Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald

An interesting take on an old story. Well written, as usual, and very nice art. Be advised, this also appears in "The Neil Gaiman Library," book 1, so if you have that, you don't need this. Plus, the Library books are a larger format.

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors and I had read this story before I purchased the graphic novel. I wanted to see the story come alive in a way that was close to the author's vision when writing it (as our own imaginations as readers may take us down quite a different visual path than the writer intended). The artwork is fantastic and the artist paid scrupulous attention to detail. The colors are also somewhat muted to give it a more mysterious feel which I think was a good idea to implement for such a story. The story itself is somewhat Lovecraftian but definitely more in the vein of a Sherlock Holmes story with a slight element of Lovecraft. Overall this was a great purchase, especially at around $10. I would recommend it to anyone who is a Gaiman fan, a mystery lover, or just wants to get lost in a good story with enjoyable artwork for a couple of hours on a rainy day.

Neil Gaiman and Rafael Alburquerque’s “A Study in Emerald” adapts Gaiman’s 2003 short story of the same name that brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories into H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. The story focuses on a detective and his assistant, recently returned from Afghanistan, who investigate the death of one of the crowned princes of Europe. The royals in truth are the Great Old Ones, who conquered humanity 700 years prior and now rule a changed world. As events unfold, it appears that a secret group means to oppose them. The result is a complex story incorporating the best elements of Doyle and Lovecraft while telling something new. At times, Gaiman’s story recalls Anthony Horowitz’s “Moriarty” and Alburquerque’s artwork perfectly captures the tone of the story. “A Study in Emerald” will appeal to fans of Gaiman, Doyle, and Lovecraft.

A fun reimageining of The Great Detective.

I love Neil Gaiman’s writing. This is no exception. The story was delicious, but entirely too short. It left me wishing for more.

I pre-ordered this because it's one of my favorite stores by a favorite author. The book itself is beautiful heavyweight paper, rich, saturated colors, and an illustration style that fits the tone of the story. I wish it had been a touch less animated in some places, but it is otherwise lovely.In adaptation, some things are changed by necessity. One, I felt took away from the skill demonstrated in the writing of three original story. The other, may have shown a weakness in the text or simply added a more tense layer to the story.Unfortunately, I felt that illustrating the royals as they did took away from the air of tension and mystery. In the original text, the reader had to discern the nature of the royals, which added an element beyond it being a good S.Holmes story. As an illustrated work, that information was blatant.There was an interesting emphasis on the subversive element in there story, using added illustration. In the original text, that element was much more supportive than exculpatory. Where it had been a vehicle of narration, it became its own underlying mystery in the graphic novel.

Well interesting in the concept that haven't thought of it's still not as engaging and entertaining as other Neil Gaiman's work it feels more like Freshman work.

This graphic novel is based on a *brilliant* short story. How good? Gaiman's original story this graphic novel is based on won the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Short Story — no small feat! So if you are a fan of Neil Gaiman, Sherlock Holmes, and Lovecraft's Mythos and you haven't read either the short story or this new graphic novel yet, you are in for areal treat. I've probably read "A Study in Emerald" a dozen times over the years, and I was a little bit concerned that it might be difficult to pull off in this format, but I really thought the graphic novel was fantastically well executed. — No spoilers, but a few points worth mentioning. You do not have to be a massive Sherlock Holmes fan to appreciate this comic, but at least a passing familiarity with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work is really essential to get the most out of it. The short story and thus the graphic novel are essentially part of a mystery that *you* as the reader should try to puzzle out as you read through it. And, as with all good mysteries whatever you do, DON'T read any spoilers in advance.

A very intriguing mix of 1800s detective story and Lovecraftian conspiracy. Like, imagine if the rulers of countries were.. different. Very, very different and humanity doesn't know. And then "someone" close to the Royal Family gets done in a not-Sherlock is sent to investigate.Painfully short. The two main characters have their "aha" moment and then you reach the end of the book.Very good drawings with liberal use of shadows and close-up shots of nervous faces that emcompass the eerie and constant looming threat very well.

The story is very short and the solution is discovered and explained so quickly that you can almost miss it. If the perpetrators have been allowed to escape in order to return in a sequel please don't bother Mr. Gaiman.An unsatisfying read that is not worth the money.

Excellent Holmesian-Lovecraftian concept and very well crafted and illustrated story. All-round terrific. However, it’s a too frustratingly brief glimpse into an absolutely fascinating world. Needed to be at least twice as long! It’s a compliment but please authors, don’t make this all we ever get of this world.

The writing and art are both superb. This book somehow manages to take the over-used Holmes parody trope, mix it with the equally over-played cosmic horror trope, and create something very fresh. It's elegantly done, very true to the tone of both inspirations, and I would love to see more of this.Unfortunately, that is also this book's weakness. It's incredibly short. Even by graphic novel standards, this is a novella. Naturally, a huge portion of that time is spent on setting up our world and our characters, so the actual mystery is over and done far too quickly. I would really have loved for a little more detail, a little more investigation, and a few more pages.

Disappointing ... son loves Sherlock so bought this upon recommendation from friend. Won’t spoil it but it’s not what we expected.