A Sickness In the Family
Writer Denise Mina
Art Antonio Fuso
As a mystery writer, who writes strong smart women well, we have come to expect the bold from Denise Mina. It's not a surprise she once used a student grant to fund her first novel. It was a good decision as that novel was Garnethill. It won the Crime Writers Association John Creasy Dagger for Best First Crime Novel.
With a number of short stories, plays, graphic novels and 12 novels under her belt, it again it is no surprise in 2014 she was inducted into the Crime Writers’ Association Hall of Fame.
You won't find much online about Antonio Fuso the person, but the sheer number of his works speaks volumes. As of the beginning of 2019 the Italian born artist is credited in over 190 comic and graphic novel issues.
Reviews
Read-Alikes
A Sickness In the Family is a comic that adapts the work of literature/fiction, The Fall of the House of Usher. It touches upon major themes including: fate, free will, revenge, mortality, family dysfunction and madness. The following are read-alikes for it.
Crime and Punishment: A Graphic Novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alain Korkos (Illustrator)
Nevermore: A Graphic Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Metro Metro Media (Produced by)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A Graphic Novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, Andrzej Klimowski (Illustrator)
Denise Mina's adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher is just one in a long line of creative ideas for that short story. As a graphic novel adaptation of a classic work of literature/fiction, it falls into a category of media that have a special ability. They can bring in readers of all reading levels and interests who might not have ever picked up a novel. They also allow for authors and artists to put forth artistic ways to retell these classic stories in ways that have never been told before. In the case of novel, The Fall of the House of Usher, here are a few other examples.
Relational Books and Media
CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION
FILM
BOOKS
MUSIC
Claude Debussy - La chute de la maison Usher
(1908–1917)
Edgar Allan Poe, Udon Entertainment's Manga Classics - The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe (2017)
In the interest of keeping a critical eye on the need for equal representation in literature, I wanted to point out one thing about people of color in the graphic novel. Unless I'm mistaken, I only saw 2 people of color in the entire graphic novel. The first was a woman of color who was in the foreground of the crowd in the cafe where William's secret is revealed. The second was the man of color that William went to the cafe to see. It's inferred that what the man of color does for a living is not legal. So the only representation of people of color in the graphic novel is an image of a person who is not a part of the story and a person who engages in illegal activity. This is very stereotypical of how people of color have been represented in literature historically and not at all an accurate depiction of people of color. I noticed it and children of color will notice how they are represented also.
References
(2018). A Sickness in the Family. Retrieved from https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/vertigo-crime-2008/a-sickness-in-
the-family
​
(2010). Interview: Denise Mina. Retrieved from https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/books/interview-denise-mina-1-
835830
​
A. Fuso. (2019, April 15). Antonio Fuso Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/antonio.fuso.58
​
A. Fuso. (2019, April 15). Antonio Fuso Retrieved from https://twitter.com/antonio_fuso/media?lang=en
​
Adams, J. (Author). Stucki, R. (Illustrator). (2015). Edgar and the Tree House of Usher: A BabyLit® Book. Gibbs Smith.
​
Corman, R. (1960). House of Usher. [Motion Picture]. United States: American International Pictures. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ4K1MQ90SE
​
Dostoevsky, F. (Author). Korkos, A. (Illustrator). (2009). Crime and Punishment: A Graphic Novel (Illustrated Classics)
Sterling.
Epstein, J. (1928). La Chute de la maison Usher. [Motion Picture]. France. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-U6N-3lWX8
​
Lindo, D. (2014, March 30). La Chute de La Maison Usher. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA68Qc0m6bA
​
Lloyd, J. (2010). A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina and Antonio Fuso. Retrieved from
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?
title=A_Sickness_in_the_Family_by_Denise_Mina_and_Antonio_Fuso
​
Mina, D. (2010). A Sickness In the Family. New York. DC Comics.
​
Mina, D. Biography. Retrieved from http://www.denisemina.com/biography
Moon, B. M. (2011). A Sickness in the Family. School Library Journal, 57(3), 191. Retrieved from
live&scope=site
Mulrooney, M. (2011). BOOK REVIEW – A Sickness In The Family (Graphic Novel). Retrieved
from https://alternativemagazineonline.co.uk/2011/02/04/book-review-a-sickness-in-the-family-graphic-
novel/#more-6193
​
Poe, E. A. Metro Metro Media. (2008). Nevermore: A Graphic Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories (Illustrated
Classics). Sterling.
​
Poe, E. A. (2017). Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Udon Entertainment.
​
Stevenson, R. L. (Author). Klimowski, A. (Illustrator). (2009). Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A Graphic Novel (Illustrated
Classics). Sterling
​
vzqk50CL. (2013, October 20). Alan Parsons Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination Original 1976 Master Side 2 1080p
HD. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHVih1fNvuQ