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RARA-AVIS: Review:Graphic Comic Book:Raymon Chandler's The
Little Sister
Graphic Comic Book: Raymond Chandler's THE LITTLE SISTER
Illustrated and adapted by Michael Lark
Simon and Shuster, 1997, $15.00
ISBN: 0-684-82933-9
Raymond Chandler's classic Philip Marlowe mystery, THE LITTLE SISTER, has
been brilliantly adapted to the graphic comic book format while adhering to
the original story line and the persona of the lead character. Straight from
Manhattan, Kansas to Los Angeles comes Orfamay Quest, who hires Philip
Marlowe to find her missing brother, Orrin. She tells Marlowe that Orrin left
Kansas a year ago and since arriving in the land of lost dreams has lost his
job and moved out of his apartment with no forwarding address. She offers
Marlowe a much less than normal fee for his services. He accepts because he
is currently bored of doing nothing.
Instead of the simple case of finding a missing person, Marlowe finds
himself weaving through mobsters from Cleveland, actresses who may perform
better off the stage, classic blackmail with revealing pictures, several
corpses compliments of a murderer, and belligerent cops wanting to beat the
crap out of our hero. Simply, a typical Marlowe case.
Don't let the comic book label keep the reader away from a tremendous
adaptation of an archetypal hard-boiled detective story. Marlowe comes
across as vintage Marlowe, and Chandler's original story line is well adapted
to the different medium. The coloring (by Alex Wald) and the lettering
(Willie Schubert) add a late forties feel to the book that is rarely seen in
movies or novels. This is a great adaptation that fans of Marlowe and the
classic forties detective story will love especially in this graphic comic
book format. Hopefully, the artistic team will do more Marlowes and other
great private investigators from the golden age.
Harriet Klausner
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