Ted Benoit

Playback
Raymond Chandler was a huge star in the world of noir. His books and screenplays rose above a sea of pulp and continue to attract readers today. “Playback” was a screenplay he worked on for years, tweaking and re-tooling it several times. Partly due to film studio politics, and largely due to Chandler’s curmudgeonly behavior, “Playback” never made its way to the silver screen. Instead, it sat moldering in a studio vault until a few years ago, when Ted Benoit and Francois show more Ayroles turned it into this graphic novel.
“Playback” was not Chandler’s best, but it’s still recognizable as his work. The artists have done an interesting thing here in producing graphic work that closely resembles that of Chandler’s era. It makes heavy use of bold lines and shies away from half-tones. The result is a fun and witty read from a master of the genre to which the graphic novel owes so much. Without noir, there’s a good chance the comic book wouldn’t have caught on, and the later graphic novels wouldn’t have come about at all. The influence of noir can often be seen in the style of a huge portion of graphic novels as well, in the form of witty, fast-paced dialogue, questionable heroes, and general grittiness.
Sure, there are better graphic novels than “Playback,” but few are so grounded in the format’s roots. This is also a book that might find an audience in those who don’t normally read graphic novels. show less

Clearly inspired by John Buchan's The Thirty-nine Steps, this adventure sees Captain Blake on the run, accused of being a spy and a murderer, whilst Professor Mortimer pursues him across the north of England and into the Scottish Highlands in an attempt to aid and exonerate him.

Rather than one finger too few, as in the case of Hannay's nemesis, Blake and Mortimer must beware the man with six fingers!

When will Colonel Olrik learn not to stand so close behind Mortimer when covering him with a show more gun? It always ends with an elbow to the solar plexus and a right cross to the chin! Despite some predictable elements, the plot delivers some deft misdirections regarding the identity of the mole in the upper echelons of the intelligence service. show less

It enjoyed seeing a Blake and Mortimer adventure taking place in the US!
I find that Mortimer was a bit slow understanding the real nature of the mysterious characters in this story... The reader will understand a lot faster that the scientist in the story. Which is surprising since his own experience from another album (I don't want to spoil anyone so I'm not going to be more specific).
The exact reasoning of the villains in this album is not developed enough and the plot might lack a bit of show more rigor. But it is still a very enjoyable read, with beautiful art. show less

This is a graphic adaptation of Chandler's hardboiled novel about a dame seeking to make a fresh start after she's been acquitted from her husband's murder, while her father-in-law has sworn that she will be made to pay. On the train to Vancouver, she's accosted by a playboy who offers to put her up at the luxury hotel he's staying in. They attend a party at the penthouse suite where the playboy gets stinking drunk and makes inappropriate advances on our gal, who next finds his dead body on show more the terrace outside her room.

It's an ok story, and while at first glance I thought the illustrations seemed interesting, I soon changed my mind when I found that most of them were average at best, when not downright disappointing. Can't say I recommend this one. show less