EXCLUSIVE: CASSADAY'S SHERLOCK HOLMES #4

by CBR News Team, Editor

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Wed, May 27th, 2009 at 9:58AM PST

Updated: Wed, May 27th, 2009 at 10:03AM PST

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Dynamite Entertainment has provided CBR with an exclusive first look at John Cassaday's cover for "Sherlock Holmes" #4. Written by Leah Moore & John Reppion with art by Aaron Campbell, this issue goes on sale in August.

SHERLOCK HOLMES #4 (OF 5)
SKU: C725130125576
Price: $3.50
Rating: TEEN+
Covers: JOHN CASSADAY (W/LAURA MARTIN COLORS)
Writer: LEAH MOORE, JOHN REPPION
Penciller/Inker: AARON CAMPBELL
Colorist: TONY AVIÑA
Genre: HORROR, MYSTERY
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: AUGUST, 2009
Format: Comic Book 
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+ 
Diamond Code: 
UPC: 725130125576

The penultimate issue in Dynamite’s acclaimed Sherlock Holmes comic book event! After Watson appeals to Mycroft Holmes and Sherlock himself arrives at the scene end of last issue, can the world’s greatest detective unravel his greatest mystery?

Other Nice Review

Holmes Sweet Holmes

Posted by Don MacPherson on May 7th, 2009

Being a comics writing team consisting of the daughter and son-in-law of Alan Moore must be something of a daunting prospect. The family association no doubt brings a lot of expectations along with it. Of the various Leah Moore/John Reppion comics I’ve read in the past, they’ve ranged from capably crafted, entertaining works to groan-inducing, creative flops. Sherlock Holmes doesn’t fall into either category, as it stands out as the strongest bit of writing I’ve seen from this team thus far in its career (albeit, I admit I haven’t sampled every one of their published efforts to date). Moore and Reppion capture a classic Holmes tone (or least what passes for one as far as I can tell), and they do so with some fun, intriguing mystery storytelling. There’s not just one mystery for Holmes to solve here, but several, all intertwining with one another. This was a strong debut issue, and I await the next episode with bated breath.

In the wake of a devastating and puzzling bombing incident in London, an ailing man who once served as an assistant police commissioner calls upon Sherlock Holmes to bring his keen mind to prevent his own murder. Someone claiming to be responsible for the bombing has sent the sick man a message predicting his death at a specific hour. That time draws near, so Holmes and his trusted colleague Dr. Watson head out to the scene of the supposed crime-to-be.

Aaron Campbell’s style, which has a sort of rough-around-the-edges quality, captures the period nicely. His style reminds me of that of Lee (Joker graphic novel) Bermejo. Oddly enough, I really enjoyed his take on Watson; there’s so much character in his face. There’s something familiar and comforting about Watson as compared to the lean, clean Holmes. Sometimes, his backgrounds are lacking in detail, notably during Holmes and Watson’s first conversation in this issue, but overall, his visuals really reinforce the story and draw the reader into an atmosphere of intrigue and tension. Adding to that mood are the colors. Tony Avina does an exceptional job when it comes to fostering a haunting environment, especially later in the issue.

It’s probably just because I’m a news reporter by day, but I thoroughly enjoyed the late 19th-century take on news reporting, which serves as the narrative voice for the opening scene. I have no idea if such purple prose was common in newspapers of that era, but I loved the colorful, Victorian-era prose for some reason. It put me in just the right mood for the rest of the story.

I rather enjoyed how the writers keep shifting gears throughout the script. At first, the mystery stems from a bombing. Next, we learn of Holmes being contacted by a noted celebrity with a link to royalty, but why, we don’t know. And then there’s the mystery of the dying man threatened with a precise time of death. Clearly, there’s a far more complex story forming; Moore and Reppion have tossed out a few piece of the puzzle that will converge as part of a larger picture. In the meantime, the reader gets more mysteries for his money.

