Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Scandalous Ticket

As much as I enjoy reading adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I have to remind myself that the point of these stories isn't for the reader to solve the crime; it's to marvel at the process in which the World's Greatest Detective unravels the mystery.

Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel which shows the internal workings of the brain of Holmes. In many of the original Holmes mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes likens his inquisitive mind to that of a vast library. Here writer Cyril Lieron and artist Benoit Dahan layout the detective's mental processes as that giant archive, which is cataloged like a Dewey decimal system of criminology and obscure facts, ready to be accessed when need arise thanks to uncovered clues.

'The Case of the Scandalous Ticket' sees Holmes and Watson investigating a series of kidnapping. The case will uncover a trove of beautiful gilded tickets involving a special Oriental themed magic show and mysterious Chinese characters and glyphs. Is there a connection to the body of a woman wearing a blonde wig who was found in a nearby reservoir? Who's that trailing Holmes and his faithful companion? With appearances by Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade and big brother Mycroft Holmes, no clue will be overlooked in this complex mystery.

Originally published as a two-issue miniseries in France, this English language translation is given the deluxe treatment by Titan Comics. With its hard cover cutout of a library shaped like Sherlock Holmes, I've been wanting to read this book since I learned about it in Previews just a few months ago. A fan of Sherlock Holmes, I might not read every public domain adventure written about him; but I won't pass up the adventures that pique my interest. Thank you to my public library for carrying this visual gem!

Artist Benoit Dahan might be one of my new favorite artists. I appreciate artists who put amazing tiny details into their work. Examples of this are Todd McFarland with how he filled pages of Spider-Man with thousands of minute strands of web, George Perez with every fine lock of hair on Wonder Woman's head and Frank Quietly who illustrated Batman and Robin by detailing their utility belts down to the smallest gadget in every panel. Benoit Dahan ranks up there in his illustrations of the detective roaming through London as the game is most certainly afoot. 

I also must pay tribute to Dahan's rendering of Sherlock Holmes. I'm not certain but if I had to guess, I feel like the artist chose legendary actor, and masterful portrayer of Holmes, Peter Cushing. Dahan's Holmes with that napiform head is to me unmistakably Peter Cushing!

A complex mystery that is a visual masterpiece. A must for fans of Holmes where the more your favor graphic novels, the better the experience for you!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

What Child Is This?: A Sherlock Holmes Christmas Adventure by Bonnie Macbird

With illustrations by the incomparable Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows, Harley Quinn), I really thought that this was a graphic novel. Without doing any further research, I promptly ordered this through Amazon with trade credit and awaited to spend the holidays with the master detective. Imagine my disappointment when this package arrived and inside was a novel! Only a few pages were graphic and most of those pages were of small trifling items like a bottle of booze and as gas light. 

I thought about it long and hard. Do I return this? It's clearly not what I wanted. But I do love me some Sherlock Holmes. And a little bit of Frank Cho artwork is better than no Frank Cho at all. Plus the book is only 225 pages and it's set during Christmas. Thus I decided I will read me another prose novel this year!

Sherlock Holmes and trusty Watson are tasked with solving 2 mysteries; both involving sons. A nobleman asks the sleuth to locate his son who has gone missing in time for Christmas dinner. Then when a young child is nearly kidnapped in broad daylight in the streets of London, Sherlock takes it upon himself to find the would-be abductor and to determine why.

I can't really go too much into the specifics of these cases; least I spoil the book. This book debuted just a few months ago and it's just too new to ruin it for you. Needless to say, I actually figured out both mysteries in this book ahead of time and that's rare for me when it comes to Sherlock Holmes. True, those original mysteries were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But to say I figured things out was also in no way a slight towards Bonnie Macbird. 

Macbird's version of Holmes is just as inviting as the original. The only difference is that while Macbird's Dr. Watson, the story's narrator, is just as loquacious and poetic in his descriptions, this book isn't filled with Victorian era vocabulary and old-dated Londoner terms that would require me pulling out the dictionary to decipher. Though the author may not have intended it, I very much can envision Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as the main characters of this story as I read it. 

