Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
I’m a fan of “Sherlock Holmes in the modern era” stories. I love the way they illustrate how the detective character is timeless while making entertainment out of the culture clash between the Victorian era and today. The latest version I’m aware of is the novel Holmes Coming, published at the end of 2022. Dr. Amy Winslow, through a complicated series of events, winds up being present when an earthquake awakens a crazy man from a steampunk laboratory. She takes […]
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What a fascinating tiny bit of comic history! I’d only heard about Marvel value stamps before in the context of back issues with clipped pages. I had no idea of the scope of the project, or what any of them actually looked like. Marvel Value Stamps: A Visual History, edited by Charles Kochman, is incredibly comprehensive. Every stamp is pictured in the context of one of the letter pages where it first appeared, with a list of any other appearances, […]
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The catalogue for the Sherlock Holmes in 221 Objects exhibit is a worthwhile read for more than just Sherlockians — it provides intriguing insight into some publishing history. The exhibit, featuring items from the collection of Glen S. Miranker and curated by him and Cathy Miranker, has appeared in several key locations for fans of the great detective: the New York Grolier Club from January through April 2022; the Lilly Library in Bloomington, Indiana (where I saw it), from August […]
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As many viewers of the Enola Holmes movie did, I suspect (particularly given the prominent bullet on the cover of this book), I found myself curious about the book series that inspired it. There were six young adult novels, originally, written by Nancy Springer and published from 2007 to 2010. The series picked back up after the success of the movie, with Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche released last year. It opens with a prologue in which Sherlock Holmes, […]
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Since I like Sherlock Holmes and Golden Age mysteries and old Hollywood, Anthony Boucher’s The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars was an enjoyable read for me. It’s important to remember that this was originally published in 1940. Which explains why there’s one major female character, Maureen O’Breen, an attractive redhead who works in publicity for a film studio making a new Sherlock Holmes movie. (Maureen is the sister of Boucher’s series character, a PI in LA. Boucher was better-known […]
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If you like Holmes and you like Wodehouse, you might want to try this slim, quick read. A Case of Domestic Pilfering was written by Rohase Piercy with Charlie Raven and was independently published in 2017. In 1890, Guy Clements is a dramatic but addle-headed young man who prattles on and has gotten himself in temporary financial difficulty. His very close friend Max is visiting from the country. Guy has previously met Dr. Watson at the horse races. Max is […]
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The One True Me and You by Remi K. England is a queer geeky rom-com that stars my people. I loved it. Kaylee is attending a convention dedicated to the latest entertainment incarnation of Sherlock Holmes. She writes popular Johnlock fic about the characters, and it’s the first time she’s meeting the best friends she’s made online. It’s also the first time she feels safe exploring the idea that she’s non-binary, using they/them pronouns, as her hometown is not queer-friendly. […]
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Earlier this year I had the chance to meet the author Vicki Delany in Toronto. (The Bootmakers of Toronto, the local Sherlock Holmes society, were celebrating their 50th anniversary by having an event with guests and presentations.) So I thought I’d brush up on her Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery series. So far I’ve read the first five, and I stopped to talk about that fifth book, There’s a Murder Afoot, because it’s the best one so far. And the reason […]
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