When critiquing any adaptation the key is not to get caught up in comparing it to the original story, but in trying to see how well the adapters have managed to recreate the story in their medium. The question I always try and ask myself is whether or not the adaptation works as a stand alone project, and would someone unfamiliar with the original be able to enjoy it?

Both adaptations have done admirable jobs of telling the stories, so that even the uninitiated would have no problem in following what was happening. The major difference between the two adaptations is the artwork. While both did fine jobs in doing their part in visually imparting information to the reader, Nick Postic and Nick Marinkovitch's work in Underworld went quite a bit further in creating the atmosphere appropriate to a world existing in the shadows of the mortal world.

Backgrounds are indistinct blurs of dark colours from which a white face or a weapon will all of a sudden materialize. Colours are muted, if distinct at all, yet with deft line work the artists have made it easy for the reader to distinguish between characters and species. They have definitely taken their cues from the design team of the movies, but carried the depth of the darkness even further to great effect.

In comparison, I found the more realistic approach taken by Antonio Vasquez in the adaptation of Underworld Evolution to be a bit jarring. While it's true that it made it easier to follow the story line on occasion, it also made it harder to believe in the world that the action was taking place in. The art work was very "comic book" and made no attempt to create the type of atmosphere that had made the first adaptation so effective.

The bonus prequel, Red In Tooth And Claw, was a surprise in terms of its content. The writers have created the back story for the large werewolf named Raze from the movie Underworld. It is quite a good, inspired piece, of story telling that manages to recreate the world of the vampires and werewolves in another environment. What I really liked about it was its refusal to show either the werewolves or the vampires as "good guys." While our sympathies might be initially with the werewolves because they are being hunted by a group of vampires, the fact that Lucien decides to "turn" the mortal version of Raze because he would be a useful werewolf makes him a lot less sympathetic.

The Complete Underworld, containing graphic novel adaptations of the movies, Underworld, Underworld Evolution, and a new original story set in the same world, Red In Tooth And Claw, does a good job of bringing the world of the movies to life. While the artwork in the adaptation of the second movie wasn't as convincing as its predecessor, it still managed to do a good job of telling the story. This omnibus collection makes both a great companion piece for the movies that also works in its own right as a stand alone adaptation of the stories.