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.

Dell Four Color #1245- The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The world's greatest detective returns in a pair of cases in this 1961 edition of Dell Four Color. First Holmes and Watson tackle the case of 'The Derelict Ship'. Inspired by the mystery of the Mary Celeste, a desperate man employs the sleuth to uncover the whereabouts of the gentleman's missing crew and its load of contents. After a 2-page short in which Holmes schools Inspector Lestrande on a case involving a early morning break-in and trio of suspects, the private eye goes face-to-face with the Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty! A single-page article in the inside back cover of the book that details the methods of deduction Holmes would have used during the Victorian Era close out this issue. 

This was the second issue in less than a year that Dell would publish of all-new mysteries involving Holmes and Watson. Unfortunately, this issue, #1245, would be the last time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most beloved characters would grace the voluminous Dell Four Color series. The fan-favorite series stopped publication with issue #1354 in the Summer of 1962 after Dell's publishing agreement with Western Publishing came to an end.

The two main stories have been attributed to Paul S. Newman. One of Newman's most enduring claims to fame was as writer for the series Turok, Son of Stone. The writer crafted stories of the time displaced Native American warrior for an impressive 26-years. Paul S. Newman would later be credited in the Guinness Book of World Records as the 'World's most prolific comic-book writer' with over 36,000 pages of published work to his credit. 

The cover of this issue, along with Holmes' 1961 Dell debut, were painted by George Wilson; a prolific artist for both Dell, Gold Key and later Whitman. Wilson's beloved works included covers of comic book adaptations of popular 60's TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Star Trek. 

Though interior art credits were not assigned in this book, a couple of websites claim to know who did the artwork. Mycomicshop.com, for instance, cites Bob Fujitani as the main artist. Fujitani must have really enjoyed working with Paul S. Newman on this project as the pair, along with editor Matt Murphy, would eventually co-create the sci-fi character Doctor Solar for Western's new comic imprint, Gold Key. 

None of these stories were adaptations of works by Sir Arthur. Though a radio series of the same name ran on the ABC radio network for over a dozen years decades prior, a quick rundown of the complete series shows that these whodunits are not from that mystery drama either. The content of this book was truly New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #22 (A Mystery) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

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.

Moonstone's Holiday Super Spectacular #1

If you were a fan of Sherlock Holmes, The Phantom, Buckaroo Banzai and Kolchak, The Night Stalker like I am; then you would flip for this holiday special from now defunct Moonstone!

The Ghost Who Walks, Lee Falk's The Phantom, works in the background as a U.N. transport truck tries to make it a Christmas to remember for an encampment of refugees.

Sherlock Holmes and trusty Dr. Watson are called upon to solve a Victorian Christmas Eve mystery.

Genius explorer Buckaroo Banzai is front and center in a holiday first contact with a alien race. Tragedy strikes unfortunately. But there's definitely an air of the nativity story with this tale's fateful ending.

My favorite story was the Kolchak adventure. The beat reporter gets a tip about some mysterious holiday themed killings. It was a good story and all. But that wasn't why I loved this one. It's because Kolchak, who was played by Darren McGavin, is gifted with a Leg Lamp, a la A Christmas Story. If you aren't in the know, McGavin played the dad in that 1983 holiday classic. Another aspect I loved was how some of the characters are drawn as characters from A Christmas Story. The homages just oozed throughout ever pore in this story. It was great!

There's also a story starring a character referred to as The Spider. I'm not familiar with him. The Spider is kind of a cross between a vampire and The Shadow. The story was okay. But the artwork was breathtaking. 

I really enjoyed this special. It featured holiday tales of a number of cult franchises of which I am a fan of but didn't know that there was a Christmas story of! If the point of this special was to introduce new readers to the Moonstone line-up, then the publisher succeeded. Unfortunately, I became a fan of Moonstone about 14 years too late! Let's hope I find some luck in the bargain bins!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets (Family Comic Friday)

Did you know that Sherlock Holmes had a sister? Family Comic Friday didn’t either! Learn all about the forgotten sleuth in our review of her latest graphic novel adventure- Enola Holmes and The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets!

