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

~ (Author), Alex Wald (Author), Raymond Chandler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Remember those great film adaptations of Raymond Chandler's work? Who could forget Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep or Dick Powell playing the same character in Farewell, My Lovely? In Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe: The Little Sister, illustrator Michael Lark has given us a brand-new incarnation of Chandler's famous fictional detective, a "comic book" version of Chandler's 1949 mystery. When Orfamay Quest hires Marlowe to find her missing brother, the case at first seems pretty straightforward, but--beset by mobsters, blackmailers, and murder--Marlowe soon discovers that a missing person is the least of his troubles.

The Little Sister was not one of Raymond Chandler's best efforts, but Michael Lark has effectively tailored the text to clarify the original story, emphasizing through his "comic noir" artwork the dark, dangerous environs, both physical and psychological, in which Philip Marlowe still moves.

From Library Journal

A great deal of Chandler's work has been transposed to films, and now we're seeing the first graphic novel adaptation of his 1949 mystery novel, The Little Sister. Illustrator/adapter Lark, who has authored various comic-book series, has done a credible job translating Chandler's story from one medium to another. Large chunks of Chandler's original text complement the pleasant and eerie illustrations, which succeed in giving the book a 1930s cinematic look. It's questionable whether the graphic-novel version has the impact of Chandler's original, and it's not clear whether graphic-novel readers enjoy the mystery genre. Still, this book is a good companion to the adaptation, Paul Auster's City of Glass (Avon, 1994) and will be useful where similar books are popular. For public libraries.?Stephen Weiner, Maynard P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (May 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684829339
• ISBN-13: 978-0684829333
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,352,100 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illustrated Mystery - Love IT!, April 16, 2000

By	"maxlambert" (New England) - See all my reviews

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Detective Thriller!!, July 30, 2002

By	Daniel Firli (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stuff, May 11, 2009

By	Phillip Rogers "PhillyPhil" (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.