By Adrian Neibauer
Staff Writer
STORY REVIEW
The SIGN
OF FOUR is a graphic adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mystery
featuring Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. John H. Watson. Part of their Crime Classics line of comic literature, British graphic novel and
manga publishing company, SelfMadeHero,
set out to adapt not only THE SIGN OF FOUR, but THE HOUND OF
THE BASKERVILLES, and STUDY IN
SCARLETT, and THE VALLEY OF FEAR. Each novel is a must have for any fan of
Holmes’ mysteries.
The novel opens with Holmes injecting himself with a cocaine solution
in order to combat his lack of activity in solving crimes and mysteries. We are
then introduced to the lovely Mary Morstan, who delivers what plans to be one
of Holmes’ and Watson’s most exciting adventures. Ms. Morstan’s father
disappeared some ten years ago, and since then, she has been receiving an
anonymous gift each year on the anniversary of his disappearance. Morstan
finally seeks Holmes’ advice after receiving a letter to meet claiming that she
is a “wronged woman who shall have justice.” What follows is the thrilling
pursuit of truth concerning the mysterious “sign of four.” Buried treasure.
Feuding rivalries. Murder. What’s not to love about this story?
I have to admit to being quite a Sherlock Holmes snob. I fell in love
with Conan Doyle’s stories of the genius detective in college and have since
read and reread them many times. Although the Robert Downey Jr. films are
exciting, I was disappointed at how they strayed from the short stories. So,
when I picked up THE SIGN OF FOUR by Ian Edington and I.N.J. Culbard, I was
skeptical. However, Edington’s adaptation of the original text is beautiful, so
much so that I found no need to peruse the original text. Edington sounds like
Doyle’s original, and I quickly became lost in the story.
ART REVIEW
Culbard’s style is perfect for introducing students to Sherlock
Holmes. He draws in an almost cartoonish way, yet still maintaining a very 1880’s
European feel.
My only criticism is of how he draws Holmes himself. Again, I feel a
bit biased toward the Jeremy Brett BBC series
of the 1980’s. Brett played Holmes for ten years, and to me, represents the
perfect portrait of the cold, deductive detective. In this graphic adaptation, Culbard
drew Holmes’ face with such a large chin, that I found myself distracted for
the first thirty pages. I admit, however, that this is my own problem.
For students, Edington and Culbard pair text and picture so cleverly,
that even during complicated plot points, the reader can still follow the
narrative. You can tell that creating this classic adaptation was a very
collaborative process between Edington, Culbard, and Doyle’s original text. I
am very pleased with how faithful they are to both the story and the character
development.
IN THE CLASSROOM
There are many ways to integrate Sherlock Holmes into any literacy
lesson. THE SIGN OF FOUR graphic novel is a great introduction to Sherlock
Holmes and Dr. Watson. Teachers wanting to complete a genre study on mysteries
should definitely include this graphic novel. When teaching mysteries to students,
I find it important to break down any mystery into the classic W’s:
·
Who?
·
What?
·
When?
·
Where?
·
Why (motive)?
·
How?
When having students either take notes on these items, or analyzing
any mystery, Sherlock Holmes is wonderful at teaching students the power of
observation, deduction, and logic. For example, Holmes is a master at scanning
the presented information and choosing only the most important details. In "The
Adventure of the Reigate Squire," Holmes says himself, “It is of the
highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize out of a
number of facts which are incidental and which vital. Otherwise your energy and
attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated." What a
perfect role model for making conclusions solely based on facts, not opinions. Even
at the university level, I could see a science or philosophy professor using
Sherlock Holmes as an example for analytic reasoning.
No matter the age level of students, Holmes is a great example of the
life-long learner whose sole desire is to seek out the truth. Holmes’ character development throughout many
mysteries is also noteworthy as a possible character study.
MORE INFORMATION
Text Adapted: Ian Edington
Illustrator: I.N.J.
Culbard
Pages: 124
Color: Color
Publisher: SelfMadeHero
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8003-5
MY RECOMMENDATION
Due to Sherlock’s blatant drug use in the first pages (despite
Watson’s medical pleadings to stop), I recommend THE SIGN OF FOUR for middle
and high school classrooms. At
the teacher’s discretion, I could see parts of this story used in lower grades,
but there tends to be quite a bit of murder in Holmes’ mysteries.
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