Guards! Guards! is classic Diskworld. Terry Pratchetts'
eighth Diskworld novel is our first introduction to Captain Vimes and the
Night Watch. The plot concerns the effects of a large dragon appearing in
the middle of Ankh-Morpork, and the attempts by the Night Watch to get rid
of it.
I can remember seeing an interview several years ago with an old lady
in Scotland who was asked whether she preferred Doctor Finlay's Casebook
on the radio or on the television. Her answer was "I prefer it on the
radio, because I can see the pictures better". This is essentially
the problem I have with graphic novels, and Guards! Guards! is no
exception. The pictures of the characters never seem to match up with the
way you imagine them when reading the book. Carrot seems to be too Tin-tinish,
Vimes too down-trodden, and Nobbs too inhuman. Ironically considering this
is a 'comic book', Lupine Wonse appears like a cartoon character almost
like Roger in the film Who framed Roger Rabbit. And Lady Ramkin is all
wrong.
Inevitably, a second problem lies with the process of converting from
continuous dialogue to a series of sequential pictures. A lot has to be
left out for space considerations. Guards! Guards! is an excellent novel.
But, I would not recommend that anyone new to Pratchett read the graphic
novel prior to the book. Where the graphic novel does have a place, is
both for the completist (obviously), and also for fans who have not
memorised the novel, as an aide memoire to all the gags. Several times, I
found myself saying "Oh yes, I had forgotten about that one". In
summary, worth a look. You never know the drawings may match your
imagination.