Budding Holmesians not yet ready to tackle the originals will certainly get a taste of what’s in store.
A bit of nautical skullduggery leads to a brutal former sea captain’s murder in this graphic adaptation.
Consistent with series formula, it is retold in easy-to-follow framed panels of various sizes and shapes interspersed with prose transitions and capped by analyses of the significant clues. This case has Holmes and Watson helping a novice police inspector nab a hulking tar who left his victim pinned to a wall with a harpoon. The resultant confession reveals murky deeds in the pasts of both mariners. The gruesome elements here and in the co-published #12, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box, are not explicitly depicted, and the simply drawn art’s dark palette gives the visuals a muted look. Characters have an unfortunately cartoony look; Holmes, in particular, lacks the expected gravitas. Still, the plots remain intact, and the language and settings have a properly period flavor.
Budding Holmesians not yet ready to tackle the originals will certainly get a taste of what’s in store. (map, reading list) (Graphic mystery. 10-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7100-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
By turns gripping, haunting, and tender, this collection is a winner.
Descend into a world of magic, misfortune, and mischief in this comics anthology of South American folklore.
Retold by an array of artists and writers with roots in South America, these 12 stories run the gamut from bittersweet to eerie. Rick Lazo’s “The Muki’s Deal” kicks it all off with aplomb. Visiting a small Peruvian mining town, Kori fights off boredom by searching for little creatures known as Mukis. Entries offer clever modern takes on these traditional stories; in Rodrigo Vargas’ subversive Chilean “The Bum Who Tricked the Devil,” a man strikes a deal with the devil—here depicted as a loan banker—to save his sister from debt. Ghoulish humor, suspenseful twists, and a range of artistic styles make this an immensely appealing work. Recurring themes (respect for nature, survival in the face of oppression) pop up throughout, and a range of heroes, dreamers, and survivors step into the spotlight to prevail over foes familiar and fantastical. In Shadia Amin’s terrifying Colombian tale “Madre de Agua,” a sick girl is healed by the Mother of Water in the light of day and, in turn, must save her brother from the creature’s deathly grip under the shadow of night. In Lore Vicente’s stellar, titular tale, the prince and his lover must travel many miles separately to break the Lizard Witch’s curse and reunite.
By turns gripping, haunting, and tender, this collection is a winner. (Graphic anthology. 10-12)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781638991212
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The dream phantasms of a high-spirited narrator intersect, even crowd, reality, but the stream-of-consciousness text makes for a rambling, radically personal tale. Playful images of a stuffed lion, trampoline, purple shoes, and a cat named Pine-Cone take hold in a young girl’s imagination, despite her “old” mother who makes her go to bed when she’d rather “stay up early” and a big sister with a cranky disposition. At home, she likes counting flea bites and pretending to be a worm, but is afraid of the dark and going to Grade One. The second half of the book takes off in a separate first-day-of school direction. Wild dreams precede the big day, which includes bullies on the playground and instant friend Chelsea. The childlike articulations of the text are endearing, but not quite of universal interest, and don’t add up to a compelling story; children may more readily warm to Gay’s illustrations, which include a dreamlike flying cat, a menacing hot dog, and an uproarious stuffed toy looming over everyday domestic scenes. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 15, 1999
ISBN: 1-55143-107-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
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