The Big Four

Agatha Christie Graphic Novels #13

by Alain Paillou (Adapter, Illustrator), Wilmaury (Colour), David Brawn (Editor, Translator)

Monsieur Poirot and Captain Hastings embark on a round-the-world trip to defeat the criminal masterminds who call themselves The Big Four, in a thrilling new comic book adaptation. Famed for her crime masterpieces, Agatha Christie’s books have become the best-selling in the world, appealing to readers young and old for their ingenious plots and immediately recognizable characters. The stories have also transcended the printed page, become bestselling audiobooks and award-winning films, plays and television series. Now words and pictures combine in an exciting new way of telling these stories – full-colour graphic novels which enhance the original stories and offer a completely new way of enjoying some of the world’s most popular and exciting mysteries. Framed in the doorway of Poirot’s bedroom stands an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man’s gaunt face stares for a moment, then he sways and falls. Who is he? Is he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what is the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper? Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue, risking his life to uncover the truth about ‘Number Four’.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Mystery, Crime, Agatha Christie, Fiction, Sequential Art, Detective

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otra adaptación al cómic de la gran Agatha Christie, en esta ocasión no me convenció tanto como el anterior pero puede ser que en esta ocasión no había leído la obra.

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel adaptation is really enjoyable. The art style works well but I prefer the "Ligne Claire" depictions of Poirot and Hastings to the close up sketches. Although highly abridged it still is quite fun and is unusual that is more espionage based rather than the usual whodunnit story you associate with Poirot. Perfect for fans of Christie, Tintin and those wanting to introduce younger readers to Christie's work.

[Jean-Michel Fortier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Le récit manque vraiment de fluidité.

[Javier Lanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como ocurre con otras adaptaciones dentro de la misma colección, el dibujo es elegante y cuidado, pero es complicado seguir el desarrollo de la trama, que se presenta de forma abrupta. En este caso, además, dado el origen episódico de la novela, esta sensación se acentúa. Gracias, en todo caso, al autor por su obra (que en este caso comprende tanto la adaptación del texto como el dibujo).

[Shantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3 - 3.5⭐~

[Lisenstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nunja.

Ich muss gestehen, dass ich den Prosatext von Agatha Christie nicht kenne, trotzdem empfinde ich die Comic-Adaption als recht misslungen. Dem Macher der Adaption geht es offensichtlich lediglich darum, die Kriminalgeschichte verkürzt und in möglichst simpler Weise abzubilden, nicht darum, die Stimmung zu transportieren oder gar Spannung aufzubauen. Von künstlerischem Anspruch wage ich erst gar nicht zu sprechen. Der Strich ist lieblos, für Augen war wohl oft keine Zeit, anders kann ich mir die leeren Gesichter nicht schönreden. Die Figurenzeichnung erfolgt ähnlich schwach und beliebig, teilweise ist die Unterscheidung der Charaktere allein anhand des Bildmaterials müßig (nein, kein Stilmittel). Die Textsegmente heben das auch nicht auf. Ja, Hercule Poirot ist der selbstverliebte Detektiv (dabei bleibt es aber auch), während alle weiteren Charaktere so schwach umrissen und emotionslos sind wie die Zeichnungen. Weiterhin ist enorm viel Text vorhanden, der die Handlung tatsächlich fast vollständig zusammenfasst. Dadurch wird die Bildebene nahezu überflüssig, da sie kaum in Wechselbeziehung zum Text steht, ja selten selbst Handlungsträger ist und den Text mehr illustriert als alles andere. Nein, tut mir leid. Das hat mich alles sehr gelangweilt.

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this pictorial journey with Poirot and Hastings as they embarked on a search for The Big Four,a set of people who want to control the world and have attained the means to do it.

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tämä olikin itselle ennestään tuntematon Christie. Ehkä sen vuoksi en ihan päässyt sisälle tarinaan niin hyvin kuin olisi voinut. Kaunis kirja kuitenkin.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Hastings returns to England and drops in to see his old friend Poirot just as Poirot becomes involved in taking down a very powerful and secretive crime syndicate, The Four. Some people don't believe The Four even exist, but the trail of bodies proves someone doesn't want Poirot snooping around and will stop at nothing to get him off the case.

I don't think I've ever read this or seen an adaptation of this Poirot story, but it is definitely one of his most exciting. And what is it with detectives putting their assistants through emotional trauma just to solve a case?! Poor Hastings and Dr Watson should form a therapy club. Anyway, great graphic novel version. Really liked this one.

Notes on content: One or two mild swear words. No sexual content or decency issues. This one has a pretty high body count, but very little gore is shown on page.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 5 out of 5]

2007 = £9.99

What a PERFECT Poirot!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:

https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Manuel Moreira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alain Pailou's artwork in this book is pretty good and quite adequate for the subject matter, which is clearly a good thing. However, the book format does a disservice to the story as the author does his best (without success, one might add) to cram 300 pages of Agatha Christie's original novel into a mere 46 pages.
Several characters are introduced just briefly, often without previous reference or with no apparent reason to be there, and the story jumps from scene to scene too quickly.
It could be a lot worse, but it could be a lot better as well.

[Laura Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars The necessary abridgement of the story didn't do any favors to this already very bizarre tale from Agatha Christie. The story jumps from scene to scene, and is almost completely incomprehensible.

[Kathy Chung · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like the original story as I felt it's a tad heavy. I like Agatha Christie's normal mystery instead of international intrigue like this

too much brown in the graphic making reading hard. .

[Bridget Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted story. Probably written when Dame Christie wanted to disassociate herself from Poirot. Casual nationalism with strong bias against Eastern Europeans and Asians.

[Alexia M.C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

1'5 🌟 en realidad