does. The world of his childhood is unrecognizable and irrecoverable, and Jack is the monster with one dark eye as he constantly breathes smoke. The terror and intimacy of the final scenes waft from the page, and the conclusion is as disquieting and satisfying as ever.

Todd Klein’s lettering is likewise excellent, with the troll’s voice being distinctly shaped, the human words straightforward, and all text well-situated and integrated with the illustrations.

Honestly, I can’t recommend this edition of “Troll Bridge” highly enough – if you’re a Gaiman fan, you’ve probably already pre-ordered it. If you haven’t gotten around to it – do so. Even if you’ve never read Gaiman – if you’re just a fan of short stories or good art – this book needs to be in your hands. Pick it up on October 5th, read it once or thrice, and then come back here and tell me what you think.

I’d like to know.  

Troll Bridge releases from Dark Horse on October 5th, 2016. You should be able to find it wherever books are sold, but pre-ordering from your favorite local bookshop or vendor is the best way to guarantee that. 

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