Monday, April 05, 2010

Hound of the Baskervilles part 1

Here's one of my favourite characters in a fabulous comic adaptation. This version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" appeared in Look and Learn in 1967-68 and was later reprinted in 1979 in a slightly rejigged version with the captions in type but with the dialogue balloons untouched. I decided to stick with the original version.

The artwork is by Robert Forrest who is a bit of an acquired taste. I wasn't too keen on his work the first time I saw it, but the more I've seen, the more I enjoy it. Forrest was at his best when he drew historical strips, many of which appeared in Thriller Comics Library. Some of his best work were adaptations, some of his best strips being "The Picture of Dorian Gray" for Thriller Comics Library in 1956 and "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" in Top Spot in 1959. David Ashford and Norman Wright rate Forrest's "Hound" and the later "The Sign of Four" as "the best Sherlock Holmes picture strips ever produced." Certainly they capture the atmosphere of the original novel.

The column header is by Andrew Howat, a cover drawn for the 1979 reprint.

(* Artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

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