Customer Reviews

The LITTLE SISTER: RAYMOND CHANDLER'S PHILIP MARLOWE (ILLUSTRATED)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've always been a fan of Raymond Chandler's books - they are so twisted and convoluted. Michael Lark has really brought that sense of being "in the dark" to his adaption of "The Little Sister". Both in terms of plot development and the artwork.

The artwork is dark and differs from most comic book art in that it uses crisp lines, very few color gradients in conjunction with heavy inking. Michael Lark and Alex Wald hit upon an dark, art-nouveaux style that works really well for this genre.

Private detective, Philip Marlowe, has been hired to find a missing brother of a concerned sister for a measly sum of twenty dollars. Little does he know that he will soon be drawn into a dangerous situation involving mobsters, blackmail, beautiful women and murders.

This is a graphic adaptation of the classic Raymond Chandler novel. You will find Michael Lark's artwork to be a little rough and dark but you will soon get drawn in and find that it does fit in superbly with the noir/pulp styling of the novel. As this is based on a novel you will find that the story revolves around the writing so don't expect any action sequences, but this will make the experience of `The Little Sister' better, longer and more memorable, especially the sarcastic comments from detective Philip Marlowe, who is a likeable ...P>Recommended for a change from the overwhelming superhero graphic novels, this classy detective thriller will satisfy you with both is storytelling and artwork.

Chandler is my favorite author, and this graphic novel captures Marlowe the way he is in the books: a solitary figure without the movie star detective pizazz Humphrey Bogart gave Marlowe in The Big Sleep. Bogart's a great actor but he didn't capture the true essence of Marlowe the way this work does. When I read this, it's exactly the way I have always pictured Marlowe. A tired, unflashy, cynical gumshoe.

The artwork is crisp and expertly rendered without being to Marvel-esque, the shadows are deep and black creating a true noir environment, and the convoluted storyline is masterfully condensed. This graphic novel captures Marlowe the way he was written. I wish the authors of this gem would do another Chandler adaptation, maybe of Red Wind, probably one of the best hard boiled detective stories written. The opening paragraph of that story is worth the price of admission alone. If you are unfamiliar with Raymond Chandler, reading his works will spoil it for you with other crime writers, he's that good. This work does Chandler justice.

This is a great yet little known gem of a graphic novel. Michael Lark's art combined with Chandler's prose make for an exciting read. It's a great addition to hardboiled crime collection.

Often during a movie or graphic novel adaptation of a book you get the feeling of something not matching up. Especially during a movie, even if I don't know it is based on a book, there is some quality that tells me it must have been.
This illustration doesn't have that missing quality. The two fit. A very enjoyable read.