‘Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business’ (review)

Written by Raymond Chandler
and Arvind Ethan David
Art by Ilias Kyriazis
Foreword by Ben H. Winters
Published by Pantheon Books

I’m not familiar with the award-winning author Ben H. Winters but his lengthy, almost apologetic Foreword to the new graphic novel, Raymond Chandler’s Trouble is My Business, did not exactly charm me with his writing style.

Chandler’s writing style, on the other hand, has charmed me for decades now, so I went into the rest of this book with an open mind.

The original story version of Trouble is My Business was part of an anthology of novellas and short stories featuring Chandler’s iconic tough guy detective character, Philip Marlowe.

Alongside writer Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade (and arguably Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer), Marlowe is generally considered the definitive archetype. He was played on film by the likes of Bogart, Mitchum, James Garner, and Elliott Gould, on television by Powers Boothe, and on radio by Gerald Mohr.

But it isn’t just the character, especially in this case.

With Chandler, it’s the writing style. Chandler’s descriptive prose of rain-drenched thoroughfares, loose women, and trenchcoat-wearing street philosophers has become legendary.

And it’s all here, in Trouble is My Business.

This illustrated adaptation comes from Arvind Ethan David, whom we are told has also done stage and comics adaptations of works by Douglas Adams and Lenny Henry, two of my favorite people. Herein, he mostly uses the actual prose of the original. The drawback to this is that some pages are ridiculously wordy.

The story itself is considered one of Chandler’s lesser works but, because of that, it’s also one that has often gone unnoticed, and unadapted to other media. Artwork is courtesy of Greek illustrator Ilias Kyriazis who wisely chooses to go for very stylish layouts, often playing quite appropriately and inventively with smoke, silhouettes, shadows, and elaborate patterns, as well as consistently clever usage of panels and blank space.

As much as I liked the art, I’m sorry to say I feel it was let down at times by Eisner-nominated Brazilian colorist Cris Peter.

Flowers are brown, for example, or what we are told is a mixed-race couple doesn’t look like one, making the narrative confusing. I do like the fact that much of the book is done purely in black and greytone, conveying the impression of watching an old black and white movie.

Veteran letterer Taylor Esposito adds immensely to the overall mix, however, as he uses various fonts and presentations of the text to indicate characters’ thoughts, loudness, tipsiness, etc.

With Chandler, it was never so much the story itself but the way it was told.

That applies with this story, too. Essentially Marlowe is brought in to a confusing case that looks relatively simple but turns out to be anything but. There’s a rich businessman, his adopted stepson (long story and a running gag in the book), a sexy redhead with the marvelous name of Harriet Huntress, an educated black chauffeur, the traditional not-so-smart cops and gunsels, a number of dead bodies piling up, and some cool-looking vintage cars.

The story itself goes on a bit too long as it continues somewhat anticlimactically after the classic gathering of the suspects where Marlowe holds forth with exposition in the manner every fictional detective worth his salt, from Charlie Chan to Nick Charles, has always done.

We get the requisite fedoras but, sadly, no rain-drenched thoroughfares. All in all, Raymond Chandler’s Trouble is My Business is an engrossing read, as is anything by the author, imaginatively adapted here, with only a few minor missteps, and none of those enough to detract from the reader’s overall enjoyment.

I’m really not sure that Philip Marlowe stories are the best things to adapt to comics format, but in this case, the creators made it work.

Booksteve recommends.