Comic Book Review: An Inspector Calls: The Graphic Novel script by J.B. Priestley, adaptation by Jason Cobley, linework by Will Volley
It is spring, 1912 in the English town of Brumley. Wealthy manufacturer Arthur Birling and his wife Sybil are having a small dinner party to celebrate the engagement of their daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft, son of one of Arthur’s business rivals and a touch higher in social status. Sheila’s brother Eric is also there, though he may have had a bit much to drink. All seems happy enough until an inspector calls. Inspector Goole informs them that a young woman has committed suicide, and he just needs to ask a few questions. A few uncomfortable questions.
It’s important for youngsters to learn about their literary heritage in the form of books and plays their elders call “classics.” One of the running problems with this is that often kids just aren’t ready for the advanced or archaic language and deeper themes of such classics, and they bounce off them hard. One way of mitigating this is to present these works in an illustrated form, such as a comic book. When I was a lad, “Classics Illustrated” was the major line of such adaptations. This version is put out by “Classical Comics.”
The play this is adapted from was written around 1945 by J.B. Priestley. While much of its structure is familiar from the mystery genre, it’s also allegorical in nature. Each member of the Birling family (plus Mr. Croft) is shown to have had a hand in causing the suicide of Eva Smith. Or have they? Is Inspector Goole really from the police? Was there even a death to begin with?
Mr. Priestley was a Socialist, and a strong contrast is made between capitalist Arthur Birling, who believes that “a man has to look after himself”, and Inspector Goole, who, well, let’s have a quote, shall we?
We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.
The setting of 1912 is very deliberate here, allowing Arthur to make a series of wrong but believable predictions about the near future. An end to labor troubles as employers band together to protect their interests, an end to European wars due to good business sense…and the unsinkability of the Titanic.
The family react in different ways to the knowledge that they contributed to Eva Smith’s suicide, from shock and regret to self-righteous denial. Towards the end, most of them seem eager to discard the lessons they have learned, until the play’s final twist.
Mr. Priestley is also careful to skewer the conservatives’ favorite response to social ills, “private charity”, as it too much relies on the goodwill of the private people who dispense the charity. Eva Smith was not a “worthy cause.”
It’s a suspenseful play, though some audiences may find it overly preachy. I’m fairly certain Rod Serling saw it at some point, because it does come across as a precursor to The Twilight Zone.
This adaptation allows the reader to see events merely described in the play, which breaks up the more monotonous scenes in the house. It took a bit before I worked out the casting, as three of the men wear much the same outfit. The art is servicable.
There is apparently also a “Quick Text” version which simplifies the script to clear modern English but honestly the difference from 1945 to 2021 isn’t that great and you’re probably better off going with the “Original Script” version.
Content note: Suicide, of course, and what most modern readers would consider to be rape. Mild classism.
Overall: If you’ve never seen the play, this is a good adaptation of it, suitable for high school students on up. Parents and guardians might want to discuss some of the deeper themes with their young readers.
