Having anticipation for the upcoming film release of Dennis Lehane’s novel SHUTTER ISLAND, I was excited that there was a graphic novel adaptation. I was even more excited that this adaptation was not based on the film (like a tie-in would be) but was based on Lehane’s novel and that graphic novel by Christian de Metter was listed as 2009 Official Selection at the annual Angouleme BD Festival (the Cannes of the comic world), which meant that this graphic novel wasn’t going to suck.
I am happy to say that de Metter has effortlessly adapted Lehane’s incredible novel. I could tell you the whole story but being a Lehane story discovering the mystery is half the one. Shutter Island is a mental facility that tries to cure and/or maintain some of the most violent and dangerous people suffering from mental illness. When one of these patients go missing two federal marshals are sent to investigate. These two marshals get more than they bargained for when they are stranded on the island during a storm and they begin to realize that there is more going on at the facility than meets the eye. The story then becomes a mystery of trying to discover how one of the patients escaped and to find the identity of another patient who doesn’t seem to exist.
Lehane’s story is great and it’s very interesting seeing how de Metter adapts it to the comic book medium. Although not truly a black and white comic the book maintains its noir elements by having all the colors muted and dulled down to simple grey tones. The few splashes of color are relegated to flashbacks which are a nice touch. This is one of the true highlights of the year and one that should be read before seeing the film (but after reading the original novel).
CITY GARDEN - "The Old Woman & The Park"
On the set of the short film "A Gift"
Showing posts with label noir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label noir. Show all posts
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Graphic Novel Review: THE DYLAN DOG CASE FILES
THE DYLAN DOG CASE FILES
Dark Horse Books collection of the Itlaian Dylan Dog comics THE DYLAN DOG CASE FILES is a great introduction for people who are not familiar with the character. In 1994 there was an Italian film based on the character starring Rupert Everett called Dellamorte Dellamore (more commonly known as Cemetery Man) which became an International success and helped Everett become a star. Created by Tiziano Sclavi (with art by Angelo Stano, Andrea Venturi, Giampiero Casertano, Luigi Piccatto, and Bruno Brindisi) Dylan Dog is a womanizer who investigates strange and unusual cases that revolve around everything from zombies, monsters, freaks, vampires, and anything else that he stumbles upon. Much like Sherlock Holmes, Dog has a knack for both getting into trouble both with and without his trusted sidekick Felix, whose even stranger then Dog and whom provides most of the comic relief in the stories provided in this collection.
At an amazing 680 pages this is a huge collection to sink your teeth into both for mystery fans and horror fans. Unlike the film version, the stories contained within this collection are more focused on dark comedy and the unusual fantasy (although the film is filled with a lot of fantasy). Anyone watching the film will see very little resemblance to the graphic novel other then in the character itself which is fine since the stories contained in this collection are more entertaining then the film (and I really like the film). Dog comes off as a poor man’s James Bond mixed with a Sherlock Holmes who cares more about women then he does about solving the next case or paying the bills. This is not to say that the material isn’t dark because the stories “Dawn of the Living Dead” and “Morgana” are particularly dark while “Johnny Freak” is tragic and heartfelt. “Zed” is another standout as it deals with an alternate world that may or may not be better then our own as. Along the way Dog discovers many different loves (hince the Bond reference) and has many brushes with the law, whom don’t take him seriously half the time.
Another great aspect of the book is the fine black & white artwork, which is a compliment to the dark nature of the stories. It’s like reading a film noire (which the tone of many of the stories border upon). This collection for the first time allows many readers to finally have access to a comic which has sold over 56 million copies worldwide and since there is a Hollywood adaptation in the works (as of this writing) what better place then here to get acquainted with this detective then right now.
Dark Horse Books collection of the Itlaian Dylan Dog comics THE DYLAN DOG CASE FILES is a great introduction for people who are not familiar with the character. In 1994 there was an Italian film based on the character starring Rupert Everett called Dellamorte Dellamore (more commonly known as Cemetery Man) which became an International success and helped Everett become a star. Created by Tiziano Sclavi (with art by Angelo Stano, Andrea Venturi, Giampiero Casertano, Luigi Piccatto, and Bruno Brindisi) Dylan Dog is a womanizer who investigates strange and unusual cases that revolve around everything from zombies, monsters, freaks, vampires, and anything else that he stumbles upon. Much like Sherlock Holmes, Dog has a knack for both getting into trouble both with and without his trusted sidekick Felix, whose even stranger then Dog and whom provides most of the comic relief in the stories provided in this collection.
At an amazing 680 pages this is a huge collection to sink your teeth into both for mystery fans and horror fans. Unlike the film version, the stories contained within this collection are more focused on dark comedy and the unusual fantasy (although the film is filled with a lot of fantasy). Anyone watching the film will see very little resemblance to the graphic novel other then in the character itself which is fine since the stories contained in this collection are more entertaining then the film (and I really like the film). Dog comes off as a poor man’s James Bond mixed with a Sherlock Holmes who cares more about women then he does about solving the next case or paying the bills. This is not to say that the material isn’t dark because the stories “Dawn of the Living Dead” and “Morgana” are particularly dark while “Johnny Freak” is tragic and heartfelt. “Zed” is another standout as it deals with an alternate world that may or may not be better then our own as. Along the way Dog discovers many different loves (hince the Bond reference) and has many brushes with the law, whom don’t take him seriously half the time.
Another great aspect of the book is the fine black & white artwork, which is a compliment to the dark nature of the stories. It’s like reading a film noire (which the tone of many of the stories border upon). This collection for the first time allows many readers to finally have access to a comic which has sold over 56 million copies worldwide and since there is a Hollywood adaptation in the works (as of this writing) what better place then here to get acquainted with this detective then right now.
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