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Lucifer Box #1.5
The Vesuvius Club: Graphic Edition
Mark Gatiss' cult creation, Lucifer Box, as you've never seen him before—in a new graphic-novel edition of his first adventure! On it's first publication, Mark Gatiss' The Vesuvius Club was critically acclaimed as an inspired cult creation. Now you are invited, more intimately, into the world of Lucifer Box, as his first adventure plays out in this graphic-novel edition. Here, Lucifer Box—the greatest portraitist of the Edwardian age and England's most dashing secret agent—investigates a series of bizarre disappearances and plunges headlong into low life and high society. Who is killing Britain's most prominent vulcanologists? What secrets lie beyond the grave? See him…Confront the purple undead. Instruct the mysterious and beguiling Bella Pok. Disguise himself with a false mustache. Face an ominous evil in the depths of a volcano. And come to grips with his new manservant, Charlie Jackpot. A fiendishly unputdownable treat for "the discerning mature reader."
105 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Mark Gatiss
145 books785 followersMark Gatiss (born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Gatiss has written three episodes for the 2005-revived BBC television series Doctor Who. His first, "The Unquiet Dead", aired on 9 April 2005; the second, "The Idiot's Lantern", aired on 27 May 2006 as part of the second series. In addition, Gatiss was the narrator for the 2006 season of documentary series Doctor Who Confidential, additionally appearing as an on-screen presenter in the edition devoted to his episode. Gatiss did not contribute a script to the third series, but appeared in the episode "The Lazarus Experiment", as Professor Lazarus. After his submitted script for the fourth series, involving Nazis and the British Museum, was replaced at the last minute with "The Fires of Pompeii", he eventually returned to the programme in 2010, writing the (also World War II-themed) episode "Victory of the Daleks" for the fifth series, in which he also appears uncredited as the voice of "Danny Boy". It has also been confirmed that Gatiss will be writing an episode for the 2011 season of Doctor Who, although details about the story are yet to be revealed.[19]
Gatiss wrote an episode of Sherlock, a modern day Sherlock Holmes series co-produced by him and Steven Moffat. The unaired pilot was shot in January 2009 and a full series was commissioned. This was aired in August 2010 and consisted of 3 episodes. Gatiss also starred in these as Holmes' older brother Mycroft. A second series has been confirmed, but dates have yet to be decided, since both Gatiss and Moffatt have additional commitments.[20]
Gatiss also wrote and performed the comedy sketches The Web of Caves, The Kidnappers and The Pitch of Fear for the BBC's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999 with Little Britain's David Walliams, and played the Master in the Doctor Who Unbound play Sympathy for the Devil under the name "Sam Kisgart", a pseudonym he later used for a column in Doctor Who Magazine. (The pseudonym is an anagram of "Mark Gatiss", a nod to Anthony Ainley, who was sometimes credited under an anagram to conceal the Master's identity from the viewers.) The pseudonym was used again in television listings magazines when he appeared in episode four of Psychoville, so as not to spoil his surprise appearance in advance.
In mainstream print, Gatiss is responsible for an acclaimed biography of the film director James Whale. His first non-Doctor Who novel, The Vesuvius Club, was published in 2004, for which he was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer in the 2006 British Book Awards. A follow up, The Devil in Amber, was released on 6 November 2006. It transports the main character, Lucifer Box, from the Edwardian era in the first book to the roaring Twenties/Thirties. A third and final Lucifer Box novel, Black Butterfly, was published on 3 November 2008 by Simon & Schuster.[21] In this the protagonist finds himself serving Queen Elizabeth II, in the Cold War era.
