The Graphic Canon of Crime & Mystery, Vol. 2

The Graphic Canon

by Russ Kick (Editor)

Here are Teddy Goldenberg’s dense, murky treatment of Dashiell Hammett’s “The Road Home,” often considered the first hard-boiled detective story ever published. Shawn Cheng renders the first serial-killer story, the so-called fairy tale “Bluebeard” by Charles Perrault. Landis Blair reimagines  The Trial  as a choose-your-own-adventure story that you cannot win. Plus twenty-three other contributors using a wide range of illustrative styles.

As with previous volumes in the Graphic Canon series, the illustrations run the full gamut of media and techniques, and artistic interpretations range from verbatim literalism to metaphorical extensions to surrealism and abstraction. The common theme, tracing the origins and standout texts of the morbid and mysterious, unites these multifarious partners in crime.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Anthologies, Mystery

320 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2021

About the author

Editor of the website The Memory Hole which publishes and archives hidden US government documents, including scientific studies and reports, civil rights-related reports, intelligence and covert action reports.

He was also editor-at-large for The Disinformation Company, where he had published several books including The Book of Lists and 50 Things You're Not Supposed to Know.

Reviews

[Eric Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crime stories are as old as time. Tales of killing, revenge, mystery, and judgement have been depicted in the Bible and continue with novels that were adapted into movies. The Graphic Canon of Crime and Mystery Volume 2 is an illustrated look into the genre. Twenty-six classic stories of murder are artistically transformed by some of the best contemporary comic artists. The stories range from Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis to Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.

Edited by Russ Kick, this newest installment in the Graphic Canon series is perfect for anyone who loves classic mysteries. The new works commissioned for this book offer an intriguing, enjoyable look into many well-known crime stories. The styles of the adaptations are as diverse as the artists featured. Dame Darcy’s neo-Victorian style perfectly depicts the narrator’s mindset in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. Children’s book artist Kim Clements gives Agatha Christie’s The Secret Adversary a fun cartoon feel. Teddy Goldenberg’s adaptation of the hard-boiled detective story The Road Home is as dark and intense as Dashiell Hammett’s original novel.

The Graphic Canon of Crime and Mystery Volume 2 is one killer book.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

In terms of the artists, this is varied. In terms of the works adapted, it is still predominantly male, and in this volume, predominately works about violence against women. Particularly "funny" when Kick takes about how not many people knew about the popularity of female detectives during the 1900s.

I also don't understand why include Chaucer, Shakespeare, and two stories from the Bible when you could have removed them and include more adapted works by women. And if you are going to include an adaption of Bluebeard, why not "The Bloody Chamber" by Carter? Is it a permission thing?

[Beth Voecks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories chosen were pretty great but some of the art gave me an eye ache. Some went on a little too long too and others not long enough. I'm hoping some of the other "canon" books will be better.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of classic crime and mystery stories put into short comic book form. I thought the classic mysteries like Sherlock Holmes worked best. That also had one of the better artists involved. A few of the stories had such bad art or letting that I had to skip them. I'm talking to you The Tell-Tale Heart and Titus Andronicus. You really don't pay attention to lettering when it's good, but when it's bad it can make a story unreadable. I no longer waste time on things I'm struggling with because of poor decisions by a creator.

[Wendopolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good ones in here but I skipped a lot of stories in the last section.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.