SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

May 8, 2013 by Michael May

Review | The Hound of the Baskervilles

May 8, 2013 by Michael May   Leave a Comment

The Hound of the Baskervilles
Adapted by Martin Powell; Drawn by Jamie Chase
Dark Horse/Sequential Pulp; $14.99

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles isn’t just my favorite Sherlock Holmes story; it’s one of my favorite novels period. Combining murder mystery with gothic horror in a setting that feels as real as it does gloomy and atmospheric, Hound of the Baskervilles deserves its status as a beloved classic. But that standing is both advantage and drawback when it comes to adapting the story. I expect that I’m not alone in loving it so much that I’m always eager to explore a new version of it, but by now I’ve seen so many adaptations – comics and otherwise – that it’s tough to offer a take that I haven’t seen before. Impossibly, Martin Powell and Jamie Chase have found a way.

It’s not that they’ve gotten especially innovative with the unfolding of the plot or even the visual depictions of the characters. Chase’s Holmes, for instance, looks like a cross between Basil Rathbone and Peter Cushing, the stars of two, iconic film adaptations of the story. And Powell is very faithful to the order in which Doyle reveals information. What struck me most about Powell’s script is the way he’s able to condense the novel into 64 pages without removing elements from the story.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

One of my favorite Baskervilles comics adaptation is Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard’s extremely faithful one from Sterling, but it’s twice the length of Powell and Chase’s and very wordy with lots of caption boxes to record Watson’s every thought. It’s a beautiful piece of work and a great way to experience the story, but it’s perhaps not the best volume with which to expose younger readers to the tale. Powell hits all the beats, but he does it efficiently, abridging narration and dialog while letting the art focus on action and setting the mood.

This isn’t Powell’s first run at adapting Hound of the Baskervilles. He also wrote the script for Stone Arch’s version, drawn by Daniel Perez. The Stone Arch edition is explicitly designed for kids and that’s reflected in Perez’ clean lines and exaggerated character and creature designs. The Sequential Pulp edition is appropriate for kids, but Chase’s art is darker than Perez’. His inks are loose and expressive with brushy shadows obscuring details to create a spooky mood.

Though both of Powell’s adaptations are the same length and hit the same scenes at roughly the same places in the page count, it’s interesting that Powell didn’t just use the same script over again for the Sequential Pulp version. The Stone Arch edition has fewer panels per page to allow for bigger art, and as a general rule it also has less dialogue. The best way to explain the difference in the two approaches is just to show an example of how each presents the same scene. Here are two full pages from each version, first the Stone Arch, and then the Sequential Pulp.

I was curious about the difference and how Powell approached each version, so I contacted him about it. He told me that the Stone Arch version altered and deleted a lot of Doyle’s language and that he “adamantly” wanted that back again for the Sequential Pulp edition. The Sequential Pulp version isn’t slavishly faithful to the dialogue from the original novel, but Powell imitates Doyle’s style. My sense is that this gets the authentic feel while also giving Powell the freedom to play with it for the sake of pacing.

The Stone Arch version ends up being perfect for the youngest readers and a fun, lighter version of the story for adults. In contrast, the Sequential Pulp edition – while still suitable for any age – retains the dark tone and spookiness of Doyle’s book. It’s not too intense for young ones, but feels less like a children’s book, so older kids and grown-ups will enjoy it too.

Filed under: Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Dark Horse ComicsJamie ChaseMartin PowellSequential PulpSherlock HolmesSir Arthur Conan DoyleThe Hound of the Baskervilles

About Michael May

Michael May has been writing about comics for a little over a decade. He started as a reviewer for Comic World News and soon became editor-in-chief of the site. Leaving editorial duties to focus on writing, he joined The Great Curve, the comics blog that eventually became Blog@Newsarama and finally Comic Book Resources' Robot 6. In addition to loving comics, he loves his son and enjoys nothing more than finding (and writing about) awesome comics for the boy to read.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

February 2023

Kiss Number 8 | Review

by Michael May

February 2023

The Archie Encyclopedia | Review

by Michael May

January 2023

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by Michael May

January 2023

Young Agatha Christie | Review

by Michael May

January 2023

Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets | Review

by Michael May

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Surprise! Announcing CABOOSE

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Jump Into this Guest Post by Shadra Strickland About Her Latest Book: Jump In!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Kiss Number 8 | Review

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

WRITING FOR YOURSELF FIRST, a guest post by author M. K. Lobb

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Graphic Novels for Cat Lovers

First-Person Graphic Memoirs: 17 Recommended Titles

8 Pitch-Perfect Manga for Music-Loving Teens | Mondo Manga

First-Person Graphic Memoirs Bring Events to Life for Students

Manga, An All-Ages Starter List | Mondo Manga

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023