Shutter Island (graphic novel)

Synopsis

In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are sent to Shutter Island to find a mass murderer who has escaped from Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like federal institution for the criminally insane. As an intense hurricane bears relentlessly down on the island, the marshales are forced to piece together clues to a shocking puzzle hidden within Shutter Island, taking them on a dark, twisted journey, where paranoia assumes an air of cool rationality and the line between sanity and madness disappears.

Plot

Summer, 1954. Widower U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule travel to the Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like federal institution for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, to investigate the disappearance of a patient, Rachel Solando, incarcerated for drowning her three children. She has escaped the hospital and apparently the island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant supervision. The doctors who run the hospital are not entirely cooperative. Dr. John Cawley, refuses to hand over records of the hospital staff. Solando's doctor, Dr. Sheehan, had left on vacation. And also, they are barred from searching Ward C and told that the lighthouse on the island has already been searched. The only clue is a note, which reads: "The law of 4; I am 47; They are 80; + you are 3; But who is 67?". A code that Teddy believes points to a 67th patient, when there are only 66.

Shortly after their arrival, "a hurricane hits and the entire island becomes a wind-lashed prison" and prevents their return to the mainland. Daniels, starts having migraine headaches, visions and disturbing dreams of his wife, Dolores Chanal, who was murdered in a fire set by a local arsonist named Andrew Laeddis, who is an inmate at Ashecliffe Hospital. Daniels reveals to Chuck that locating Laeddis was an ulterior motive for taking the case, so he is there to avenge the death of his wife.

Suddenly, Solando has been found by the staff with no explanation. While Daniels is questioning Dr. Cawley on how they found Solando, he starts having a migraine headache. Dr. Cawley gives him pills and invite him to take a nap. Daniels has disturbing dreams of his wife again.

Daniels and Aule decide to break into Ward C. While Daniels is searching for Laeddis, a patient in a solitary confinement calls him by the name of Laeddis. Daniels realizes he is his friend, George Noyce and question him to find where is Laeddis. But Noyce tells him that it is a setup and he has to accept that is wife is dead and let her go or else he will never leave this island. He finally tells him that Laeddis have been moved from ward C and Daniels deduces that he is at the lighthouse. While Daniels and Aule are searching for the lighthouse, Aule disappear and Daniels finds no sign of Aule. He returns to the hospital and ask Dr. Cawley if he has seen his partner. Dr. Cawley tells him that he has no partner and claims that he arrived alone.

During the night, Daniels tries to escape, but he finds the lighthouse, breaks into it and finds Dr. Cawley waiting for him. Cawley explains that Andrew Laeddis is actually Daniels himself. He explains that Andrew Laeddis is an anagram of Edward Daniels and that he murdered his wife, who is Dolores Chanal (an anagram of Rachel Solando), two years ago after she drowned their 3 children. This is the answer of the code "the law of 4" and Laeddis is the 67th patient at Ashecliffe. Andrew refuses to believe it and shoot Dr. Cawley with what he thinks it is his gun, but it is a water pistol toy. Chuck then enters and revealing that he is actually Andrew's psychiatrist, Dr. Sheehan. This setup has been designed to allow him to live out his elaborate fantasy, in order to confront the truth and accept the reality or else he will have a radical lobotomy treatment. Andrew doesn't admit the truth. They hold him down and give him medicine.

Laeddis awakes in the hospital, under Dr. Cawley's watch. When questioned, Laeddis tells the truth in a coherent manner, which satisfies the doctors as a sign of progression. Nevertheless, Dr. Cawley notes that they had achieved this state a few months ago, but he had a regression and they can't risk that again. Andrew swears it won't happen again.

The next morning Andrew sits outside next to Dr. Sheehan and tells him he needs to find a way to get off the island and go home.

Main characters

Secondary characters

Genre

Shutter Island graphic novel is a psychological thriller with dramatic artwork, crafted in a noir, painterly style presented in shades of iodine yellow and drowning-victim blue. There are only a few slashes of bright colors placed in the nightmares.

Graphic Artist

Christian De Metter is a French internationally renowned comic book artist. De Metter studied advertising design and got his start in the music press. His first published book, Emma, was released in 2000.

Author

Dennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several novels, including A Drink Before the War, Mystic River, Gone, Baby, Gone and Shutter Island.

Publication details and release

Originally published in France by Payot/Rivages et Casterman in September 2008, TOKYOPOP and William Morrow, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announce the release of the graphic novel in Los Angeles on September 25, 2009 TOKYOPOP.

Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) headquartered in New York.

TOKYOPOP is founded by multi-cultural media visionary Stuart Levy, TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation, with a revolutionary artistic vision that transcends countless platforms.

William Morrow founded by William Morrow in 1926 in the name of William Morrow and Company, is now an imprint of HarperCollins. William Morrow has published many renowned fiction and nonfiction authors.

Awards

Shutter Island (graphic novel) was an Official Selection at the 2009 Angoulême International Comics Festival, Europe’s top comics exposition.

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