Review: Mycroft Holmes And The Apocalypse Handbook #2
We’re back in Victorian England in 1874 at what was the world’s largest toy shop. Queen Victoria has kidnapped Mycroft Holmes. Why? She wants him to save Great Britain and all the world from an unseen foe whose terrible inventions threaten all humanity. The main hall of the British museum has been destroyed, killing over 200 people. Mycroft learns that a group of authors called the Futurists (the likes of Jules Verne and Mark Twain) were called in by the queen herself. The more Mycroft learns the deeper we go into conspiracy including madness, mayhem and murder.
The Creative Team:
Abdul-Jabbar and Obstfeld prove themselves to be an excellent team. Bringing us a story that is intriguing and incredibly well thought out. A refreshing take on the Sherlock Holmes mythos. They continue to infuse Mycroft originality and refuse to make him a carbon copy of Sherlock. He still uses deductive reasoning and is a detective genius but he is not the refined gentleman that his brother is. He displays a wonton arrogance and dark side that we’d never see in Sherlock (except for Sherlock’s drug addiction, but he keeps that private.)
Joshua Cassara continues to succeed in bringing us into the world of 1874 London. We almost think we’re watching a highly successful colorization of the Basil Rathbone movies from the early 1900’s. His rendering of a creature that’s an homage to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is exceptional. His panels bring the story home. In one scene we travel to Philadelphia where a man in an old style Scuba suit causes havoc and destruction.
The Cover:
Cover A by Joshua Cassara and Luis Guerrero has our hero examining the creature, but behind him is another creature ready to strike. It’s sure to attract the attention of the comic store surfer as it delivers on bringing a sense of urgency to the observer.
In Conclusion:
This issue shows us that the problem of mass destruction isn’t limited to London as we travel the world and similar goings on in Philadelphia PA. can Mycroft solve the mystery before the destruction continues? While the world seems to be crumbling Mycroft is in a jovial mood and even plants a wet one on the queen. The queen accuses Mycroft of treason and he responds that it was well worth the effort, however there’s something rotten in London as the queen isn’t all she’s cracked up to be, we’ll find out more in the next issue.
Mycroft Holmes And The Apocalypse Handbook #2
Writers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfeld
Artist: Joshua Cassara
Publisher: Titan Comics
Publication date: September 2016
About the Author
Kevin Given Kevin Given has studied with "Longridge Writers Group" and "Writer's Boot Camp" a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the "Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter" franchise which includes 2 novels and 8 comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of "Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter" #1 and "Files of Karl Vincent" #1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series "Dracula Rising" (working title) and developing "Foul Blood" into comic book form.
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