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Jim Butcher's Dresden Files #4 (Of 4) Welcome to the Jungle

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Harry Dresden is currently working to clear the name of a giant gorilla, but it's taking him into some nasty situations.

And after three issues of random huge-animal attacks, spellcasting and cliffhangers, Jim Butcher rolls around to the finale of the short-but-sweet "Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle." The action is a bit choppy as Harry dukes it out with the bad guys (or rather, bad girls) but Butcher's snappy dialogue and Ardian Syaf's detailed, shadowy artwork save the day.

"It's moments like this when I wonder if I'm insane... or just a friggin' moron."

So thinking, Harry has to face down a trio of extremely dangeriys Hecatean hags, whose spiky hands are lighting up in a very unfriendly manner. His usual fire attacks only ruin their outfits, and that's his spell of choice. So Harry uses some cleverer methods to fight the hags, but his real target is their little bubble-bubble cauldron.

Unfortunately, tipping over a hag's brew tends to make her angry -- leading one of them to depart, announcing that she will take what is precious to Harry. Apparently she's misinterpreted Harry's relationship with Wil, because she takes the young zookeeper hostage. Badly weakened and drained, Harry may not be able to overwhelm the powerful hag -- but if he doesn't, who will?

"Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle" is a primo example of just what a comic book spinoff should be like. It should have action, character development, and just enough snappy dialogue to keep people amused in the lulls between explosions. And it should be just long enough to tell a good story, but not a padded, rambling bore (Laurell K. Hamilton, I cast an accusing eye on you).

And the fourth part of "Welcome to the Jungle" is a welcome finale -- most of it is slam-bang, explosive action involving fire spells, poisonous talons, falling boulders, strangulation ("She shakes me like a can of spray paint"), and a very angry animal out for revenge. The action scenes are a little choppy, especially at the beginning, but they steady out when Harry starts fighting one-on-one with the hags. And the finale has a delicious sense of poetic justice.

And Jim Butcher's writing doesn't falter either -- the entire last quarter of this story barrels by in a blur, with snappy dialogue ("I've taken your staff. I've taken your rod." "You should have taken my gun") and even snappier internal dialogue ("If only I had a big, heavy, purely physical object to throw at the cauldron... oh wait," Harry thinks, noting the giant boulders around him).

And Harry Dresden gets to show his stuff here, in all his low-paid noir glory. He's not an invincible powerhouse who can magic all the baddies away -- he gets bashed, throttled and exhausted. We get to see his nastier side in the climactic battle, which is followed up with a sense of compassion for the wronged gorilla. Wil is kind of hurried out of the picture, though.

And Ardian Syaf deserves special applause for bring the world of Harry Dresden to file, with lots of glowing green vapors, shadowed dismemberment and glowing eyes in a blue warty face. He also spins some really dark, chilly atmosphere in the underground lair, along with lots of shadows, careful details, and some really ghastly visuals. Lovely work.

The fourth and final part of "Jim Butcher's Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle" is a fast-paced, action-packed finale for this solid prequel. Excellent work, Mr. Butcher.