I enjoyed this book very much- despite not being a graphic novel. I enjoyed it so much that after the holidays, I'm going to order the first book in the Bonnie Macbird series. I'm looking forward to a return to Victorian London and with Mrs. Macbird as my guide, I'm rather confident that I shall not get lost.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Warlock Holmes: The Hell-hound of the Baskervilles

Holmes and Watson. It is a pair of names that has been synonymous with crime and mystery for over 100 years. But what if Holmes wasn’t a master detective? Instead, Holmes is a wizard – and he’s not a very good one at that! What if Dr. John Watson was the brains of the operation and it is his skills of deduction that brought London’s criminal element to justice?

He’s Getting Better

Warlock Holmes and the Hell-hound of the Baskervilles is the second book in the Warlock Holmes series of novels. Written by comedian G.S. Denning, the Warlock Holmes books are a mash-up of mystery, spoof, and parody. The first book, A Study in Brimstone, was laugh-out loud funny. Being Denning’s first work, it was a little unpolished at times. So, does the sequel surpass the first book or do the adventures of  Warlock and Watson hit the sophomore slump?

Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles takes place 6 months after the events of A Study in Brimstone. Warlock Holmes, for better part of words, has been rendered incapacitated by Dr. Watson after Professor Moriarty possessed the body of so-called master detective. (But he’s getting better!)

When a potential client arrives at 221B Baker Street, it’s up to Watson to take up the case of recovering a missing artifact. Since Watson is really the genius behind Holmes’ reputation, this mystery should be easy as pie. As the case deepens, Watson learns that the item he’s tasked to find can restore people to a less horizontal position. Adding to the suspense Dr. Watson must beat agents of Moriarty to it first. Should he fail, let’s just say this might be a one-man show from now on.

From the Journals of Martin Freeman

Book two is filled with several short stories based on some very popular cases of Holmes and Watson. A couple of them may be little more obscure to the average fan of Sherlock. There’s a definite nod to Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in every adventure with a touch of Terry Pratchett thrown in for good measure. Yet, no matter how I read these tales, I can’t help but hear Martin Freeman narrating Dr. Watson’s recounts of Victorian Era crime. (That also means I picture Benedict Cumberbatch as Warlock. Only he’s a complete buffoon instead of an arrogant ass.)

Madcap on the Moors

The title story is based on perhaps the most well-known Sherlock Holmes adventure of all: The Hound of the Baskervilles. It provides a top-notch spin on the hellish canine that haunts the British countryside. This episode also discloses the origin of Warlock Holmes, which I didn’t think was such a great idea.

The parody of Warlock Holmes works in that the so-called master detective couldn’t find his way out of bed without the help of Watson. He can perform magic but only because he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. Yet this origin almost makes Warlock kind of brilliant in an accidental sort of way. When the story returns to the present, Holmes is stupid again. So either writer G.S. Denning made a continuity error or there’s more to the legend of Warlock Holmes than meets the eye. I’m really hoping it is the latter.

In many ways, Hell-hound is superior to it’s predecessor. The second book was a lot less goofy than A Study in Brimstone; except for the tricycle race to the death in story four. (But, that was an okay escape into the absurd.) Book Two reads much better and I cannot wait until May, 2018 when book 3 is published. Only then shall I feel confident to decide if the revelation of Warlock’s early days was a mystery best left unsolved or not.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Review originally published June 13, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com

Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning

   Holy Crap- I read an actual novel!!!

   I know it's very rare when I do this. Madman With a Book is primarily devoted to comic books and graphic novels. But every once in a while a novel peaks my interest. Warlock Holmes : A Study In Brimstone is one such book.

    Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was not really a great detective. Instead of a man of science, Holmes is a student of the Dark Arts. But he's not even a really good one of those either. Yet in order to keep his secret safe, Warlock Holmes helps the police of Scotland Yard solve a number of crimes under the guise of using science.

     Warlock's true detective genius is actually Watson! A brilliant doctor, Watson secretly solves the crimes, with a little hocus pocus from Holmes. Together, the pair become fast friends and the toast of the London. The pair eventually ally themselves with other supernatural crime fighters; such as the vampire detective Lestrade. It's their mission to end the reign of the master criminal James Moriarty, whose spirit currently resides in one Warlock Holmes of 221B Baker Street!

     A Study in Brimstone is a laugh-out-loud parody of everything Sherlock Holmes. Sprinkled with a little bit of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, along with Doyle, the short stories will change how you see Holmes and Watson. Containing spoofs of A Study in Scarlet, the Adventure of the Yellow Face, and others, this book is the first in a series. 

   Even though it's a tad unpolished and gets a little too silly at times, I could not put down this 2016 work by G.S. Denning. In fact, I enjoyed Warlock Holmes so much that I raced back to the library and got the second book. I'm only about 30 pages in right now but it's just as funny as this opening volume! 

      Worth Consuming!

      Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

      

Sherlock Holmes #1

This is one of those comics in which if it wasn't for the group's I participate in on Facebook, I wouldn't have known that it existed. When I saw this posted as a comic convention find by a fellow group member, I was so jealous. I immediately went to the net to purchase a copy for myself. Needless to say, it wasn't cheap. So, I held off on getting the book and I waited.

  My wait wasn't very long as I found a decent good- to- very good copy for only a buck! I'm pretty sure I yelled out “MINE!”, even though I was the only customer in the store at the time. That's how bad I wanted this issue.

  This issue, dated October 1975, is based on the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Dennis O’ Neil, who at the time of publication was doing masterful mystery work on various Batman series. So he was the perfect choice to head this up. The gothic style cover art is by superstar artist Walt Simonson (Thor) with interiors by Filipino artist E.R. Cruz. I'm not very familiar with Cruz and what little I could find about him could fill a postage stamp. But he did do some work on a variety of DC'S lesser known horror titles and his work here is really good.

  Sherlock Holmes #1 is divided into two parts. Part one retells Doyle's ‘The Final Problem’ in what was to be the last ever story between Holmes and his arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty. I've read the story on which this part was based and the adaptation was quite good.

 Part two covers a story that I have yet to read in prose form, ‘ The Adventure of the Empty House.’ That story marked Holme’s return after a brief hiatus in which fans of the detective went bonkers and demanded that Doyle resurrect his most famous creation. To rate the story on its merits alone, the solution to how Holmes survived his encounter with Moriarty was OK. But his reasons for faking his own death were actually quite brilliant.

  The biggest surprise about this issue is that not only is it the first issue, it's the only issue. I'm not sure why it didn't catch on with readers. And no this wasn't a one-shot as there's a plug for issue #2 at the end of the book. And no- this title wasn't a victim of the DC implosion as that didn't occur until 1978. (Speaking of book endings, there is a great article about Sherlock Holmes in fiction and film at issue's end that was really interesting. Be sure not to skip it!)

 A fun read that is best read at night. A must for fans and collectors that consider themselves a member of the Baker Street Irregulars.

  Worth Consuming.

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

   

Sherlock Holmes: Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Holmes

The Caliber Press Cover.
Same as Tome, except for the different logo.

  The evil Mr. Hyde is terrorizing the streets of Victorian London. On the case is the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion, Watson. In this fantastic crossover comic thriller from Time Press, we see what might have happened if Robert Louis Stevenson collaborated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  

   This one-shot from 1998 is Gothic storytelling at its very best. The writing of scripter Steve Jones was so perfect that I felt like I was reading something actually written by the original authors.

    I had gotten this book's in a grab bag a few months ago, holding on to it as a Halloween read. The decision was well worth the wait. The artwork by was similar to the Gothic illustrations of Sidney Paget, whose work chronicled the adventures of Holmes in the pages of the Strand Magazine. The whole package made for a delightfully spooky read.

   If this is what Tome Press' other Sherlock are like- then count me a new fan. Over the past couple of years, my love of Holmes has grown exponentially. The BBC series SHERLOCK has helped, but it's rare little treasures such as Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Holmes that has colored me Sherlocked!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

(Addendum: In 1979-80, Loren Estleman wrote the novel 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Holmes.' The novel was crafted as an lost manuscript by Dr. John Watson, but kept in a security box, unpublished, due to the sensational events the journal contained. Whether this comic was written as an adaptation of Estleman's book is unclear. On the credits page, Steve Jones gives thanks Doyle and Stevenson for their creations but no credit is given to Estleman. Also, the novel was written from Watson's perspective as this comic was scripted as a letter from Holmes to his biographer. 

    In 2010, Titan Books reissued Estleman's novel to much success. Whether the novel inspired this one-shot or the publication of this comic inspired Titan to re-release the novel is a mystery worthy of Holmes and Watson's attention.)