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Steve Barlow, Author
Steve Skidmore, Author
Claudia Petrazzi, Illustrator
Series: Classics in Comics
Imprint: Franklin Watts
Publication date: August 13, 2026
Category: Cartoons & comic strips (Children's / Teenage)
ISBN: 9781445196312
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of the Speckled Band like you’ve never read it before! This comic book adapts a nail-biting Sherlock classic into a visual feast of humour & puzzling clues. Bringing literature’s top sleuth to young audiences are Steve Skidmore & Steve Barlow – experts on accessible, inclusive & irresistible storytelling – with illustrations by cartoonist Claudia Petrazzi.
Classics in Comics is a series of comic books for children aged 9 plus that has inclusion at its heart, opening the doors of literature for everyone to enter and understand. We include dyslexia-friendly design on every page and diverse representations in the art, so all readers can relate to and build life-long connections to the classics. Each comic has:
– snappy simplified text presenting key plot elements clearly
– introductory materials to help set the scene and introduce the original author
– heaps of material at the back, such as explorations of themes & authors’ inspirations!
In the series: Pride & Prejudice / Little Women / Oliver Twist / The Adventure of the Speckled Band: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure / The Three Musketeers / Around the World in 80 Days
As 50% of the Two Steves, Steve Barlow has written over 160 books with Steve Skidmore since their first published work appeared in 1988. Born in Crewe, he was educated at Crewe Grammar School, Warwick University and Nottingham University before a varied career in teaching, acting, stage management and puppetry. He worked in a village school in Botswana for four years before returning to the UK and working with Steve Skidmore. The Two Steves tour extensively in the UK and overseas, and are frequent visitors to book festivals including Edinburgh and Hay. Their work for Hachette includes the highly popular I Hero and Crime Team choose-your-adventure books, and their I Horror series is raising the short hairs at the back of readers’ necks with Orchard Books.
Steve Skidmore writes with Steve Barlow. Together they are Britain’s most popular comedy writing and performing double act for young people. Not surprisingly, they are known as The 2 Steves!
The 2 Steves met over twenty years ago when they were both teaching in Nottingham. Since then they have written over 160 books together. They have also acted as series editors on numerous reading programmes for several major publishing houses.
The 2 Steves are in great demand for author visits to schools, colleges and libraries across the world. They also undertake INSET events and make regular appearances at Literary Festivals.
Steve Skidmore is shorter than Steve Barlow and less hairy. He was born in Birstall near Leicester in England. After managing to pass some exams at school, he went on to Nottingham University to supposedly read English, but spent most of his time playing sport and doing a variety of summer jobs including counting pastry pie lids (yes, really).
He trained as a teacher of Drama, English and Film studies, before teaming up with Steve Barlow to become a full time author.
He lives in Leicester and is a great rugby fan (he supports Leicester Tigers – “Come on you Tiiiiigeeeers!”).
Claudia Petrazzi is an illustrator, author and cartoonist from Italy. She graduated in production design at Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia. She works mainly on middle grade/young adult books. Her webcomic Atomi is her first long project as an author.