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets
Written and Illustrated by Serena Blasco
Based on the novel by Nancy Springer
Published by IDW Publishing
Pages: 64
Retail: $14.99

Dr. John Watson is missing! The sidekick and biographer of the great Sherlock Holmes is nowhere to be found! Having very positive experiences with the good doctor in the past, Enola Holmes wishes to contribute in finding him. But it will not be easy as she must not run afoul of her brother!

See, Enola Holmes is a runaway. Eager to find her missing mother, Enola escaped her boarding school. Thanks to a family trust, she lives comfortably in London at a boarding house apartment. As she looks for her mother, Enola fills her days solving crimes just like her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. But she must be stealthy, for should either brother catch up with her, Enola will be back in at the school quicker than you could say ‘Professor Moriarty!’

Enola’s only clue is a very strange bouquet of flowers and plants at the Watson residence. Knowing that certain botanicals have hidden meanings, the youngest Holmes knows that there’s something not quite right about this arrangement. In her quest to find Dr. Watson, Enola’s sleuthing will involve uncoding a series of cryptic communiques, donning a series of disguises and travelling into the deepest, most terrifying location in all of London- the madhouse of Clooney Hatch!

Okay- we here at Family Comic Friday kinda knew that Sherlock and his brother Mycroft had a sister. On the BBC series, Sherlock, it was revealed that the world’s greatest detective had a sister named Eurus. Only, this lil’ sis was very much the villain. However, like Enola, Eurus is not canon. Neither character ever appeared in any of the original mysteries by Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

This is the first Enola Holmes graphic novel that I’ve ever read. With The Case of the Bizarre Bouquet being the third book of the series, I am not really sure of much of the established back history of the characters. But, I am a nut for anything Sherlock Holmes and wanted to jump right in on this. Thus, based on my familiarity with Eurus, I developed a theory about Enola Holmes- she’s not really related to Sherlock!

What if Enola is just a young orphan heiress who got tired of being stuck at her school. Having read the exciting adventures of Sherlock and Watson in the papers, in my theory, Enola believes that she is the long-lost sister of the Holmes brothers. Using some of her inheritance, this young lady creates a new persona as the greatest lady detective ever! What if instead of trying to avoid capture, the reason Enola dodges Sherlock is the fear that he’ll end the illusion of her being a member of the Holmes family tree?

New readers and myself will get a chance to explore this mystery further on the big screen. Sometime later this year, Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown will star as Enola Holmes. Could this feature film reveal the truth about Enola? Is she really a Holmes? Well, if you’re not willing to wait, there’s another way to get your answer!

Enola Holmes is the star of the Enola Holmes Mysteries written by Nancy Springer. Currently, there are seven books in the series. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquet is the third book and this graphic novel is a stunning visual adaptation of it.

The force behind this adaptation and of the previous two books is Serena Blasco. She’s a writer/artist from France and Blasco’s work is really amazing. She blends ink and watercolors with a vibrant palette of pastels to bring Victorian Era London to life! Plus Blasco makes the mysteries very interactive.

Yes, young readers can solve many of the codes and puzzles peppered throughout this graphic novel. Unfortunately, readers such as myself might not realize the two-way nature of those parts of the book as the solutions are inserted in the appendix without any sort of stated challenge. I would argue for a note from the author or editor explaining this better in order to make the books more engaging.

Sometimes it’s more fun to read a series of books out of order. In my case, it’s built up a very strong fan theory about the validity of Enola’s kinship with Sherlock Holmes. Or you can start at book one with The Case of the Missing Marquess. Being a mystery book, there’s some stunning crimes committed by various characters. Plus, the puzzles inside are a little complex. But I think parents should have no problem if the Enola Holmes young adult books and graphic novels were read by young readers aged 10-14.

Enola Holmes: the Case of the Bizarre Bouquets debuted in print on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020. The complete line of Enola Holmes books can be found on Amazon and other platforms. Due to the limitations and economic hardships caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, OG asks that if it is possible, please support your local comic shop! But above all else, be safe when making purchases for you and your child.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Conan Doyle For The Defense by Maraglit Fox

In 1908 Scotland, a wealthy woman is brutally murdered. Though several eyewitnesses see the man, they are unable or unwilling to name the suspect. Around this time, immigrant Jew, Oscar Slater is doing business of some nefarious means. He's a con man, a swindler, a pimp- but not a murderer. 

However, the Glasgow police are being pressured to close the case and to do it fast. Using a tip from a pawn broker, authorities finger Slater. Unable to speak on his own accord, Slater is subject to a kangaroo court of sorts and is quickly found guilty despite a lack of sufficient evidence and clear proof of witness tampering. 

Sentenced to spend the rest of his life in one of human history's most diabolical prisons, performing hard labor, Oscar Slater verges on the edge of insanity. As a number of low-level civic leaders try to no avail to lessen the accused's sentence, things look bleak for Slater. That is until the creator of literature's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, takes the case! Ladies and gentlemen, for the defense: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I love Sherlock Holmes stuff. From the Great Mouse Detective to Cumberbatch, and everything in-between, I am a sucker for the Great Detective! I also like a TV show called Mysteries at the Museum. During one episode, a segment was devoted to the work Doyle did on proving a man was innocent for the crime of mutilating livestock. But that gentleman was of Indian decent. So, I was excited to learn more of Doyle's extra forays into the world of true crime. 

The book is basically 2 stories in one. The first is of the life and trials of Oscar Slater. The next is the biography of Sir Arthur. The actual intermingling of the two principle characters in this account of Edwardian Era crime is, well, limited. 

For titling a book with such as 'For The Defense' Doyle is not really that much of an active player. Doyle seems to have done much more in getting George Edalji freed than he did Slater. And I think I would have much rather have read an in-depth account of that case than with the Slater affair.

Doyle wrote 2 pamphlets for Slater's cause. Though technically, the majority of the work of second essay was researched and compiled by a third party. Mostly all Doyle does is writing letters- there's no grunt work here! Sir Arthur mostly seemed to put his name on the second plea on Slater's part as would a celebrity who was selling indoor grills or discount clothing. 

A good fourth of this 352 page book is made up of appendices. I think if you removed them, the book came to about 284 pages. One-third of the book is comprised of verbatim testimonies or correspondence. That leaves about 2/3 of the book filled with author Maraglit Fox's insights into the crime and time period and it makes for this book to feel more like a scholarly text then a work of non-fiction entertainment. 

While Fox's own words are in-depth and cohesive, the manner in which the author presents cited works is not. Some segments are done like a script. Others are huge paragraphs of text. Sometimes Fox would enclose paragraphs with quotations. Other times, she indent the paragraph of text in italics. One thing is for sure, those Edwardian types sure did like to use a lot of words. I just wish that the manner in which their voices were offered in one style for a slightly more easier read. 

A true crime novel? YES. A biography about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? YES. A true crime novel in which Doyle takes the case much like his creation, Holmes? Absolutely not!

Don't let the title full you. Sir Arthur will not be running down British alleyways behind a pack of howling bloodhounds. He'll not be pushing the true fiend behind the murder over a cliff. Nor will he even enter a single courtroom! And if you thought you'd be learning anything about the art of apiary maintenance (beekeeping), forget it! This is real life and it's a little bit boring.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

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.

   

The Sherlock Holmes Puzzle Collection

  When I found this book, I was so excited. I have been on a Sherlock kick recently having discovered the Benedict Cumberbatch series on PBS. So when I found this puzzle book, I thought I would get to be like the famous detective and solve some crimes.

  The book is setup just like the original novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Dr. John Watson as the narrator. This time, the prose is in the form of Watson's notebook containing some of Holmes lesser known ( and so extent, less exciting mysteries- unpublished of course!) With the answers in the back, I thought that this would be like Donald J Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown series that I adored as a kid. (who am I kidding, I still do!) Yet I would have to venture that about 75% of this book reads like the SATs!

   With complicated word plays, lengthy math problems, logic puzzles, and blasted fractions, this book was hard. It didn't help that these puzzles get more and more difficult as the book progresses. Plus, some of the more tricky puzzles unfairly require the reader to have a general knowledge of life in Victorian England in order to solve them.

  By the end of the book, these contests were so difficult to even comprehend that I was pretty much rushing through them. I was that flustered with this book. I think you've got to be a member of MENSA to enjoy the second half of this book. And if you aren't, you’re going to need a pen, paper and possibly a calculator and dictionary to solve them.

  I enjoyed the artwork, some of which were original pieces by Sydney Paget, illustrator of Doyle's stories when first published in London's The Strand magazine. This is a lovely little book for serious Sherlock enthusiasts but for a comparative novice of Holmes and Watson like me, it's going straight to a used bookstore for trade credit.

Rating: 5 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.)

Steampunk Halloween 2013 (#3)

Great Cover, Bad Comic...

Can you consider something to be a Halloween special if it doesn’t pertain in any way to Halloween? Maybe; but I think it’s a stretch. Does having a band of zombies in the plot constitute a Halloween story? No, not really. So explain to me how a comic book that takes place on a deserted isle, set sometime around the 1700s, starring a shipwrecked crew along with a young girl and her robot that looks an awful look like Legolas from LOTR is a Halloween special?

 This book was a major disappointment. If the story I talked about was just one of several stories contained in a Halloween special, I could make allowances. I’ve read many a Christmas themed special that has one or two stories that take place during winter but do not involve any sort of festive spirit. But this special has only 1 story and it’s not really all that scary and doesn’t even have candy in it!

The worst thing about this book was how excited I was about it. Look at the cover- there’s a Christopher Lee looking vampire being discovered by Holmes, Watson, and a robot cop! That’s what I was expecting in this book. Why, even the pin-up at the back of the book that’s of Steampunk Ghostbusters would’ve been better suited for this special than the story I got.

Lastly, the story itself was weak. The art was a quasi-manga style work. It wasn’t bad but it was lacking depth. Then you’ve got the crew who turn into zombies for some reason. There’s mention of a lord of the undead but you’re not even sure if that’s really what’s behind the zombie attack or did some of the crew drink some bad grog? And then there’s our heroine who makes an ambiguous statement to one of the crew members that ‘mother would’ve been proud.” Where these two brother and sister? Was the girl older than she looked and this boy’s mother only he didn’t know?  It’s left very vague and I hate it when books end like that.

If I didn’t get this out or a grab bag or bargain bin, I think I would’ve written the company to demand my money back. This just isn’t such a great comic. There are 2 more specials in this series. Based on my disappointment, I’m not even sure I’d pursue them and I’d seriously consider passing them up if found in a dollar box.

So much of this book could’ve worked. Why it didn’t is beyond me.

Not Worth Consuming.

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

"Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Library of Congress Century Bestseller Series)"

WORTH CONSUMING!

It took me a few days to get back into this book. I ended up getting sick and I just didn’t feel like reading small print. It was very easy to get back in this book and not be too lost.

I really am starting to enjoy these tales of Holmes, Watson, and Co. I still think some of his assumptions that come true are a stretch, but it’s still worth reading!

 I highly recommend!

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

WORTH CONSUMING!

I really thought I was going to hate this book. In fact, I was a little intimidated by the sheer brilliance of this Victorian classic. Plus, the Holodeck episodes in which Data portrays Holmes on Star Trek: The Next Generation are among my least favorite.

 But, I read recently a book in which a character was enjoying Sherlock Holmes and I decided to give it a try- again. I had read a kids version of Hound of the Baskervilles when I was 10-13 and had mixed reviews.

 But, this time I fell in love with the whole package. I can see David Tenant in my eye as Holmes and I like the fact that you’re not required to solve the case against Holmes. I got a little confused when mid-way through the book goes 20 years or more back in time to Mormon settlement in Utah. However, once I realized that this was how to book was supposed to flow, I really got into the mystery and realized Doyle is a bloody genius.