Ypperlig och relativt blodig adaptering av Sherlock Holmes till serieformatet. Snabbt och effektivt. Bra. ( )

A Study in Scarlet by by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was first published in Beeton's Christmas Annual. It's been more than 20 years since I first read it but after seeing Moffat's take on it as "A Study in Pink" I wanted to refresh my memory. Ian Edginton's graphic novel version of A Study in Scarlet was a fun way to revisit the original mystery.

This is the story that introduces Dr. Watson, newly returned from Afghanistan, to Sherlock Holmes. Watson is in need of affordable housing and Holmes is in need of a roommate who won't be put off by his odd hours, odd profession and numerous experiments.

Their first case together involves a man who is lying dead in a pool of blood without any sign of trauma. In the blood he has written Rache but where the blood came from and what the German word for revenge has to do with anything has the police stumped.

I didn't have the original text with me to compare editing choices that must have been made but the text and dialog is still recognizably Doyle. The lettering is clear and easy to read. The color pallets tend towards monochrome and sepia, mimicking old style newspapers and photographs.

My only problem with the book is the character design of Sherlock himself. I realize Sherlock is described as tall, with broad shoulders and a strong chin, but the chin drawn on him is bizarre and gawk-worthy. His chin is so long that there's a line drawn on it where his chin should stop to make the facial expressions work, except then the chin extends well on beyond it. ( )

Turning out to be a solid series and with all the Holmes hype running around a good entry into the books. ( )

A true-to-story rendition of Arthur Conan Doyle's “A Study in Scarlett”, this graphic novel follows Watson as he meets and moves in with Sherlock Holmes, only to get caught up in his world of intuition and deduction. People come to Sherlock to help them solve mysteries, and with his keen intelligence it does not usually take him too long to figure it out. That is until a new murder case that turns into a double murder has his mind wheeling a little quicker than normal. A man is killed without any wound, and the word rache is written on the wall. This is followed shortly by the stabbing of the man's friend. As is with the book, this is Watson's account of Sherlock solving the crime, always several steps ahead of the authorities.

Ian Edgington does a good job of summarizing the novel into this form so that the plot is the same. The illustrations in this book, by I.N.J. Culbard, also use the novels descriptions of the characters to a great effect so that it is obvious to any fan who each person is supposed to be. The drawings themselves are very true to life. It it not too busy, and the central idea of the frame is always in focus. He plays around with distance, as in one frame there will be a close up of Sherlock's eye and in the next you will see the characters from a great distance, sitting in a room. The frame sizes do not follow any order, instead having the size depicted by what the illustration is. The colours are rather dark, but it suits the story and time period.

This graphic novel was very enjoyable and easy to read. It told the story without being bogged down by detail, and the illustrations complemented the text rather than taking it over. This format could be a good introduction for young readers to Sherlock Holmes, whose novels would likely be a bit too advanced. While it was a quick read for me, it was still very engaging and enjoyable and so it would likely appeal to adults who are also a fan of the detective. The illustrations are very well done, with very detailed backgrounds. One image in particular I enjoyed was of Watson reading a letter Sherlock had just received. The action of the letter is drawn inside the cameo of Watson's profile, an easy way to indicate this image is not current time, but rather the imagination of the reader. I could see that someone who is a loyal Sherlock fan may not enjoy this book as the descriptions and characters may be different than they imagined, but I would recommend this to any fans who can appreciate the story in a new format.

This graphic novel does not appear to have won any awards, but the readers of this site have given it five stars, as have I. ( )

Review from Badelynge.
This isn't the first time A study in Scarlet has been adapted into a graphic novel but it is still a welcome addition. Ian Edginton is very faithful to Doyle's story. The book is quite pleasing all round. Ian Culbard delivers a style of art that doesn't ape the Strand illustrations, rather he chooses to caricature the characters using Doyle's descriptions. Everyone is instantly recognizable throughout. A narrow palette of colours is used, mainly all shades of brown and blue, with red (or scarlet) usually reserved for depicting blood. Much atmosphere is gained by the colour choices and by the way that available light is used realistically. The tricky hurdle of the lengthy back story sequence is nicely vaulted by constantly bringing the visuals back to the storyteller with Sherlock Holmes and co listening. All in all very good. I'm always most loyal to the original text but this stands up well. ( )