Moore and Reppion have quite the advantage when it comes to this title character. They don’t have to spend much time with introductions or character development. Sherlock Holmes is an icon known the world over, so the writers know going in that the audience is going to be quite familiar with him. That allows them to pull off the best scene in the book, and that’s the one featuring a befuddled and speechless Holmes. The reader’s knowledge of Holmes, his intellect and his confidence allow that moment to pack a much stronger impact without having to firmly establish Holmes’s ego and reputation beyond some superficial exposition in the script. It’s a great take on Holmes, and if the mysteries peppered throughout the issue before that moment weren’t enough to hook you, that look on Holmes’s face will. 8/10

Review of Sherlock Holmes from the Philadelphia Daily News

New adventure with the master of mystery: 'Sherlock Holmes'

By JEROME MAIDA
Philadelphia Daily News

For the Daily News

If there is one element missing from the comics shelves these days, it is a good mystery.

This is interesting considering that the two major properties translated to the big screen this year - "Watchmen" and "Wolverine" - are based on the genre.

With "Watchmen," it's the search for the manipulator behind the scenes; with "Wolverine," it's a journey to rediscover his past.

But in retrospect, the mysteries were unsatisfying. "Watchmen's" mastermind turned out to be the only hero who survived an assassination attempt. Gee, Comics Guy never saw that coming!

As for Wolverine, in the comics and on film, Logan's memories are so muddled and he has been messed with so often that any revelation loses impact because you know it could be exposed as a lie tomorrow.

Additionally, what Comics Guy has been growing weary of is what passes as a mystery in comics these days: Who will be killed? Who's coming back? Who's a Skrull? Who's wearing that costume? Half the time the revelation is done first to get maximum shock value and then the gaps are filled in.

What Comics Guy has longed for is a good, old-fashioned whodunit, like Batman used to relish. Unfortunately, even the Dark Knight Detective - except when written by Paul Dini - does very little mystery-solving anymore, with crafters of his tales seemingly content to have him battle the same dozen or so villains, locking them up, seeing them go free and repeating the cycle.

So what's someone who wants to read stories in which the lead uses his brain more than his fists, guns or superpowers to do?

Enjoy a new adventure of perhaps the greatest sleuth ever created by picking up "Sherlock Holmes" No. 1 from Dynamite.

Though Dynamite has successfully adapted, polished and updated several licensed properties from various genres, "Sherlock Holmes" may have been the hardest to pull off - and they've done fantastically well.

Leah Moore and John Reppion have taken a legendary character and nailed both him and his surroundings. They strike a perfect balance between treating Holmes with the reverence an icon of his stature deserves while also giving him a modern edge.

Artist Aaron Campbell completes the process of pulling us into Holmes' world by imbuing all the characters and their surroundings with a Victorian mood.

The book begins with an explosion that immediately places Holmes and his equally iconic sidekick Dr. Watson on the case. Along the way, they touch on subjects ranging from terrorism to religion to Holmes' already legendary status before the first issue ends on a cliffhanger that throws the normally cool-as-a-cucumber Holmes for a loop.

With a story and dialogue sharp and witty enough to be worthy of one of the world's greatest minds, Dynamite has given the world's most famous detective a fresh voice that should appeal to both old and new fans.

The only real mystery is why this book hasn't received more orders and attention.

Hypergeek Examines Sherlock Holmes #1. Being an Honest Dissection of a Contemporary Classic

Here's a great review of the first issue of Sherlock Holmes!  Thanks to Hypergeek.

As a general rule, I tend to shy away from comic books which are either adaptations of novels, or new stories based on classic literary characters. With adaptations I tend to find that because I am so familiar with the original novel I become bored very rapidly; either that, or I become irritated that certain things were cut out, or important parts were altered to fit the comic page. When it comes to new stories based upon a classic work, it is always a risky venture. The classic version of a character is often ingrained in peoples minds very thoroughly; therefore, when you take that character and place it in alien situation, it is inevitable that you are going to upset some people. People are likely to criticize your portrayal because you have made the character do, or say, something that they think is out of character. They are also likely to criticize the fact that the dialogue is not in the same style as the original story, or any other number of perceived mistakes.

I'll admit that I am very picky when it comes to this sort of thing. I have tried several comic adaptations recently, and gave most of them up very quickly, for example, the comics based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time books, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, and Stephen King's The Stand. I'm even more picky about new stories. I'll admit that have been enjoying the new Dark Tower stories that Marvel have been putting out, which fit in the interstices left in the mythology of King's fantasy epic, but I do have some serious problems with the drawling speech pattern used for the narrator, and some of the dialogue used is painfully bad. That being said, this is probably the best story of this type that I have read thus far. 