Gatiss also wrote, co-produced and appeared in Crooked House, a ghost story that was broadcast on BBC Four during Christmas 2008.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Gatiss has written three episodes for the 2005-revived BBC television series Doctor Who. His first, "The Unquiet Dead", aired on 9 April 2005; the second, "The Idiot's Lantern", aired on 27 May 2006 as part of the second series. In addition, Gatiss was the narrator for the 2006 season of documentary series Doctor Who Confidential, additionally appearing as an on-screen presenter in the edition devoted to his episode. Gatiss did not contribute a script to the third series, but appeared in the episode "The Lazarus Experiment", as Professor Lazarus. After his submitted script for the fourth series, involving Nazis and the British Museum, was replaced at the last minute with "The Fires of Pompeii", he eventually returned to the programme in 2010, writing the (also World War II-themed) episode "Victory of the Daleks" for the fifth series, in which he also appears uncredited as the voice of "Danny Boy". It has also been confirmed that Gatiss will be writing an episode for the 2011 season of Doctor Who, although details about the story are yet to be revealed.[19]
Gatiss wrote an episode of Sherlock, a modern day Sherlock Holmes series co-produced by him and Steven Moffat. The unaired pilot was shot in January 2009 and a full series was commissioned. This was aired in August 2010 and consisted of 3 episodes. Gatiss also starred in these as Holmes' older brother Mycroft. A second series has been confirmed, but dates have yet to be decided, since both Gatiss and Moffatt have additional commitments.[20]
Gatiss also wrote and performed the comedy sketches The Web of Caves, The Kidnappers and The Pitch of Fear for the BBC's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999 with Little Britain's David Walliams, and played the Master in the Doctor Who Unbound play Sympathy for the Devil under the name "Sam Kisgart", a pseudonym he later used for a column in Doctor Who Magazine. (The pseudonym is an anagram of "Mark Gatiss", a nod to Anthony Ainley, who was sometimes credited under an anagram to conceal the Master's identity from the viewers.) The pseudonym was used again in television listings magazines when he appeared in episode four of Psychoville, so as not to spoil his surprise appearance in advance.
In mainstream print, Gatiss is responsible for an acclaimed biography of the film director James Whale. His first non-Doctor Who novel, The Vesuvius Club, was published in 2004, for which he was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer in the 2006 British Book Awards. A follow up, The Devil in Amber, was released on 6 November 2006. It transports the main character, Lucifer Box, from the Edwardian era in the first book to the roaring Twenties/Thirties. A third and final Lucifer Box novel, Black Butterfly, was published on 3 November 2008 by Simon & Schuster.[21] In this the protagonist finds himself serving Queen Elizabeth II, in the Cold War era.
Gatiss also wrote, co-produced and appeared in Crooked House, a ghost story that was broadcast on BBC Four during Christmas 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 1, 2016
I'm always in two minds about Graphic novels - would I have enjoyed it more had I read it as text??
This one I'm not so sure. It is a fun romp using Edwardian England, a wealthy rake involved in the secret service, and then a load of silliness. There are great lines, and being an adult graphic novel, there is no shortage of blood splatterings or full genitalia. The line work is fine, although my biggest complaint is the excessive use of India ink - I can have problems trying to see what is happening in the frame & have to rewind so to speak.
Is this one silly?? Most definitely; it probably didn't help that I am not a fan of zombies - werewolves, vampires and the like I can find "believable" but not zombies. I don't claim to be consistent.
I'm vacillating as to whether I shall read a second one.
This one I'm not so sure. It is a fun romp using Edwardian England, a wealthy rake involved in the secret service, and then a load of silliness. There are great lines, and being an adult graphic novel, there is no shortage of blood splatterings or full genitalia. The line work is fine, although my biggest complaint is the excessive use of India ink - I can have problems trying to see what is happening in the frame & have to rewind so to speak.
Is this one silly?? Most definitely; it probably didn't help that I am not a fan of zombies - werewolves, vampires and the like I can find "believable" but not zombies. I don't claim to be consistent.
I'm vacillating as to whether I shall read a second one.
April 29, 2015
Ah, Lucifer Box. My perfect imaginary boyfriend: a suave, debonair, mildly depraved bisexual British secret agent, with a memorable name, razor wit, an even sharper sense of humor, and a just equally sharp taste for clothes.
And no, not interested in James Bond. Give me Lucifer any day of the week.
I wasn't entirely fond of the original book because I read it long ago, when I was a little too young to understand it, and it confused me a lot. I gave the book away, much to my pity, but upon revisiting it (and being impressed by Gatiss's work on "Sherlock", I am now the proud owner of volumes 2 and 3 of the Lucifer Box trilogy.
I found this book for sale and I jumped at it, as a good way to refresh my memories on the first, so I could move on to read the following books, and it didn't disappoint. Sure, it lacked a LOT of the amazing writing style of the book, and despite the almost cartoony art, I found myself enjoying it immensely, and definitely not regretting the purchase. There's a certain steampunk-ish quality to it that makes it charming (although theoretically it's set in Edwardian era, the clothes seemed a lot more Victorian), and I will definitely jump on the next books.
Also, Lucifer Box is the sexiest name ever.
And no, not interested in James Bond. Give me Lucifer any day of the week.
I wasn't entirely fond of the original book because I read it long ago, when I was a little too young to understand it, and it confused me a lot. I gave the book away, much to my pity, but upon revisiting it (and being impressed by Gatiss's work on "Sherlock", I am now the proud owner of volumes 2 and 3 of the Lucifer Box trilogy.
I found this book for sale and I jumped at it, as a good way to refresh my memories on the first, so I could move on to read the following books, and it didn't disappoint. Sure, it lacked a LOT of the amazing writing style of the book, and despite the almost cartoony art, I found myself enjoying it immensely, and definitely not regretting the purchase. There's a certain steampunk-ish quality to it that makes it charming (although theoretically it's set in Edwardian era, the clothes seemed a lot more Victorian), and I will definitely jump on the next books.
Also, Lucifer Box is the sexiest name ever.
February 15, 2015
this book wasn't even mehhh it got to a point it was already ehhhh, it looked like a mexican soap opera, i don't know if the book is any better, but i'm not interest to be honest, they had the stupidest plot twists and you're like what the hell, and by the end they tried to be steampunk, no, please just leave steampunk alone please. on the good side the art was pretty good, if you want to see pretty good art you should totally pick this up, but he story is kinda sucky, it's basically Sherlock Holmes in mexican soap opera form, and i think i might be offending Sherlock Holmes by saying this
August 22, 2015
Graphic novels are a tricky thing. Some work & some don't. Having previously read the novel of The Vesuvius Club three times I gave the graphic novel a go & was pleasantly surprised. The story lends itself extremely well to the format & although the novel is edited considerably this version retains all the fun of the original.
June 21, 2024
Yeahhhhh… really disappointed actually. Firstly, the abridgement doesn’t help. The fun of the book (once I finally allowed myself to enjoy it) was an element of self-indulgent meandering and the cut down graphic novel version just feels rushed. I also didn’t enjoy the artwork. It feels like the artist tried for Aubrey Beardsley and then missed the mark - by miles. It feels bare and basic when I was expecting something a little more fun and decadent. Maybe I was expecting something along the lines of ‘With Love from Eroica’ – I mean, if there was ever a time to imitate, The Vesuvius Club was the novel with which to do it.
Bit of a let-down. Glad I borrowed and didn’t buy this.
Bit of a let-down. Glad I borrowed and didn’t buy this.
January 1, 2022
Fascinating! They actually changed up the flow of the story and what's included to better suit the more visual approach. This isn't a page-by-page capture (it'd have to be over twice as long) but a rework for the comics medium. Unfortunately, since so much of the strength and appeal of the original novel is the word play and language choice, this doesn't come off as well, and it becomes a rather silly adventure story. But it's great to get an idea of the appearances of the characters!
May 23, 2017
Beautifully drawn and a nice supplement to the novel. But without reading the book first, the sotry makes little sense. I would have preferred that the first part had an alternative story, like it does at the end. I also was missing the action a lot, for example at the cemetery.
May 28, 2020
I really enjoyed the original novel when it came out, and while the art style is in keeping with the story, and has a certain charm, there’s something about this book which makes it not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. If I hadn’t read the original novel I may have enjoyed it more, I think.
August 28, 2019
Enjoyed a lot but slightly lacking, may try the non graphic novel version
November 13, 2023
I really enjoyed the book proper but this didn't do it for me more than a decade later
October 19, 2014
While the story itself is not as in depth as the original book (obviously), the art does such a good job of bringing the character and the action and the settings to life. There is no colour, it is only black and white. This is a shame in some respects, because i would have loved some colour in a few particular panels (mostly the violent ones, i will confess–what’s a blood splatter without a little red?). On the other hand, the black and white provides such a noir, mystery and classy feel to the images.
The plot and action move swiftly and the story never gets dull. It was great to see the fight scenes play out, rather than having to image them as they play out slowly among detailed descriptions, as they so often do in prose. And in a few cases, particularly plots twists, it was much nicer to have visual cues as to the nature of what was playing out, and that slight anticipation evoked with an image before the narrative progresses.
A longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel At Words.
The plot and action move swiftly and the story never gets dull. It was great to see the fight scenes play out, rather than having to image them as they play out slowly among detailed descriptions, as they so often do in prose. And in a few cases, particularly plots twists, it was much nicer to have visual cues as to the nature of what was playing out, and that slight anticipation evoked with an image before the narrative progresses.
A longer review can be read at my book blog: Marvel At Words.
March 21, 2017
so ....i've had this laying around for probably about five years. i read the novels back when i was really into sherlock [ugh] and then i got this off thriftbooks but never actually got around to it because it seemed stupid to read the graphic novel immediately after reading the regular novel.
anyway fast forward to now and i'm trying to actually read some print books i've bought over the years and i am just ...so underwhelmed. to be honest it's probably not much worse than the actual books. i remember liking them at the time but like i said, that's back when i thought sherlock was good too. and this reads so much like an episode of sherlock it's ridiculous - one dimensional female characters, an asian villain speaking broken english, and a 'plot twist' every other page. ugh. i guess at this has some lgbt characters in it so it's one up on sherlock there. at least the art is pretty good i guess.
anyway fast forward to now and i'm trying to actually read some print books i've bought over the years and i am just ...so underwhelmed. to be honest it's probably not much worse than the actual books. i remember liking them at the time but like i said, that's back when i thought sherlock was good too. and this reads so much like an episode of sherlock it's ridiculous - one dimensional female characters, an asian villain speaking broken english, and a 'plot twist' every other page. ugh. i guess at this has some lgbt characters in it so it's one up on sherlock there. at least the art is pretty good i guess.
August 30, 2013
I loved the illustrations by Ian Bass in 'The Vesuvius Club' above and spotting its graphic novel edition among my late husband's collection I elected to also read it. The art is a tribute to the style of the Edwardian period and also shows the influence of Aubrey Beardsley especially in the erotic scenes that were rendered with a pinch of mischief.
Given I read the graphic edition so soon after the novel it is hard for me to judge how it would work if encountered on its own.
Given I read the graphic edition so soon after the novel it is hard for me to judge how it would work if encountered on its own.
February 20, 2007
as the first novel by one of the 'league of gentlemen' i had very high expectations of this book, and i was not disappointed at all!!
witty romp (and i really don't use that word lightly, it is very apt..) through victorian london. highly recommended!
witty romp (and i really don't use that word lightly, it is very apt..) through victorian london. highly recommended!
July 4, 2007
My high hopes for this book were dashed by mundane, ill fitting poorly rendered art and dull predictable twists.
Could have been magnificent. It isn't.
Could have been magnificent. It isn't.
May 8, 2010
Beautiful art in this Edwardian mystery where Lucifer Box is hired to get to the bottom of the case of disappearing scientists.
September 30, 2012
Enjoyed the story and characters, but really some of the drawings were very amateurish, they just didn't work. I'll look out for the books rather than graphic novels in future.
October 31, 2012
It's really good but it missed out one of the best characters, the book is still way better
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews