From his breakout creator-owned title in the 1980s, Fashion in Action, to his work on DC’s Suicide Squad, to his collaborations with Matt Wagner on Grendel and Doctor Mid-Nite, there’s frequently been at least a hint of noir style in artist John K. Snyder III’s work. In recent years, that style has come to the forefront in his art with his adaptation of Lawrence Block’s Eight Million Ways To Die. He subsequently provided a cover and a frontispiece for a limited edition of Block’s collection of short stories, The Night and The Music.

His next project in this vein is providing a cover and 10 illustrations for The Continental Op, a collection of short stories by Dashiell Hammett, the author of The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man, from Clover Press. It’s due in comic shops on June 15, 2022.

Scoop: You’ve always shown some noir or noir-ish influences, but you really jumped into the noir realm with your adaptation of Lawrence Block’s Eight Million Ways To Die. What were the critical reactions to that book like?
John K. Snyder III (JKS3): I'm happy to say that Lawrence Block himself was very pleased with the graphic novel adaptation of Eight Million Ways to Die, and we got to meet and become acquainted and do signings together for the book in New York City, one the absolute highlights of my career. And it was great to receive such a positive response from the traditional prose crime fiction field, including longtime Lawrence Block fans.

Scoop: To longtime observers of your art, it seemed like you really took a big leap in that one. Does it seem that way to you or was it something more incremental?
JKS3: I think if you look back at my work, you will see traces of a noir style throughout, especially when I was working on Leo Kragg: The Prowler with writer Timothy Truman, and later, on the Doctor Mid-Nite series with writer Matt Wagner. I had previous experience with book to graphic novel adaptations with my Classics Illustrated work on Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent, so I was looking to put it all together to adapt a noir classic, and I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity by Ted Adams, Chris Ryall, my editor, Tom Waltz, and all the good folks at IDW to adapt one of the very best detective novels, Lawrence Block’s Eight Million Ways To Die.

Scoop: On to this new collection of Dashiell Hammett short stories, The Continental Op. Were you looking to continue in the crime noir atmosphere, or did this project just present itself?
JKS3: I’ve wished to continue in this genre since completing the Lawrence Block/Matthew Scudder adaptation, so this is a very welcome return. I was contacted by Ted Adams and Clover Press to be involved, and I was more than happy to jump on board, and it's great to now be working with Hank Kanalz as well! I’ve always loved the illustrated book format, and I think The Continental Op is a perfect subject for readers of crime and pulp fiction to enjoy!

Scoop: What can you tell us about this book and your work in it?
JKS3: This book features the first five Continental Op short stories written by Dashiell Hammett, which first saw print in 1920. The Continental Op will be published by Clover Press, which specializes in high-end boutique-style specialty publications, and this volume is beautifully designed by Robbie Robbins. I’m providing the cover art and 10 interior color illustrations, two illustrations to accompany each of the five Continental Op short stories. My goal was to capture the feel of an era of a century ago, focusing on the style and technology (or lack thereof) from that period. I also wanted to feature the Continental Op himself as slightly in the shadows throughout, a sort of mysterious figure defined by his shape and presence rather than focusing on his facial features. In fact, Hammett never gave the Continental Op a name, so I wanted to keep that sense of mystery. I have had a wonderful time working on this, I’ve been a longtime fan of Hammett’s work and this time period, so it has been a joy to work on.

Scoop: What else do you have on the horizon?
JKS3: I’ll be continuing to work with Clover Press on a new project that I can’t wait to tell everyone about in the near future! Of course, I would love to continue illustrating future volumes of The Continental Op. Plus, I’m working on continuing future adaptations of Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder novels, there’s so much more to cover in the series. And I have more surprises to come!