That is, until I read the new Sherlock Holmes series from Dynamite Entertainment. The title is written by Leah Moore, and John Reppion, with artwork provided by Aaron Campbell, and with cover art by John Cassaday. The first issue of the series was released last Wednesday, 29th April 2009, with following issues to be released on a monthly basis.



The first arc of the title is an entirely new 6-part story called 'The Trial of Sherlock Holmes'. The story opens with a mysterious explosion in a warehouse in East London. On the following day, retired assistant police commissioner Samuel Henry receives a threat against his life from an unknown malefactor who lays claims to the previous night's explosion, and threatens several more bombings throughout London, at seven p.m. that evening. Fearing for his life, Sir Henry requests a meeting with Sherlock Holmes, to help discern the source of the threat. When Holmes arrives at the home of Sir Henry, he finds he building to be under heavy police protection, and inside he meets Inspector Lastrade and Detective Inspector Davis of Scotland Yard. After some discussion of the matters at hand, and talk of the impending visit of Baron Albrecht Lothair, who has expressed an interest in meeting Holmes, Sir Henry requests for Holmes to come up to his room, where he is bedridden from Consumption. Holmes goes up to see Sir Henry alone, then at the strike of 7 p.m. a gunshot is heard from the bedroom, and the police and Watson smash in the door to find Sir Henry dead, and Holmes holding a smoking gun in his hand, literally.

What an explosive way to begin the title! It is a classic locked room mystery, with the twist being that the chief suspect is the detective who is normally called upon to solve such cases. As Holmes is escorted to jail by the police, the reader is left waiting with an incredibly intense cliffhanger, the could possibly feel longer than Holmes' night in the cells! Clearly, there is far more going on here than meets the eye, and lots of hint are peppered throughout the opening chapter. What is all the hoopla about the visit of Baron Albrecht Lothair? Who bombed the warehouse? What did they have to do with Holmes being in Sir Henry's room at the exact time of the intended bombing? What do the mysterious threatening letters sent to the papers have to do with everything?

Wow! This comic has an incredibly intriguing premise, and perfect pacing. Moore & Reppion have done an absolutely amazing job on this book. It's not just the mystery that makes this one great though, as they work their real magic in the finer details. The dialogue is absolutely top-notch, and is as faithful to actual 19th Century dialog as one could possibly hope for, with faithful spellings and antiquated phrases. The characterization of Holmes and Watson feels absolutely perfect, and remain very faithful to Arthur Conan Doyle's depictions of them. You can tell that a lot of research has gone into this comic, and that has really payed of with a story that feels like it could have been written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself.

On the art front, Aaron Campbell does a wonderful job of bringing Holmes and co. to the modern comic book page. His depiction of Holmes and Watson are rather faithful to early line-art illustrations of the characters, and he gives the London streets that wonderfully foreboding atmosphere that makes you think that Spring-Heeled Jack could be lurking in the fog bank, or at the end of the next dark alley. I remember that last year John Reppion was asking people to recommend him a good artist that could do a 19th century period style. I assume this is the project that he was working on, and I would say that he found the perfect artist for the project. He should buy a pint for the person who recommended Aaron Campbell to him :)

At the start of this review I mentioned my trepidation towards adaptations of novels, and original tales involving classic characters. Moore, Reppion and Campbell might very well have changed my mind on this issue entirely. As a big Sherlock Holmes fan, I can honestly say that so far, this is looking like it might be my favourite non Conan Doyle penned Holmes story ever committed to paper!

Sherlock Holmes Book Signing: Debriefing

I'm happy to report (even if it is a bit late) that the signing at Astro-Zombies was a big success.  I signed over 100 copies of Sherlock Holmes #1!  For my first ever book signing I would say that's pretty good.  And got some good face time with some of Albuquerque's finest (comic book collectors that is).  Check out some of the action!

That's yours truly with the book in question.

Talkin' some shop.

Signing is action!

The great detective and the good doctor - special appearance!