by Joe Gentile (author), Andy Bennett and Carlos Magno (art) [741.5 Kol]
This graphic novel compiles the entire storyline of a 3-issue comic book miniseries from 2009. Having been a huge fan of both Sherlock Holmes and Carl Kolchak for decades, I was initially leary of any attempt to cross them together. Gentile, however, manages to tell a story with elements set in both the 1890s and the 2000s -- Kolchak having been updated from his original 1970s era -- with surprising effectiveness. While I found the artwork incredibly uneven -- at times excellent and at times awful, Gentile's characterization was top-notch. Holmes is brilliant, sharp-tongued, crafty, manipulative, physical and surprisingly compassionate in his pursuit of justice in the name of an unjustly imprisoned immigrant. Meanwhile in modern times, reporter Kolchak is approached by a woman to investigate a mystery in her family's history. Gentile's narrative voice for Kolchak perfectly captures Darren McGavin's noirish voiceovers and downtrodden schmuck-who-won't-give-up personality. The Kolchak part of the storyline involves unusual supernatural elements, which provide the method by which the characters sort-of cross over with each other...the weakest plot element. However, the strengths of each of the separate storylines make this a highly recommendable entry for fans of both sleuths. I particularly appreciate that there are writers trying to keep the Kolchak character alive -- he's always been a "cult" figure, and it's a pleasure to see some well-told stories featuring him, over 35 years since he was first introduced in The Night Stalker. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other Kolchak stories from this publisher -- Moonstone. Also, the excellent original Kolchak novel "The Kolchak Papers: Grave Secrets" by Mark Dawidziak, available through Interlibrary Loan.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [subscribe to Scott's monthly newsletter - "It's All Geek to Me!" - and others on the Books, Movies & More subscription page]
[ official Kolchak page on the Moonstone publishing web site ]
Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment