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Alex Delaware graphic novels
The Web: The Graphic Novel
The acclaimed bestselling author and king of psychological suspense gets a whole new chance to thrill, as Jonathan Kellerman’s The Web makes its graphic novel debut.
After a narrow escape from his burning house, psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware is ready for a relaxing getaway. And revered scientist Dr. Woodrow Wilson Moreland has just the ticket for Alex and his girlfriend, Robin Castagna: an all-expenses-paid vacation to a Pacific island retreat. It won’t all be fun in the sun, however. But helping Dr. Moreland prepare his fascinating case files for publication is business Alex is happy to mix with pleasure.
Unfortunately, pleasure is in short supply on the remote island of Aruk, with its dark history hanging heavy in the tropical air. Though reports of a bloody native uprising and mutants haunting the jungle may be rumors, the brutal, unsolved murder of a young woman is very real. So is the bad vibe Alex and Robin get from a battling pair of married scientists, a scandal-hunting writer, a duo of menacing beach bums, and a politician with a hidden agenda. Not to mention their enigmatic host, a man being eaten alive by secrets. As another savage murder stuns the island, a dangerous storm closes in . . . and so does the conspiracy consuming Aruk like a strangling vine. With no one to trust but each other, Alex and Robin must track down the hellish truth beneath a lost paradise—before the blue Pacific waters run red with more spilled blood.
Once again, scripter Ande Parks—acclaimed author of Union Station, Capote in Kansas, and the Jonathan Kellerman graphic adaptation Silent Partner—teams with major Marvel and DC illustrator Michael Gaydos to bring the laureate of L.A. mystery fiction to edgy, intense new life on the page.
After a narrow escape from his burning house, psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware is ready for a relaxing getaway. And revered scientist Dr. Woodrow Wilson Moreland has just the ticket for Alex and his girlfriend, Robin Castagna: an all-expenses-paid vacation to a Pacific island retreat. It won’t all be fun in the sun, however. But helping Dr. Moreland prepare his fascinating case files for publication is business Alex is happy to mix with pleasure.
Unfortunately, pleasure is in short supply on the remote island of Aruk, with its dark history hanging heavy in the tropical air. Though reports of a bloody native uprising and mutants haunting the jungle may be rumors, the brutal, unsolved murder of a young woman is very real. So is the bad vibe Alex and Robin get from a battling pair of married scientists, a scandal-hunting writer, a duo of menacing beach bums, and a politician with a hidden agenda. Not to mention their enigmatic host, a man being eaten alive by secrets. As another savage murder stuns the island, a dangerous storm closes in . . . and so does the conspiracy consuming Aruk like a strangling vine. With no one to trust but each other, Alex and Robin must track down the hellish truth beneath a lost paradise—before the blue Pacific waters run red with more spilled blood.
Once again, scripter Ande Parks—acclaimed author of Union Station, Capote in Kansas, and the Jonathan Kellerman graphic adaptation Silent Partner—teams with major Marvel and DC illustrator Michael Gaydos to bring the laureate of L.A. mystery fiction to edgy, intense new life on the page.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published May 20, 2014
27 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Ande Parks
424 books21 followersAnde Parks has worked on several projects with Phil Hester, including Nightbreed (Marvel), Rust (Malibu), Fringe (Caliber), and Freaks Amour (Dark Horse). Currently he inks Anima, Steel and Superboy, all for DC.
Ande Parks (born October 1, 1964) is a professional American comic book artist, known for his work as an inker and writer in the industry. His greatest notoriety has come from his stint with fellow artist Phil Hester on DC Comics' Green Arrow series from 2001 to 2004 and writing the graphic novels Union Station and Capote in Kansas by Oni Press. He grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City and currently lives in Baldwin City, Kansas with his wife and two children.
Parks began his professional career as an inker in comic books with Dark Horse Comics. He has inked the penciled artwork of such titles as Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Superman, Daredevil and Spider-Man. His artistic style has won him praise in the comic books industry, including an industry Harvey nomination as best inker. His idols and influences include Neal Adams, Klaus Janson, Jack Kirby, Dick Giordano, and Mike Grell. Parks has stated in at least one on-line interview that he inks with Hunt 102 and Brause 511 pens and a Raphael #3 brush. For characters from the comic books, Parks has acknowledged he has most enjoyed Batman and Captain America as his favorite characters.
He is probably best known for his work on the relaunched Green Arrow comic book series beginning in 2001, which he inked over his frequent collaborator Phil Hester. On Green Arrow, Hester and Parks worked with writers Kevin Smith, Brad Meltzer, and Judd Winick over their approximate 40-issue run. The book has been collected into several volumes. The American Library Association called it one of the best books for young adults. Parks and Hester have also done work on DC Comics' Nightwing with writer Devin Grayson, allowing Parks to work within the Batman family of characters, and the new revamped Ant-Man comic book for Marvel Comics in 2006-2007.
Although better known for his artwork, Parks considers himself to be more of a writer than artist. He has contributed several articles in comic book trade magazines, such as Draw!, geared towards critiques of artwork and professional tips for inkers. Parks' combined his inking style with his fondness for writing when he created the superhero spoof Uncle Slam & Fire Dog for Action Planet Comics, based to a certain extent on his love of Marvel Comics' Captain America. Uncle Slam appeared in three issues of the Action Planet anthology book series, and in two issues of his own book in the early- to mid-1990s. The character also appeared in a completely on-line comic book for Komicwerks. A new Uncle Slam book, "Uncle Slam Fights Back", was released in the summer of 2008.
For graphic novels, he has often turned to his neighboring region in the Midwest as source material for his writing projects. To date Parks has steered towards writing what is best classified as historical fiction. He has credited Alan Moore's From Hell as being a large influence in his decision to pursue writing in the historical fiction genre. In 2004, Oni Press published Park's first original graphic novel, Union Station. The book dealt with the events surrounding the Kansas City massacre, which took place in 1933 in Kansas City, Missouri, and helped J. Edgar Hoover make the F.B.I. a powerful organization in law enforcement and government for decades to come. Eduardo Barreto provided the artwork, done in black-&-white to give the piece more of a Depression-era period look.
In 2005 Parks returned to the genre of historical fiction with Capote In Kansas, drawn by Chris Samnee. The book details the time Truman Capote spent in Kansas while he worked on his literary masterpiece, In Cold Blood.
Continuing on with the Marvel Universe of characters, Parks co-plotted with Ed Brubaker and wrote "Blood of the Tarantula" fo
Ande Parks (born October 1, 1964) is a professional American comic book artist, known for his work as an inker and writer in the industry. His greatest notoriety has come from his stint with fellow artist Phil Hester on DC Comics' Green Arrow series from 2001 to 2004 and writing the graphic novels Union Station and Capote in Kansas by Oni Press. He grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City and currently lives in Baldwin City, Kansas with his wife and two children.
Parks began his professional career as an inker in comic books with Dark Horse Comics. He has inked the penciled artwork of such titles as Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Superman, Daredevil and Spider-Man. His artistic style has won him praise in the comic books industry, including an industry Harvey nomination as best inker. His idols and influences include Neal Adams, Klaus Janson, Jack Kirby, Dick Giordano, and Mike Grell. Parks has stated in at least one on-line interview that he inks with Hunt 102 and Brause 511 pens and a Raphael #3 brush. For characters from the comic books, Parks has acknowledged he has most enjoyed Batman and Captain America as his favorite characters.
He is probably best known for his work on the relaunched Green Arrow comic book series beginning in 2001, which he inked over his frequent collaborator Phil Hester. On Green Arrow, Hester and Parks worked with writers Kevin Smith, Brad Meltzer, and Judd Winick over their approximate 40-issue run. The book has been collected into several volumes. The American Library Association called it one of the best books for young adults. Parks and Hester have also done work on DC Comics' Nightwing with writer Devin Grayson, allowing Parks to work within the Batman family of characters, and the new revamped Ant-Man comic book for Marvel Comics in 2006-2007.
Although better known for his artwork, Parks considers himself to be more of a writer than artist. He has contributed several articles in comic book trade magazines, such as Draw!, geared towards critiques of artwork and professional tips for inkers. Parks' combined his inking style with his fondness for writing when he created the superhero spoof Uncle Slam & Fire Dog for Action Planet Comics, based to a certain extent on his love of Marvel Comics' Captain America. Uncle Slam appeared in three issues of the Action Planet anthology book series, and in two issues of his own book in the early- to mid-1990s. The character also appeared in a completely on-line comic book for Komicwerks. A new Uncle Slam book, "Uncle Slam Fights Back", was released in the summer of 2008.
For graphic novels, he has often turned to his neighboring region in the Midwest as source material for his writing projects. To date Parks has steered towards writing what is best classified as historical fiction. He has credited Alan Moore's From Hell as being a large influence in his decision to pursue writing in the historical fiction genre. In 2004, Oni Press published Park's first original graphic novel, Union Station. The book dealt with the events surrounding the Kansas City massacre, which took place in 1933 in Kansas City, Missouri, and helped J. Edgar Hoover make the F.B.I. a powerful organization in law enforcement and government for decades to come. Eduardo Barreto provided the artwork, done in black-&-white to give the piece more of a Depression-era period look.
In 2005 Parks returned to the genre of historical fiction with Capote In Kansas, drawn by Chris Samnee. The book details the time Truman Capote spent in Kansas while he worked on his literary masterpiece, In Cold Blood.
Continuing on with the Marvel Universe of characters, Parks co-plotted with Ed Brubaker and wrote "Blood of the Tarantula" fo
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 3, 2018
The story is to rushed in this format. Doesn’t really do the novel a lot of justice.
March 19, 2017
The second graphic novel of Kellerman's work, this story picks another of his older more convoluted stories, set on an island with a group of mutants hidden from society. While the artwork is good, the lack of color makes for a dark and somber look. The character of Alex Delaware is drawn way too young again, and I just do not see the appeal of these books adapted into graphic novel form.
March 1, 2019
I quit reading Jonathan Kellerman ages ago when I concluded he was writing the same damn book again and again. The Web is one of his Alex Delaware novels adapted into a graphic novel. I am speculating here but I imagine The Web was picked for the graphic novel treatment as it is one of Kellerman's more "far out" mysteries. Doesn't matter-Delaware is a psychologist and psychological insight is not translatable into a visual medium. The artwork is too murky and adds literally nothing of value to this story that I can perceive. If you're thinking of reading this-don't. Zero entertainment to be had here.
July 6, 2023
I thought this was a much better adaptation than the first Kellerman one. It's about Alex Delaware and his girlfriend Robin heading to a small island in the South Pacific. Alex has been hired to help a doctor there organize his research for 4 months. The island seems to be on its last legs as the military base there is winding down. This starts with a murder and finishes with some nutso stuff you could never guess was coming.
May 5, 2018
Abandoned
Storyboard clumsy, pencilwork dark
:(
Storyboard clumsy, pencilwork dark
:(
July 6, 2014
An enjoyable read with a few hiccups along the way. It's probably indicative of the fact that I've consumed far too many books, graphic novels, movies, and TV shows when one of my primary benchmarks of whether a book is good is whether I have figured the plot out 50% of the way into the story. The Web kept me guessing and still was able to provide a satisfying ending. It managed to combine together a multitude of disparate elements such as entomology, corruption, colonialism, and family dynamics and weave them together into a cohesive and enjoyable tale. The result is a story that avoids the typical tropes that doom similar mysteries and keeps the reader engaged.
While I enjoyed the plot the characters don't really evolve throughout the course of this tale. It is very challenging to accomplish this in a single graphic novel, however this isn't an excuse for the players remaining largely stagnant despite undergoing harrowing circumstances. Perhaps it reflects the author's belief that people don't truly change yet to the reader it makes the events portrayed seem unmomentous and the characters wooden. It's a shame because Kellerman presents some promising individuals with complex histories and conflicting motives.
The illustrations were good, but not great. The look and feel of the drawings matched the tone of the story yet felt ancillary and almost an afterthought at times. The best graphic novels have artwork that contributes to the tale and pulls the reader deeper in. While as steady and reliable as the book's black and white format, Michael Gaydos doesn't manage to break any new ground or truly hold his own when providing visual stimulation here.
It's not a must-read, but it is a worthy way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.
While I enjoyed the plot the characters don't really evolve throughout the course of this tale. It is very challenging to accomplish this in a single graphic novel, however this isn't an excuse for the players remaining largely stagnant despite undergoing harrowing circumstances. Perhaps it reflects the author's belief that people don't truly change yet to the reader it makes the events portrayed seem unmomentous and the characters wooden. It's a shame because Kellerman presents some promising individuals with complex histories and conflicting motives.
The illustrations were good, but not great. The look and feel of the drawings matched the tone of the story yet felt ancillary and almost an afterthought at times. The best graphic novels have artwork that contributes to the tale and pulls the reader deeper in. While as steady and reliable as the book's black and white format, Michael Gaydos doesn't manage to break any new ground or truly hold his own when providing visual stimulation here.
It's not a must-read, but it is a worthy way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon.
December 11, 2014
This is a graphic (comic) novel of the book.
It is a great mystery full of haunting themes, murder and mystery. It is also great to have the written story in graphic novel form. I thought the story was definitely worth 5 stars. It had suspense, mysterious accidents and events, a remote island, a mysterious army base and horrible insects galore!!
But the excellent story was let down by the graphics. The graphics were black and white with lots of shaded black colouring. It made it hard for me to read it and hard to see the characters too. I would have preferred much less shading and far more drawing.
In any case a great story and good to have it in graphic novel form.
It is a great mystery full of haunting themes, murder and mystery. It is also great to have the written story in graphic novel form. I thought the story was definitely worth 5 stars. It had suspense, mysterious accidents and events, a remote island, a mysterious army base and horrible insects galore!!
But the excellent story was let down by the graphics. The graphics were black and white with lots of shaded black colouring. It made it hard for me to read it and hard to see the characters too. I would have preferred much less shading and far more drawing.
In any case a great story and good to have it in graphic novel form.
September 2, 2014
Not as good as the previous alex deleware graphic novel adaptation, but still rather fun. I will definitely continue to read these adaptations if they keep making them. I just hope for the next volume they choose to adapt one of the deleware stories for which I read the source novel. Specifically I would love to read a graphic version of "When the bough breaks" that is my favorite Deleware story by far.
I'm not sure if these adaptations are turning a profit? Is that why they have not been subjected to a colorist? Budgetary constraints?
I'm not sure if these adaptations are turning a profit? Is that why they have not been subjected to a colorist? Budgetary constraints?
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September 16, 2014"This 164-page, beautifully drawn and inked black-and-white thriller will keep you turning pages."
Read more here.
Read more here.
June 11, 2014
The graphic novel version of this suffered from confusing art (Gaydos's great art would have been helped by color) and a slow script. The ending picked up but it was hard getting there.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews