The Hound of the Baskervilles

Adapted by Ian Edginton, Illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard

144 pages, Full color, published by SelfMadeHero

I’ve done some sleuthing and have found the graphic novel to enjoy amid the hightened interest in Sherlock Holmes generated by two upcoming major motion pictures. That book is SelfMadeHero’s  The Hound of the Baskervilles. Check out their whole line up of classics including Manga Shakespeare!

It shouldn’t matter but I love the fact that the offices of SelfMadeHero are just a few doors down from where the original author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, lived and worked. That close proximity must have added to the drive to create something special and these guys have done it.

This is no cut and paste transfer from prose novel to graphic novel. Instead, it is in tune with the comics medium. Holmes is a dynamic presence with a prominent cartoony chin and without the deerstalker cap and calabash pipe. Watson is also his own man in comics with wavy hair and a smart rugged mug.

I.N.J. Culbard’s art brings every character to life with his well placed brush strokes. An expressive mark across the face, from brow to cheekbone, is his trademark. The comics have a spare quality combined with a nice eye for essential details. The living quarters of Holmes and Watson set the tone for the book which is grounded in solid layouts and interesting textures.

Edginton does a beautiful job of reworking the prose novel’s many nuanced observations. In the original novel, for instance, Watson can linger upon how the foggy moor is far more suitable for prehistoric rather than modern people. A well-crafted sentence and image, in the graphic novel, does well to replace the prose novel’s longer digression.

Together, Culbard and Edginton give us a true comics adaptation of this famous murder mystery surrounding a phantom creature in the Devonshire moor. It is a wonderful tribute to a book that was a Harry Potter sensation in its day. When it first came out in 1901 as a serialized story in The Strand Magazine, long lines awaited each installment. And more than just a tribute, this graphic novel is a cool and fun read too.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 1st, 2009 at 12:31 am and is filed under Graphic Novels, News & Views, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.